NEWS
- August 2010
2
Sep 2010. Floodplain.
More electrical problems were experienced with
the Land Cruiser today, following the recent service
in Swakopmund. The problem was repaired after
a satellite telephone call was made to JB Auto
Repairs in Cape Town. The camera trap on the Hoanib
Floodplain was checked and it provided an interesting
image of Xpl-10 and the two sub-adult females
moving through the area on 24 Aug 2010.
1
Sep 2010. 70's lionesses.
The Okongwe area was search and the "70's"
lionesses (a sub-group of the Hoanib Pride consisting
of 4 lionesses: Xpl-70, 71 & 73) was located
feeding on an oryx carcass. There was still no
sign of the rest of the Hoanib Pride.
31
Aug 2010. North
to Okongwe. The two lionesses recovered
well from the darting and by late morning they
settled in a mopane thicket a few kilometres to
the east. Two nights ago, the Hoanib Floodplain
male (Xpl-56) returned to Okongwe. It was decided
to locate and follow him with the hopes that he
may lead us to the missing lions of the Hoanib
Pride.
30
Aug 2010. Find Hoanib
Pride. After 18 days of searching, members
of the Hoanib Pride that were present during the
poising incident last month were located today
east of the Obias junction in the Hoanib River.
Disappointingly there were only two lionesses
present (Xpl-57 & 58). Both were darted. The
radio collar of Xpl-57 was replaced and Xpl-58's
collar was lengthened. It is unclear if the remainder
of the pride are still alive.
29
Aug 2010. Xpl-10.
The additional lions in the Hoaruseb could not
be located and the search for the Hoanib Pride
continued down to the Mudorib and Amp's Poort
area. Xpl-10 and the two sub-adult lionesses of
the Floodplain Pride were located in the granite
ridges south-west of Amp's Poort, and a brown
hyaena was observed scavenging on the remains
of an oryx carcass.
28
Aug 2010. Tawny
& Morada. The two Hoaruseb lionesses
(Xpl-37 & 38, better known as Morada &
Tawny), were
located in the Hoasruseb River, about 5 km from
the sea. There is a strong possibility that the
lions that were observed east of Leyland's Drift
during the past two weeks were not Tawny &
Morada, but Hoanib lions. This will be investigated
during the next few days. Both Hoaruseb lionesses
were immobilised this evening. A GPS collar was
fitted to Morada (Xpl-37) and the VHF collar of
Tawny (Xpl-38) was replaced. The Holder family
and Wilderness Staff, based at Khumib Camp, assisted
with the dartings.
27
Aug 2010. Presentation.
After Xpl-73 recovered from the anaesthetics,
the search for the rest of the Hoanib Pride was
extended to the Hoaruseb River. At the request
of Wilderness Safaris, a talk on the Desert Lion
Project was presented to the Holder family and
other guests at the Skeleton Coast.
26
Aug 2010. Dart Hoanib
lioness. After sitting in the vehicle
the entire day the Hoanib lions slipped away during
the late afternoon. They crossed several mountain
ridges and disappeared. By total chance, they
were located again at 23h00 and were observed
in the moonlight. The group consisted of 4 lionesses,
none of whom were present during the recent poisoning
in the Ganamub River. A lioness was darted and
fitted with a GPS radio collar. The whereabouts
and welfare of the rest of the Hoanib Pride is
unknown and of concern.
25
Aug 2010. Breakthrough.
At 02h10 this morning a sub-group of the Hoanib
Pride was located in a narrow valley about 15
km north-east of Okongwe Spring, after a 15-day
search. Their tracks were first picked-up at midnight
and then the signals of at least two radio-colarred
lionesses were heard. Due to the difficult terrain
it was impossible to get close enough to the lions
to observe them. They will be approached carefully
during the day and efforts will be made to observe
them tonight. It is important to determine which
of the marked lions are still alive, following
the poisoning incident in late July 2010.
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24
Aug 2010. Okongwe.
The Land Cruiser proved once again to be an outstanding
off-road vehicle. The search for the Hoanib lions
was extended into the northern section of the
Okongwe area. There are no roads in this area
and routes were planned through the mountains
using satellite photos. These were displayed on
the PowerBook Mac computer and linked to a GPS
using the MacGPS Pro programme. A recently abandoned
Himba village was discovered in one of the northern
valleys. The rising of the full moon at 19h56
was quite spectacular.
23
Aug 2010. Fresh
spoor. By late morning a second set of
fresh lion tracks were found near Okongwe. After
careful assessment the lion was again identified
as a member of the Hoanib Floodplain Pride (Xpl-56).
The blue squares (middle photo) indicate where
the tracks were observed and the red dots show
the movements of Xpl-56 as recorded by his satellite
GPS collar. It is suspected that Xpl-56 moved
into the Okongwe area, which is far outside his
current home range, because he may have been attracted
by the vocalisations of other lions. An effort
is currently being made to follow the route that
he travelled with the hopes that this may lead
to finding the Hoanib lions.
21/22
Aug 2010. Xpl-10.
The mystery of the spoor of a single lioness around
the water-hole at the Hoanib/Mudorib junction
was solved. The tracks were followed and to great
surprise Xpl-10, the Hoanib Floodplain lioness,
was located. It appears that she might have given
birth to a litter of cubs nearby.
20
Aug 2010. Central
Hoanib.
After collecting medical supplies at Palmwag,
the entire Hoanib River and some of the tributaries
were searched again. There was still no sign of
the main Hoanib Pride.
19
Aug 2010. Eastern
Hoanib. The Hoanib-lion-search continued
as the entire Hoanib River, from Amp's Poort to
Sesfontein and south to the Obeb River, was covered.
The spoor of 2 lions (a sub-adult male and female)
was picked-up at the Obias River, but no sign
of the main Hoanib Pride has yet been found.
18
Aug 2010. SA male
lion. The
southern and western part of the Okongwe area
were searched for the missing Hoanib lions. At
22h30 the sub-adult male lion (Xpl-56) of the
Hoanib Floodplain Pride was located East of Sima
Hill. He was still on his own, and thus supporting
the hypothesis (of 12 Aug 2010) that the lionesses
have abandoned him. Searching for the Hoanib lions
was extended to the Tsuxub River and the Amp's
Poort area without picking up any fresh spoor
or radio-signals.
17
Aug 2010. North
to Okongwe. Many fruitless hours were
spent looking and waiting for the lioness at the
Hoanib/Mudorib junction. At 23h00 the search for
the Hoanib Pride was continued to the Obias River
and then north into the Okongwe mountains. By
sundown today every possible track had been driven
and most of the dry water courses were scanned
for fresh spoor. No evidence of the Hoanib lions
could be found.
16
Aug 2010. Mudorib
River. The
fresh spoor of a lioness was spotted near the
water-hole at the Hoanib/Mudorib junction. Closer
investigation revealed more tracks of a lioness
(possibly the same individual) frequenting the
area. The water-hole and the surrounding areas
are being monitored closely.
| Several
elephant breeding herds are using the water-hole |
Augur
Buzzard |
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15
Aug 2010.
Hoanib search.
During
the past five days a total distance of 471
kilometres have been driven along all the
major tributaries of the Hoanib River, between
Dubis and Amp's Poort (see map - right).
No radio-telemetry signals or fresh signs
of the main Hoanib Pride ("Bianca and
5 other radio-collared lionesses) have yet
been found. The map displays a track-log
(red lines) of the search pattern. |
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14
Aug 2010. Angry
bees. The search for the Hoanib lionesses
continue. The entire Hoanib River, as well as
the Ganamub, Obias, Okongwe, and several other
smaller tributaries have been covered thus far.
Whilst
trying to connect to the BGAN satellite IP modem
this afternoon, a swarm of rather aggressive
honey bees descended on the Cruiser. There was
a frantic effort to get away from the bees, but
an escape was only managed after being stung three
times.
13
Aug 2010. Hoanib
lions. With the aid that the increasing
moonlight will provide during the following ten
days, a big effort is made to locate Xpl-47 ("Bianca")
and the rest of the Hoanib Pride. It is important
to determine what the status of the group is following
the poisoning of Xpl-64 and a sub-adult male (see
30 July 2010). The GPS collar of Xpl-47 must be
removed, the data downloaded, and a new battery
fitted. The strong south-westerly winds of the
past week uprooted an Acacia tree near the Tsuxub
River. The tracks of two lionesses were followed
along a wash to the south of the Hoanib. One lion
was spotted on a mountain slope, but it soon dissapeared.
A female dusky sunbird made for an entertaining
afternoon, while waiting for the lions to reappear.
12
Aug 2010. Xpl-56.
The Land Cruiser gave a few more problems during
the day, but they were managed. The sub-adult
male (Xpl-56) of the Hoanib Floodplain pride was
observed for the latter part of the day. He had
been separated from the lionesses and was calling
for them at regular intervals. This may be the
initiation of him being ousted for the group.
11
Aug 2010. Amp's
Poort. Removing
the computer chip was a lengthy affair, but the
opportunity was used to redesign and upgrade the
electrical lay-out of the Cruiser. This included
the solar power and all the 220 Volt access points
for the computers and satellite communication.
New images from the camera trap in the Hoanib
Floodplain were downloaded. The camera was cleaned
and new batteries were installed. Shortly after
sunset the Hoanib Floodplain lions were located
on the north-bank of the Hoanib River a few kilometres
east of Amp's Poort.
10
Aug 2010. Second
breakdown. The electrical problem of
yesterday was repaired and the journey to Mowe
Bay and the Hoanib River (via the Floodplain)
was continued. Early this morning, whilst negotiating
the soft sand and dunes leading up to the Hoanib
Floodplain, the vehicle experienced more electrical
problems. The problem became worse and the Cruiser
was finally stopped amid thick succulent vegetation
on the western edge of the Floodplain (see photo
- bottom left). JB Auto Repairs (the "Land
Cruiser Whisperer") in Cape Town was contacted
via satellite phone. Johann identified the problem
to be be a computer "chip" that was
installed in the vehicle before it was purchased
by the Land Cruiser Club of SA. Most of the day
was spent removing the computer "chip"
and reconnecting the correct wiring.
9
Aug 2010. Breakdown.
An electrical problem with the Land Cruiser developed
this morning (10h00) about 50 km south of Mowe
Bay.
Sand-storms and strong
winds (gusting up to 60 km/h) complicated working
on the vehicle. After five gruelling hours the
problem was isolated and repairs are being
made.
8
Aug 2010. Lower
Uniab. During
the return trip to the Hoanib, the tracks of several
lions were spotted in the lower Uniab River. Some
time was spent trying to locate the lions. During
the 1980s, and even up to the early 1990's, lions
regularly visited the Uniab Mouth. It is the first
time that lions have moved this far west along
the Uniab River for almost 15 years.
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7
Aug 2010. News Page.
This website is aimed at making information from
the Desert Lion Conservation project available
to everybody. Apart from providing data and results
from the study, regular updates are present in
the News Section with photographic images of day-to-day
happenings. A concerted effort is made to only
present the facts, and not to draw conclusions
or make value judgements.The information and photos
have been used and/or referenced extensively by
third parties, in support of particular viewpoints
or opinions. Despite the efforts to only present
the facts, the interpretation of the information
is subject to the particular viewpoints of viewers,
and that has resulted in criticism towards Desert
Lion Conservation. An example can be seen in a
recent letter to a Namibian newspaper (see LINK).
This brought into question the value of continuing
with the regular updates in the News Section.
But, it was decided to continue for as long as
the information contributes to the long-term conservation
of lions, as explained under Vision
and Projects.
6
Aug 2010. Tire Sponsorship.
The Land Cruiser was collected from Steckel's
Toyota after a major service and repairs. The
second sponsorship of 6 BFG Mud Terrain tires
by Michelin Tyre Company, SA, was received (see
Sponsors). Adolf Huester
helped with the arrangements and paid the import
fees. The tires were fitted by Swakop Fitment
Centre and Wimpy Els is thanked for assisting.
Special certificates of acknowledgement were designed
and printed for each of the 22 people that worked
on the rescue operation of the Humpback whale
on 21 July 2010.
A letter of appreciation was written to the Police
Commissioner of the Kunene Region for the efforts
by the eight Police officers.
5
Aug 2010. Land Cruiser.
Searching for the Hoanib Pride will require a
serious effort. It was decided to return to Swakopmund
to collect the Land Cruiser. The Isuzu, borrowed
from KCS, served the Project well. Russell &
Tina Vinjevold are thanked for making it available.
4
Aug 2010. Water
in the Hoanib. The third day of studying
the ageing tracks and signs at the Ganamub did
not reveal new information on the death of the
two lions. Despite extensive radio tracking the
remainder of the group (four radio-collared lionesses,
including Xpl-47 "Bianca") could not
be located during the past three days. Another
sub-group of the Hoanib Pride (Xpl-70 & 71,
recently marked in the Okongwe area, 11-14 July
2010) were located every day in the Hoanib River.
The two artificial water installations in the
Hoanib River (at the Ganamub & Mudorib river
junctions) have been repaired by MET and many
animals are starting to utilise the water-points.
3
Aug 2010. Lions
killed giraffe. It has been a difficult
task to reconstruct the sequence of events from
tracks that were more than a week old, but the
investigation has thus far revealed that lions
from the Hoanib Pride killed livestock at a village
30 km further north in the Ganamub River. Members
from the village and Sesfontein Conservancy pursued
the lions and found them feeding on a fresh giraffe
kill about 1.2 km north of the Hoanib River. The
vehicle loaded the giraffe carcass (photos: left
& middle), but left a piece of meat behind
that was laced with poison. Two lions were found
dead at the scene and it is likely that they died
from the poison. Skin and hair samples will be
analysed. The lions were also pursued by vehicle
and on foot, and there is a possibility that shots
may have been fired at the lions. Further efforts
will be made to determine if any of the remaining
lions were either shot or wounded. A Cape fox
was found dead at the scene (photo: right) and
may also have been poisoned.
2
Aug 2010. Lion carcasses
burnt. By the time the location of the
dead lions, courtesy of the Isuzu from Kunene
Conservancy Safaris, was reached, the lion carcasses
had already been burnt by MET (due to the suspicion
that poison was used). Unfortunately some of the
evidence was destroyed in the process. The staff
from Hoanib Camp, Wilderness Safaris (Emsie Verwey,
Frank Kasaona, & Moses Awiseb), assisted with
the investigation that has led to new information.
More work is needed and updates will follow.
1
Aug 2010. Samanab.
En route to the Hoanib River to investigate the
possible poisoning of Xpl-64, the Obab lions,
including "Nina" (Xpl-49) & Xpl-45,
were located amongst the dunes in the lower Samanab
River. Two adult cheetahs were spotted just before
dark south of the Hunkap River.
31
July 2010. K C S.
The servicing of the Land Cruiser in Swakopmund
could not be expedited, despite the urgency of
returning to the Hoanib to investigate the possible
poisoning of several lions (photo
bottom left - E Verwey). Russell &
Tina Vinjevold of Kunene Conservancy Safaris kindly
offered the use of their Isuzu 4x4. The offer
was gladly accepted because it is essential to
get to the location as soon as possible in order
to make an accurate assessment. Dr Etienne Bruwer
also offered the use of his vehicle for the occasion.
James Davies & VIRBAC, RSA, are thanked for
replacing 30 bottles of anaesthetics, following
the problems experienced during the translocation
of the Agab Pride on 17 May 2010, and Peter Sander
is thanked for facilitating the process. The Website
statisctics is available for
July 2010.
30
July 2010. Dead
lions. Herman
Visser of Wilderness Safaris reported two dead
lions next to the road in the Ganamub River, approximately
2 km north of the Hoanib River. The situation
appeared suspicious. The Land Cruiser was still
undergoing repairs in Swakopmund, but the Ministry
of Environment & Tourism sent a helicopter
(busy with a wildlife capture operation near Palmwag)
to investigate. Manie le Roux (MET) & Emsie
Verwey (WS) inspected the scene. They found that
one of the lions was radio-collared (Xpl-64 of
the Hoanib Pride) and concluded that the lions
had most likely been poisoned.
Photos by E Verwey.
29
July 2010. Repairs.
The Land Cruiser is currently with Steckel's Toyota
in Swakopmund for a major service and repairs,
a new power adapter for the MacBook Pro was received
via an over-night courier service and repairs
to the sound system is underway. The weather changed
during the night and strong east-winds started
blowing at 04h00.
28
July 2010. Vehicle
& computer problems. During the past
few weeks several problems were experienced with
the Land Cruiser, the sound-playback system and
the satellite communication system (resulting
in limited email and telephone access for +2 weeks).
But when the power supply of the new Apple MacBook
Pro failed during the night, it became necessary
to abandon further fieldwork and head towards
Swakopmund for repairs.
27
July 2010. South
to Floodplain. With the Hoaruseb lionesses
still feeding on the oryx carcass, efforts were
turned to the Hoanib. Xpl-10 & the Floodplain
lions were observed south-east of Ganias Spring.
26
July 2010. Oryx.
The two Hoaruseb lionesses (Tawny & Morada)
killed another adult oryx at the lower gorge in
the Hoaruseb River. The red circle (middle photo)
indicates the place where the oryx was captured.
25
July 2010. Huaruseb
dunes. During the past few days the two
lionesses (Tawny & Morada) moved through spectacular
terrain and scenery amongst the dunes of the lower
Hoaruseb River. To view the picture below; start
by moving your mouse over the top left corner.
