News
Obab lionesses update
Tuesday 13 September 2022
The newly designed and modified Land Cruiser research vehicle have performed remarkably well in the field. Despite all the research equipment and additions to the vehicle, it remains relatively light and behaves well over the rough terrain. Several new additions and modifications were added to meet the observation and research requirements. ..read more >>
Death of an Ugab lioness.
Monday 12 September 2022
During mid-May 2022 a mortality signal was received from the Ugab lioness Xpl-116 on the foothills of Brandberg mountain. The first investigation a few days later failed due to the presence of another lion or leopard that was growling when the site was approached on foot. Several weeks later during mid-July 2022, we returned to the site. ..read more >>
In honour of the late Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
Thursday 8 September 2022
Xpl-10 the "Queen" of Desert lions. Born: 1 September 1998. Died: 17 May 2014. ..read more >>
Coastal activities & fitting satellite collars
Thursday 1 September 2022
Following the death of the Obab lioness Xpl-105, several days were spent along the coast searching for the remainder of the Obab pride and collecting data. The weather conditions were variable and extreme - varying between hot easterly winds, cold southwesterly sandstorms and thick coastal fog. The spoor of an adult male leopard was observed at several locations around the Uniab Delta. It is presumably the same individual that has been recorded at the Delta during the last three years. ..read more >>
Death of a Lioness
Monday 22 August 2022
The two Orphan lionesses have traversed the Floodplain and sections of the dune-belt every night, moving an average of 20–30km per day, in search of food to sustain themselves and the three small cubs. ..read more >>
Observations along the Hoanib River
Saturday 13 August 2022
The two Orphan lionesses and three small cubs favoured the eastern section of the Floodplain where most of the prey were concentrating. The lioness Xpl-106 “Alpha” gave birth to two female and one male cub, and at the age of 11 weeks, they are becoming more mobile and occasionally move with the lionesses. ..read more >>
Hoanib River
Sunday 17 July 2022
After the good rainfall earlier in 2022 many animals have returned to the Hoanib river. The Hoanib Floodplain was saturated with water from several flash floods and was inaccessible for many months. As the mud dried up, aided by the hot east-wind conditions, sections of the Floodplain became drivable ..read more >>
Current Monitoring
Sunday 26 June 2022
Following the exceptionally good rainfall earlier in 2022, and considering the known mortalities of lions due to human-lion conflict and the lack of food due to the hyper-arid conditions during recent years, a concerted monitoring effort is underway to determine the current age/sex structure and size of the Desert lion population. ..read more >>
