During the past week, the Lion Rangers, in partnership with Namibia’s Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (MEFT), translocated the male lion, NPL-39, from a private farm, south of Etosha to the Skeleton Coast National Park. This male, who had dispersed from his natal pride in Ehi-rovipuka Conservancy, late last year, became something of a wanderer. Unfortunately he was spending extended time on the private farm , causing human-lion conflict issues, necessitating his removal.
While Skeleton Coast National Park may not seem an ideal destination for a male lion, recent research performed by Desert Lion Conservation has revealed a subpopulation of coastal-roaming lions feeding on marine and terrestrial wildlife in the park. In particular, the lioness XPL-108, who occupies the southern Palmwag Concession and Skeleton Coast National Park, is a conspicuous resident of the area, but also stays alone, without a pride or mate. In consultation with MEFT, and following a standardized decision-making process, it was decided to try and further augment the desert-adapted lion population via translocation – which has been successfully performed by the Lion Rangers and MEFT in the past.
Following the successful capture of the male lion, he was securely moved in a reinforced crate by MEFT Regional Services staff to Skeleton Coast through the night of 19-20 May. While the operation took more than 12 hours to complete, the lion remained relatively calm once the effects of the immobilization had worn off. The Lion Rangers and MEFT staff took the utmost precautions, both for human and lion safety throughout the operation. For those not familiar with such an operation, this necessitates the lion receiving a visual veterinary examination approximately every 30 minutes at which time breathing is assessed and the lion’s overall wellbeing double-checked. Due to the careful work of veterinarian Dr. HO Reuter, the lion remained in strong condition throughout.
During the next morning in Skeleton Coast our research team tracked the lioness XPL-108. Once she was spotted, a zebra carcass was deposited in the area and she was called to gain her attention (you can hear the calls on the video, above). The male lion was then released and quickly moved away from the vehicles, understandably. Follow-up monitoring of the male and female’s GPS collars revealed they both moved inland approximately 10 kms and remained in the area.
While translocation is expensive and time-consuming there are times when it becomes one of a very limited number of options for ensuring lion survival when lions inhabit communal and private farmlands. Without a long list of options for where the desert-adapted lions can be safely translocated to, our research team works diligently to monitor lion movements and social dynamics so translocation can be attempted. We applaud Namibia’s Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism for its willingness to avail resources, and to think flexibly and be proactive in helping secure the future of the desert-adapted lions.
