October 2007. A generous donation of US$ 19,000 was received on 18 Oct 2007 from Jody Allan Patton, President and CEO of Vulcan. We are in the process of ordering GPS collars to help with the monitoring of individual lions. The generous donation is acknowledged and I wish to thank Lisa Arnold for her liaison efforts.
August 2008. During a recent visit to the Skeleton Coast (see News – 2 Aug 2008), Mr Allan donated a high performance BGAN satellite terminal (HNS 9201 – valued at $3,500) to the project. This unit will greatly improve communications.
November 2009. Another generous donation of US$ 49,960 was received in November 2009 from Jody Allan Patton, President and CEO of Vulcan, towardsGPS collars to help with the monitoring of individual lions. The generous donation is acknowledged and I wish to thank Rob Roy Ramey, CESAR and Lisa Arnold for their help and efforts.

Dunlop (SA & Namibia), has sponsored tires for the field vehicles of Desert Lion Conservation since 2000. Between 2005 and early 2008 Dunlop donated 26 new tires and 10 rims for the field vehicles, to accommodate the research needs of studying the dispersal of lions into the northern Skeleton Coast Park, Dunlop. I thank Malcolm Taylor for his continued support and interest in the lions. During late 2008 the field vehicle was fitted with Cooper tires and the support form Dunlop continued. Malcolm Taylor (Dunlop, Namibia) and Tony Coetzee (Dunlop, SA) facilitated the sponsorship of 4 replacement tires.

A Go Green Grant (Nedbank, Namibia) was awarded to the Kunene Lion Project in October 2005. Funds to the amount of N$ 137,828, over a three-year period, have been approved for a) collecting sound scientific data on the ecology of the Kunene lion population; b) monitoring conflicts between people and lions; c) testing management options to resolve these conflicts; d) compiling a summary of Human-Lion Conflict in the Kunene Region; and e) developing Conflict Management Plans in two key Conservancies.

Helmut Gries secured funding in access of €1,500 for satellite downloading costs of GPS radio collars, and continues to provide valuable support.

February 2009. Helmut & Willi Steinko donated 1 x CF (8GB) & 1 x SD (8GB) memory cards.

Mr. Adolf Huester (jnr), a member of the Land Cruiser Club of Southern Africa, was instrumental in a remarkable fundraising campaign that led to the donation of a Land Cruiser for Desert Lion Conservation. Thereafter, Adolf Huester continued to support DLC by facilitating sponsorships from Toyota and Dunlop, and by sponsoring vehicle service costs, satellite communication and vehicle accessories that, to date, amount to more than N$ 20,000. From June 2009 onwards, Mr. Huester continues to sponsor the satellite communication fees @ approximately R2,000 per month. In Feb 2010, Mr Huester sponsored a GoLight (N$ 1,600) and an ISDN handset for the satellite communication system (N$ 3,200).

Mr. Adolf Huester (snr), from Huester Machine Tools Co., Windhoek, Namibia, donated N$ 23,920 towards research equipment in September 2009.l

The support from IRDNC (Intergrated Rural Development & Nature Conservation) has been priceless. Garth Owen-Smith, Margie Jacobsohn, John Kasouna, and Karen Nott, amongst many, are thanked for their support and for making Wereldsend a valuable operational base. Apart from endless logistical support, IRDNC have also given financially support with small grants during 2005/6, amounting to N$ 40,000. In 2008 two new grants were approved (N$140,000) in support of getting the Maule aircraft operational.

Etienne Bruwer Kalaharifonds & Lochner Photography

February 2010. Host the Desert Lion Fundraiser, in association with Lochner Photography. The event was held at Eensgezindt, in Cape Town, and generated R150,000 for desert lion conservation. See NEWS - 25 Feb 2010 for more details.

August 2009. Partial sponsoring of a Canon lens EF 24-70 mm F2.8 USM Zoom lens.

The Land Cruiser Club of Southern Africa (LCCSA) raised R 140,000 amongst their members and collaborated with WWF-Life to buy a Land Cruiser 79 Double-cab 4.5 IFE for the Project. The vehicle was then modified and equipped by LCCSA with state of the art accessories (see Transport) that made it ideally suited for Project and the difficult terrain.

In addition to the vehicle, the LCCSA have continued to provide additional support and sponsorship to the Project. The current list include: National Luna fridge/freezer (N$6500), 200 litre spare fuel tank (N$ 1000), four extra rims (N$ 2000), satellite communication (web uploads) costs (N$ 7000 – support is ongoing), and services & repairs to the Cruiser during Dec'09 & Jan '10 of ± R25,000.

Michelin Tyre Company, South Africa, is currently sponsoring the tires for the Desert Lion research vehicle. Eight BFGoodridge 285/75 16R Mud Terrain tires were received for the Toyota Land Cruiser on 15 September 2009, and another six tires on 6 August 2010. Swakopmund Fitment Centre mounted the tires on the Cruiser and Mr A. Huester (jnr) covered import fees & fitment costs. Ms. Sian Peters of Michelin is thanked for her efforts in getting the tires to Swakopmund.

Funding and support from the Namibia Nature Foundation dates back to the beginning of our conservation projects in 1998. We have gained much from the NNF's financial management support, technical support, and their ability to find funds in times of need.

The Oratory Prep School, England, has donated more than £600 towards the conservation of Namibia’s desert lions. Funds have been raised by the pupils, the Council and matched by the Head Master, towards sponsoring a lion. A group from the school visited the Project at Wereldsend in July 2006 (see photo) and again in July 2008 (see News) when the kids donated N$ 12,000 that they had raised. A special thanks goes to Mr Jason Nott and Mr Chris Sexon.

TOTAL, Namibia, continues their environmental-friendly policy by actively supporting worthy conservation programmes. With donation of fuel, to the value of N$ 35,000 in 2006 and N$ 41,550 in 2007, TOTAL supports scientific research on lions in the Kunene Region. This donation marks a long-term commitment to conservation as Total, Namibia have been supporting research and conservation projects on Namibian large carnivores conducted by Dr. Stander, for more than 15 years. The current sponsorship is in support of the Desert Lion Project.

Mr Andreas Savoretti of Geneva, Switzerland, is providing continued support to the conservation of desert-adapted lions in Namibia. Donations include US$ 1000 in 2006 and 2007, and N$ 15,752 in 2008.

Wilderness Safaris occupy seven tourism lodges in the area inhabited by lions. They are actively involved in the conservation of wildlife in the region. The Wilderness Trust has provided funding for the ecological research component of the Kunene Lion Project in 2006 (N$ 50,000) and 2007 (N$49,924.00). In addition to these funds, Wilderness Safaris in Namibia, under the leadership of Dave van Smeerdijk, are continuously providing valuable logistical support to the project. On a number of occasions in 2006 & 2007they repaired the project's ageing field vehicle when it broke down in the field.

Peter Sander
& friends in the Medical Profession Namibia &
South Africa

February 2010. Donate 500 Pounds towards satellite download costs for GPS collars.
February 2009. Sally & Les sponsor a Satellite GPS collar (N$ 56,000). The new GPS collar was fitted to the Hunkap male, and the results have thus far made o big contribution to our understanding of lion movements.
September 2007. Donate 50 Pounds.

The World Wildlife Fund - LIFE Project donated US$ 35,000 towards a new field vehicle, and collaborated with the Land Cruiser Club of Southern Africa to purchase a good and suitable vehicle for the Project.

Cymot/Greensport sponsored a complete “Old Man Emu” front and rear suspension (springs & shock-absorbers) for the research vehicle in August 2006. 4x4 Megaworld, South Africa, complimented this donation by supplying a heavy-duty compressor pump. In March 2007 Cymot/Greensport agreed to assist the Desert Lion Project with the building of a research fly-camp by suplying all the equipment at cost price. The help of Mr Axel Theissen and Mr Henning Barth are acknowledged.

After chance-meeting in the Hoaruseb River in late 2007, Mr Charles Glehn donated N$ 1000 to the Project. I spent a wonderful afternoon with Mr Glehn as we watched two lionesses doing nothing at all. The experience moved me and Mr Glehn. He subsequently paid for a set of new satellite collars for the Desert Lion Project, amounting to 18,176 Euro. This donation will make a significant contribution to the long-term conservation of the Desert lions.

Hayley Smith donated a HDV F1 tele-converter lens, to the value of US$ 1000. This lens has made a substantial improvement to the filming and collecting of important data on the desert lions.

Cyc'ology Cycles - Namibia

Patrick de Goede, owner of Cyc'ology Cycles, donated N$ 1000 per month to the Desert Lion Project to help with logistical expenses. The sponsorship ran between September 2006 and August 2007.

Jarlin Aviation

Jeff Sharman, of Jarlin Aviation has over the past two years kindly assisted, free of charge, with logistics and service schedules for the Maule aircraft.