Namibia: Protocol on carnivore relocation on cards

A PROTOCOL for the relocation of carnivores trapped on Namibian farmland was one of the issues discussed at a one-day meeting of the Large Carnivore Management Association of Namibia (LCMAN) held at Gobabis at the end of last month.

The protocol will be used on a trail basis by all LCMAN members, involved in assisting farmers with predators that are caught and providing advice to farmers on reducing livestock losses to predators.

Representatives from eight LCMAN member organisations attend the meeting held on February 28.

The meeting was joined by lion and cheetah conservationists from Botswana and the gathering was used a platform for exchanging ideas on cross-border carnivore management. The association’s research committee met prior to the main meeting to discuss the upcoming LCMAN project for evaluating the IUCN status of the carnivore species in Namibia.

Formed in 2001, LCMAN provides a platform for carnivore conservationists, government ministries, agricultural, hunting and tourism organisations to discuss the management of large carnivores in Namibia.