Funding Sources

The sources of funding have been grouped into "Sponsors" (longer-term support) and "Donations" (one-off donations).
Names are listed in alphabetic order - click on logos for link to respective web sites, when available.

Current Sponsors:

Jody Allan Patton
&
Paul Allan (Vulcan)

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.

Adolf Huester (jnr) is continuing to fund the BGAN satellite Internet connection that allows the Project to continue doing regular website updates from the field. The value of this sponsorship is huge.

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$ 37,000. 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). Recent support include sponsoring of a flight to Cape Town in November 2010 to give a presention to the donors of the Fundraising event in February. In January/April 2011, Mr Huester sponsored radio telemetry equipment, electronic & battery equipment, a weather monitoring system, an African Tree shade structure and several other valuable items.

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

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

2010/11. Additional sponsorship of a camera trap, a video surveilance camera, and other items. Dr Bruwer donated N$ 5,000 in March 2011.

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.

Arnold van Wyk initiated a fundraising campaign within LCCSA. He succeeded in sponsoring eight Bushnell Trophy Cam camera traps (with 8 x 2 MB memory cards) for the Project. The cameras were delivered to the Project in April 2011.

Land Cruiser repairs in Cape Town - May 2011.
The major repairs that were done to the Land Cruiser in Cape Town (see News - May 2011) amounted to R67,000. The Land Cruiser Club (LCCSA) contributed R23,000 towards the costs and the rest were sponsored by Johan Buys, Martin Cleminshaw, Adolf Huester, Johann Botha, and an unanimous donor (who sponsored a significant proportion of the amount). A special thanks also goes to Adolf Huester and Johann Botha for their support and contributions.

Michelin Tyre Company, South Africa, is currently sponsoring the tires for the Desert Lion research vehicle. To date, 18 BFGoodridge 285/75 16R Mud Terrain tires have been donated for the Toyota Land Cruiser (8 tires - Sep 2009, 6 tires - Aug 2010 & 4 tires - Nov 2011). Adolf Huester (jnr) assisted with transport, import fees & fitment costs. Sian Peters, Sharon Trengove & Andre Steenkamo of Michelin are thanked for their efforts.

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 & 2007 they repaired the project's ageing field vehicle when it broke down in the field.

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

July 2009: Peter & Bernd Sander initiated a fundraising effort for medical supplies to the value of N$ 30,000. Contributors: Dr Rod Lichtman, Dr Paddy Murphy, Dr Thys Greeff, Dr Pietie Loubser, Peter Sander, Dr Bernd Sander, Dr Hannes Loots, Edmund van Wyk, Douglas Defty, Christo van As.
May 2010: A second fundraining effort was organised by Peter Sander for a comprehensive list of medical supplies (e.g. anaesthetics, blood tubes, drip-sets, syringes, needles, etc.). Contributors: Dr Paddy Murphy, Dr Ockie & Erica Oosthuizen, Dr Pietie Loubser, Dr Mike Opitz, Christine Meintjies, Craig Tingle, Stefan Sickel, Nico Viljoen (Biodynamics), Thinus Barnard (Genmed), and several anonymous sponsors.
Sally & Les
Weintrobe

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.Young

Youngleson

A donation of US$ 2,000 towards the Desert Lion Project and the monitoring of "Rosh" was received in honor of the laste Lesley and Ghita Youngleson.

Large Donations: (> N$ 10,000)

Namibian Tourism Operators sponsor computer
The commitment to protecting the environment and conserving wildlife by many of the "smaller" tourism organisation is admirable. Felix Vallat rallied support from several tourism operators and individuals to purchase a new MacBook pro computer, to the amount of N$ 19,000, for the Desert Lion Project. The following parties contributed to the combined sponsorship: Felix Vallat, Nathalie Cadot, David Rey & Vincent Henry (Omanda Tours), Eric Rosenthal (Namikala Safaris), Franck Bruneliere (Grandeur Nature), Marc Haubert (Kupenda Safaris), Caroline Oriol (Madiza Tours), Bianca von Lieres (Matiti Safaris), Vincent Bruna (My Namib Africa), Ingrid Berard Laporte (Damarana Safaris), Dieter Risser (Ondjamba Safaris), Nicolas Honore (African Eagle), PC Centre.
The Ammer Foundation
The Ammer Foundation, based in Hamburg, Germany, donated 10,000 Euros towards a mobile research station for the Desert Lion Project. A special thank you goes to Paul and Jakob Ammer.

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.

Charles & Doris Glehn

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.

Helmut Gries

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.

Holder Family
The Holder family, of New York City, purchased a Dan-Inject dart gun and supplies in the USA and had it shipped to Namibia. This kind donation (approximately US$ 5,000) is of great benefit to the Project. Dan-Inject is a reliable, effective and humane darting system.
Dr. N Naude
Dr. F Senekal
During my visit to Cape Town for the "Desert Lion Fundraiser" in February 2010, Dr Nathanie Naude & Dr Freddie Senekal went out of their way to attend to a few medial (hearing & dental) needs. They did this free of charge. In addition, they also sponsored a hearing aid that will greatly improve my ability to locate and observe lions in the desert. In July 2010, Dr F Senekal sponsored his time and expertise to modify ± 50 hypodermic needles to be used on tranquilising darts. In Nov 2010, Dr Senekal sponsored more dental work and Dr Naude donated equipment and R 1,000.
Langer Heinrich Uranium sponsored N$ 10,000 towards petrol for the Desert Lion Project in July 2011. Hannelie van der Merwe, Werner Patrick and Andrew Reid are thanked for facilitating the process.
Dr. Rod
Lichtman
A donation of N$ 10,560.00 was received for a set of new tires for the Land Cruiser. Dr Lichtman read about problems experienced with excessive punctures on the Desert Lion website and kindly offered to sponsor four new tires.
John & Barbara
Patterson
Namibian conservationists, John and Barbara Patterson, donated their private Toyota Hilux to the Desert Lion Project. John is the Chief Warden for Skeleton Coast Park. The donation included a vast collection of valuable spare parts that will help to keep the Project's Hilux operational for many years.
Hayley Smith

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.

Richard Taylor
In association with Henry Cookson Adventures, Mr Taylor sponsored solar batteries and fuel for the field vehicle to the value of 2,000. In addition, Mr Taylor donated US$ 2,000 towards the Project. These funds will be used to purchase computer hardware and software.
In collaboration with the LCCSA, Toyota (SA) donated N$ 15,000 towards a Land Cruiser for Desert Lion Conservation. Mr Willie van Greune facilitated in the further sponsorship of N$ 5,000 towards the servicing of the Cruiser in Nov 2008.
February 2010. Barloworld Toyota, Witbank (Louis van der Walt) donated R 5,000 towards maintenance.
Nathalie Cadot, Felix Vallat & Friends
Nathalie and Felix ran a fundraising effort in France, called "Apple 4 Lions" and raised sufficient funds to purchase a new Macintosh computer for the Project. In total, 55 people participated and contributed to the "Apple 4 Lions" initiative. A mutual friend, Rob Roy Ramey, was instrumental in finding and purchasing a good second-hand MacBook Pro (2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo) in the USA. Rob then brought the computer out to Namibia. The following people are thanked for their contributions: Guillaume, Véronique, Chrystelle, Karim, Loubna, Christophe, Sylvain, Jérémy, Pierrette, Annie, Nicolas, Leslie, Loïc, Laurent C., Anne-Hélène, Fabien, Stéphanie C., Frédéric, Marcel P., Audrey, Jean-Félix, Luc, François-Xavier, Louisette, Françoise, Dominique, Marie-Louise, Jean-Baptiste, Stéphanie, Andrée, Marcel C., Laurent R., Marie-Joseph, Jean-Louis, Said, Paul, Chantal, Jennifer, Cécile, Richard, Stéphanie A., Mia, Charles, Anne, Laurent E., Marion, Bastien, Estel, Jean, Maïder, Céline and David, Maureen. A special thank you goes to Félix and Nathalie, and to Rob and Laura Brown.
February 2010. Nathalie and Felix presented the Project with a LaCie 500GB hard drive.
Paul van Biljon
Paul van Biljon supported the Desert Lion presentation held in Swakopmund on 4 Dec 2010, and also donated N$ 10,000 directly towards the research.

In-kind Donations: Specific items or equipment (see list of needs, specifications and suppliers) donated to the Project

13 March 2008 Ian, Janine and Struan Noble 10 packs Pneu Darts, 2 x Shurefire flashlights, 1 x LaCie hard drive
12 Oct 2008 Naples Zoo, Florida - D. Tetzlaff 2 x Cuddeback cameras, 2 x CF cards
13 Feb 2009 Helmut Gries & Willi Steinko 1 x CF (8GB) & 1 x SD (8GB) memory cards for Canon camera
27 Feb 2009 Arno's Off-road Centre Repair ARB locker system on Land Cruiser free of charge
3 Aug 2009 Marianne and Helmut Hofer 2 x Pelicases, Arctic Butterfly, MS Office & File Maker software
4 Aug 2009 Eric & Joey Stander Pelican case Cat 1700
2 Aug 2009 Peter Zeitsman Veterinary medical supplies
Sep 2009 Peter Sander Medical supplies
Oct 2010 Bernd Kebbel, Off Road Centre Donation of five 285/75 tires for the Land Cruiser
Nov 2010 Jan Slabber Donation of a special vehicle recovery devise
Nov 2011 Gwendal Cochet, Matiti Safaris Donation of two used BFG tires
     
     

Smaller Donations: (since February 2007)

30 Dec 2007 Jana & Alexander Schneider, Bremen, Germany - 60 Euro
2007 Franck Bruneliere of Grandeur Nature Safaris, sponsored N$ 5000 in 2007 and continues to support the Project
18 Mar 2008 Mark Vinjevold, South Africa - R 1,500 & a pair of Vaurnet sunglasses
22 July 2008 Miles October, Angola - R 5000 for the Ugab male, also called "Miles"
May 2009   Russell & Tina Vinjevold, Namibia - Zoletil & general supplies +- N$ 5000
Aug 2009   Hennie Kotze, LCCSA - Data recording book & folder +- N$1000
27 July 2009 Service of Land Cruiser (N$ 4500) sponsored by Adolf Huester, Pierre Bester, Johann Viljoen, Anton Bruwer (all RSA), Philip Becker (Germany) & Henno Putto (Holland).
First Ascent (see link to their website) donated specialised clothing to the value of N$ 2,500.00. Patrick de Goede of Cycletec, Namibia, is thanked for facilitating the donation.
2008 - 2010 Tina & Russell Vinjevold, Namibia - ongoing food supplies and general project support.
April - Oct 2009 Wilderness Safaris, Rhino Camp (Daphne Augas & Emsie Verwey) - logistics, supplies & project support.
January 2010 Frank & Marina van der Schans & Friends, Netherlands - donated €600
May 2010 Hannelie van der Merwe, Namibia - stationary supplies
September 2010 Rob Moffit of Wilderness Safaris are thanked for his personal support towards the Poject.
September 2010 Cycletec, Namibia, sponsored several climbing ropes and other items (+- N$2500). Patrick de Goede is thanked.
Swakop Kitchens & Joinery constructed and donated a speaker box and amplifier control unit to the value of N$ 2,000. Ferdi & Niel du Toit are thanked for this generous and unexpected sponsorship.
October 2010 Dr Amanda & Mr Eric Gulbis, of Cape Town, RSA, donated N$ 3,500 toward fuel expenses.
Schalk Prinsloo, of Mechanika, donated a GoLight (Model 7951) to the Project in April 2011. The remote controlled spotlight is of great benefit to the research and monitoring of lions.
Klaus Schubert, of Klabris Safaris, donated a "Lift-Mate" attachment for a "Hi-Lift" jack. The attacment provides extra support when trying to free a vehicle that is bogged-down in mud.
November 2011
Mr Horst Zimmy of Pan African Sales donated a large quantity of Eveready Gold AA batteries. Felix Vallat is thanked for facilitating the donation.

Invaluable Support
A number of people and organisations provide valuable and often essential support to the project, which do not necessarily fit in any of the pervious categories. This section was created to acknowledge their support. (Listed in alphabetic order).

CESAR (Council on Endangered Species Act Reliability) - Receiving and managing, on behalf of Desert Lion Conservation, a grant from Paul G. Allan Family Foundation. This involved substantial administration, communications, and incurred financial management costs. Considering the remoteness and conditions under which the Desert Lion Project operates, CESAR and Rob Roy Ramey are thanked for a significant contribution.
Helmut Gries - For support and securing funds for satellite download costs.
Adolf Huester - A special acknowledgement is made for the ongoing support & funding of the Desert Lion Project. During 2008/9 the support & the funding effectively kept the Desert Lion Project alive.
Rob Roy Ramey & Laura Brown - Over the years the support from Rob & Laura have been financial, logistical, administrative, but most significantly, inspirational.
Bernd & Frauke Sander - For field supplies and support
Peter & Mielies Sander - For lobbying, raising funds for important events, and continued general support.
Dr C Scarlett - For regular critical, and sometimes cynical, comments and reviews on the website updates.
Eric & Joey Stander - Unconditional support.
Russell & Tina Vinjevold - Thanks are due for ongoing support on all levels.
Sally & Lez Weintrobe - After a chance meeting in the Hoanib, their continued support has been a source of inspiration to the Project.
Skeleton Coast Camp (Wilderness Safaris) - Thanks goes to the support from Trix Malan, Louis Nortje, Willie SmitMonica Greef & Emsie Verwey, amongst many others.

Previous Sponsors:

Aviation Centre - Namibia. The Kunene Lion Project's aircraft was serviced by Aviation Centre in Windhoek. Peter Hartmann at Aviation Centre is thanked for special attention to safety and considerate billing between June 2004 and July 2006.

The Cardboard Box Travel Shop supported the Desert Lion Project by requesting donations from tourist using the Travel Shop. A donation of anaesthetics, to dart 5-7 lions, was received in November 2007.

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.

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.

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.

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.
Oratory Prep School
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. In early 2010 the School visited Namibia again and donated another N$ 4,000 towards the Project.
Andreas Savoretti
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.
TOTAL, Namibia, supported research and conservation projects on Namibian large carnivores conducted by Dr. Stander for18 years.
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.