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.

While working in the area, the Lion Rangers were able to change the collar on the lioness XPL-139 of the Okomimunu pride. While this collar change had been on the agenda for some time the urgency was reinforced by the local farmers, who were concerned about the number of lions in the area and being able to safely monitor their movements. Following three days of tracking the pride was found in a riverbed and a replacement collar safely affixed to XPL-139. The pride, which now consists of five cubs ~1-2 years in age, is doing well.

While in the area, the Lion Rangers also assisted one of our partner organizations, the Namibian Lion Trust (NLT), with recollaring the adult male, NPL-28 in the Etendeka Concession. Normally residing in the Klip River area, this male had come further west, following herds of springbok and mountain zebra into the Etendeka and Palmwag concessions and, according to collar movements, may have been mating with females from the Etendeka pride. This operation was overseen by NLT – we assisted with knowledge of the area and the operation. NPL-28 was safely recollared and has since rejoined some of the females from the Etendeka pride.

Thanks to University of Georgia researcher Aiden Branney for joining us in the field and assisting.

Finally, this past week our research team published a short record of small carnivores captured on trail camera images in the Etendeka Concession. This short publication in the African Journal of Wildlife Research reveals previously undescribed range details of aardwolf, small spotted genet, and southern African wild cat in the Etendeka Concession. This adds nuance to these species’ distribution, reaffirming the sometimes unexpected value of trail camera research in remote areas.