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Starving Kunene lions a crime against nature
The famous desert lions of the Kunene Region are starving to death because of a lack of prey animals due to hunting and overgrazing, on top of prolonged drought.
Namibia’s wildlife conservation has once again come under the spotlight of the international community after shocking videos were shared on social media about emaciated and starving lions in the Ugab area of the Kunene Region.
The condition of the lions was decried by international conservationists and activists on social media groups, describing it as a horror, tragedy and a crime against nature.
Because of hunger, lions in the Kunene Region, including the Huab lion pride, are moving closer to farmsteads in search of food.
In recent days these incidents have become more common and can lead to an increase in human-wildlife conflict.
Tragedy
Speaking to Namibian Sun, Izak Smit of Desert Lions Human Relations Aid (Delhra) said from Thursday to Sunday there were four such incidents reported.
In the latest incident on Sunday, of which a video was shared on Facebook and other social media groups, a starving collared lion went into Mbakando in the Aneb Conservancy in search of food.
However, it was too weak to even stand up. The environment ministry shot the lion on Monday to end its suffering. It is unclear to which pride the lion belongs.
Smit says similar incidents were reported at Warmquelle, De Riet and at the Save the Rhino Trust Camp in Ugab in recent days.
According to him the last four lions of the famous Huab pride are also in a poor condition. “They are weak and emaciated.”
Smit blames the situation on a lack of prey animals in the area due to hunting and overgrazing, on top of the prolonged drought in the region.
Spokesperson of the environment ministry Romeo Muyunda said they were aware of the situation and would issue a statement on the condition of the lions.
The Namib is the only place on Earth where a small population of desert-adapted lions occurs. Remarkably, these unique lions have survived along the Namib's Skeleton Coast for decades, but until 20 years ago they were merely phantoms – elusive and seldom seen – and then believed to have become extinct.
In 1997, scientist Dr Philip Stander discovered a small pride of survivors in the heart of the desert and began to study the lions: a study which turned into a lifelong commitment. Through the years he was able to unfold the secrets surrounding these highly adaptive big cats who appeared to thrive in their harsh environment.
Having followed multiple generations of desert lions from birth to adulthood, Stander takes the viewer into their fascinating world, one that would otherwise have remained largely unknown. Through his intimate accounts of several desert lions' life stories, we come to understand how these rare lions survive in the relentless Namib Desert.
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Die Namib ist der einzige Ort auf der Erde, an dem eine kleine Population wüstenangepasster Löwen vorkommt. Bemerkenswerterweise haben diese einzigartigen Löwen jahrzehntelang an der Skelettküste der Namib überlebt, aber bis vor 20 Jahren waren sie nur Phantome - schwer fassbar und selten zu sehen - und man glaubte sie wären ausgestorben.
1997 entdeckte der Wissenschaftler Dr. Philip Stander eine kleine Population von Überlebenden im Herzen der Wüste und begann, die Löwen zu untersuchen: eine Studie, die sich in eine lebenslange Verpflichtung verwandelte. Im Laufe der Jahre konnte er die Geheimnisse dieser hochgradig anpassungsfähigen Großkatzen enthüllen, die in ihrer rauen Umgebung zu gedeihen schienen.
Nachdem Stander mehrere Generationen von Wüstenlöwen von der Geburt bis zum Erwachsenenalter verfolgt hat, entführt er den Zuschauer in ihre faszinierende Welt, die sonst weitgehend unbekannt geblieben wäre. Durch seine intimen Berichte über die Lebensgeschichten mehrerer Wüstenlöwen erfahren wir, wie diese seltenen Löwen in der unerbittlichen Namib-Wüste überleben.