How do herbivores in the desert make use of space and time? How are their behaviors affected by lions and spotted hyenas? Our research team set out to answer these and related questions in our recent paper, published in the journal Ecology and Evolution. Based on extensive camera trap data and thorough analysis, this paper, “Bottom-Up Space Use with Top-Down Temporal Risk Buffering in Arid Herbivore Communities” demonstrates how prey species adjust their movements in time, more so than space, to avoid dangerous interactions with predators in a resource-scarce environment. The results help advance understandings of predator-prey dynamics in arid ecosystems, and are contributing to conservation of both prey and carnivore species in northwest Namibia.

This research was supported by the Community Conservation Fund of Namibia and the Beasley Lab of the University of Georgia.

Published open access, the paper is freely available for anyone interested (link above).

During late November to early December, the Lion Rangers, in partnership with Namibia’s Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (MEFT), completed an intensive re-collaring campaign of lions in Hobatere and Etendeka concessions, as well as the Omatendeka and Ehi-rovipuka conservancies in northwest Namibia. Through support from the Community Conservation Fund of Namibia, our team was able to successfully deploy 13 satellite/GPS collars across 5 prides of desert-adapted lions.

These past two weeks all the Lion Rangers have gathered for our annual training. Hosted by Namibia’s Cheetah Conservation Fund, just outside Otjiwarongo, this year’s training focused on Basic First Aid refreshers for all Program staff, SMART competencies for collecting field data, and team-building exercises to strengthen our work in the field and as community members. We were so glad to be joined by the Pangolin Rangers.

The Lion Rangers Research Team recently completed an assessment of the desert-adapted lion population of northwest Namibia, including a revised population estimate. This estimate is based on a whole count of desert-adapted lions, plus information provided by Desert Lion Conservation on lions in Skeleton Coast National Park. The revised estimate indicates the population remains stable since the 2022 Northwest Lion Population Survey, though the geography and age-structure of the population has changed. This document has been submitted to Namibia’s Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism as part of our research and monitoring of the desert-adapted lions. Thanks in particular to Lion Rangers Jendery Tsaneb, Jackson Kavetu, and Uezekandavii Nguezeeta who assisted with data collection. The full document is available below.

We are pleased to announce the addition of two new members to our Lion Rangers family. Ms. Dorien !Kharuxas and Ms. Joglinde Touros have joined the Lion Rangers Program to help strengthen our administrative and data-management capacities and smooth program operations from office to field.

This past week the Lion Rangers have been busy with research and conflict mitigation in the Kunene Region of northwest Namibia. The deepening of the dry season is causing the northwest lion prides to move into new areas, brining some lions into increasing conflict with farmers. Additionally, the Lion Rangers Research Team continues its partnership with the Beasley Lab at the University of Georgia. An ongoing trail camera project, examining spotted hyenas in the region is starting to yield some interesting images.

The challenges facing the desert-adapted lions, and other wildlife and communities in northwest Namibia, was recently spotlighted in an article in Mongabay. Journalist Petro Kotzé spoke with Lion Rangers Research Director John Heydinger, along with a host of other committed conservationists, to uncover some ways in which climate change has already begun affecting the lives of people and animals in this remote and rugged landscape. Kotzé takes a broad look at the recent history of community conservation and listens to the voices of locals to better understand how communities will face an uncertain future. The article is recommended as an overview for those hoping to better understand the context of the Lion Rangers’ work.

This past week the Lion Rangers were busy in Anabeb, Omatendeka, and Ehi-rovipuka conservancies. First order of business was assisting with trail camera deployment for a new spotted hyena research project, which is taking place in partnership with the Beasley Lab at the University of Georgia. Over the coming years this project will be examining spotted hyena movements and density in core lion-range conservancies, this will help Namibia’s Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism and communal conservancies with more proactive management of the spotted hyena population. These cameras will also assist in monitoring the prey base for lions and spotted hyenas.

During the past week the Lion Rangers assisted Namibia’s Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (MEFT) in collaring two lions, and adjusting the fit of one collar, in the Hobatere Tourism Concession. Long-known for lion prides, Hobatere has seen a recent bump in lion numbers, due to males dispersing from Etosha breeding with females from the Hobatere pride.

This past week the Lion Rangers worked with staff from Namibia’s Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism to translocate the problem-causing lioness OPL-30 away from trouble. For the previous week-plus this lioness, who forms part of the Etendeka pride, had been raiding goats near the Persianer farming area of ||Khoadi-#Hoas Conservancy. While the farmers were understandably upset and more than a little frightened of the lioness in the area, they showed immense patience, allowing Lion Rangers Richo Eisab (Sorris-Sorris) AJ Hareb (||Khoadi-#Hoas), and Riphelvius Saneb (Torra) to work to track the lion while the Lion Rangers Program and MEFT organized for her movement. To facilitate the operation the Ranger Program called in Southern Patrol Leader Benjamin Kordom (Doro !Nawas), who spearheaded the conflict mitigation operation.