Uncategorized

Lion Rangers Training and Operations Manual

admin Leave a comment
Lioness. Photo: A Wattamaniuk.

During Lion Rangers training this past year, each Ranger was provided with a Training and Operations Manual. These manuals, developed by the Lion Rangers Leadership Team, provide an overview of Rangers’ roles and responsibilities, as well as necessary information to help Rangers perform their demanding work. Published in partnership with the Community Conservation Fund of Namibia, this manual is made available for download here. It provides all who are interested with a concise summary of the work of the Lion Rangers and challenges of performing community conservation of lions in northwest Namibia.

Patrolling in the Mountains

admin Leave a comment
Uncollared subadult males; cubs of OPL-10.

From 26 August to 2 September, the Lion Rangers performed a special point-to-point foot patrol through the mountains of Etendeka Concession, into the Omatendeka and Ehi-rovipuka conservancies. This special patrol was supported by a group of local partners, who joined the Rangers and covered the costs of transport and food, which enabled the Rangers to get deep into the mountainous area. This important patrol enabled the Rangers to cover areas which often prove unreachable.

Continue reading →

The Early-Warning System: a Ranger’s Perspective

admin Leave a comment

In this short video, Lion Ranger Patrol Leader Jendery Tsaneb explains how the Early-Warning System works to inform area farmers when collared lions are nearby. The Early-Warning System, pioneered to limit human-lion conflict in northwest Namibia, is integral to the work of the Lion Rangers and helping limit human-lion conflict in northwest Namibia.

Thanks to WWF-Namibia for providing the filming and taking an interest in the program.

New Paper: Lion Rangers and Remote Sensing

admin Leave a comment
OPL-5 in Omatendeka
OPL-7 in Ehi-rovipuka
NPL-34 in Anabeb
Lion Rangers tracking collared lions using VHF in Omatendeka

A new paper by Lion Rangers Program Research Director, Dr. John Heydinger examines how the Lion Rangers are integrating remote sensing technologies with desert-adapted lion conservation on communal lands. This paper, published for a special issue of Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution details the use of GPS/satellite collars, trail cameras, and the Lion Rangers use of the Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool (SMART). Combined with the pillars of community-based natural resource management, we believe these technologies can help limit human-lion conflict on communal lands.

Collaring in Anabeb Conservancy

admin Leave a comment
Lion Rangers and MEFT collaring team, Anabeb Conservancy

Over the past week the Lion Rangers, partnering with Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism Game Capture and Regional Services staff, recollared the lioness XPL-139 in the Anabeb Conservancy. Following the Northwest Lion Population Survey, the Lion Rangers and MEFT Regional Services have put a renewed emphasis on re-collaring lions inhabiting communal lands, particularly those living close to farming areas. XPL-139, along with her pride-mates XPL-137 and XPL-138 have consistently stayed close to the Okomimuno farming area of Anabeb.

Continue reading →

Patrol and Trail Cameras around Brandberg

admin Leave a comment
Brown hyena captured on trail camera.

A lingering question from the Northwest Lion Population Survey has been the presence or absence of lions around the Brandberg area of Tsiseb Conservancy. In the past it was known that a small group of lions inhabited the ephemeral Ugab riverbed and surrounding landscape. During the population survey no lions or evidence of lions was found in the area. To be more certain, the Lion Rangers Research Team and Sorris Sorris Rangers spent the past week intensively searching the Ugab and surrounding landscape.

Continue reading →

Northwest Game Count

admin Leave a comment
Giraffe in Torra Conservancy. Photo: A Wattamaniuk

Each year, the second half of May is set-aside by conservationists in northwest Namibia for the annual Northwest Game Count.  The focus of this operation is to inform conservancies and Namibia’s Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism of wildlife numbers for the purposes of adaptive resource management. The NW Game Count is the largest and longest-running road-based game count in the world, the Lion Rangers are always pleased to participate.

The game count takes place on communal and government-managed lands and is comprised of four distinct sub-areas: conservancies south of the veterinary control fence, conservancies north of the fence, the tourism concession areas of Etendeka, Hobatere, and Palmwag, and Skeleton Coast National Park. Conducted annually, the game count covers nearly seven million hectares and is undertaken as a joint exercise between conservancy members and staff, as well as NGOs, all overseen by MEFT.

Continue reading →

Human-Wildlife Conflict Conference

admin Leave a comment
Hon. Pohamba Shifeta addresses the conference.

The Lion Rangers’ Leadership Team was honored to attend and present at the recent Namibia National Human-Wildlife Conflict Conference, hosted by Namibia’s Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (MEFT), which took place in Windhoek from 10-12 May. This three-day, first-of-its-kind conference highlighted the challenges faced by rural communities living alongside wildlife.

Continue reading →

Innovative Collaring of Omukutu Pride

admin Leave a comment
Collared desert-adapted lioness, Omukutu, May 2023. Photo: G. Finerty.

Research not only supports greater understanding of lions, but, when appropriately applied, can also help mitigate and prevent human-lion conflict. In partnership with the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior researchers Dr. Genevieve Finerty and Dr. Natalia Borrego, the Lion Rangers are embarking on an exciting new research program examining fine-grain lion movements and behavior.

Continue reading →

Kraal Building at Anabeb Hotspots

admin Leave a comment
Predator-proof kraal building, Anabeb Conservancy, April 2023.

Over the past month staff from Namibia’s Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (MEFT), in partnership with the Lion Rangers, have been partnering on an intensive kraal-building program in the Anabeb Conservancy farming areas of Okomimuno and Etundu Rohaa. Predator-proof kraals, which have been shown to dramatically limit livestock losses to lions and other predators, are an important part of our Early-Warning System. When all else fails, when geofence alerts do not reach farmers due to lack of network, and Rapid Response Teams are deployed elsewhere, farmers in hotspot areas can rely on sturdy kraals to keep their livestock safe. Since early 2021, MEFT, the Lion Rangers, and program partners, have built 97 predator-proof kraals across core lion-range.

Continue reading →