Lions And Humans - a Complex Tale
Jana-Mari Smith
19 August 2011

From The Namibian



THE AFRICAT North foundation is investigating the killing of a lion by a communal farmer of the Khoadi//hoas conservancy on the western border of Etosha.

According to the Director of AfriCat North, Tammy Hoth the communal farmer who allegedly snared the lion and then allegedly clubbed it to death, has been the recipient of support by the AfriCat North livestock protection programme in the past.

The same farmer stands accused of killing a lion cub four months ago in the conservancy. AfriCat North said that the cub was caught in a gin trap and then "clubbed to death". The cub's carcass was then hung in a tree in an attempt to "attract the mother, who killed a donkey" belonging to the communal farmer. A quick response from the AfriCat North Foundation however, prevented the killing of the mother or any other lions in the area, after the farmer received support.

This is the ultimate goal, and message, of the organisation. Pointing fingers and punishing offenders who kill protected wildlife however is not the goal of AfriCat North, the organisation stated.

Furthermore, the killing of predators is more often than not the result of losses experienced by farmers, who live in an environment where their livestock are continuously threatened by predators.

According to AfriCat North, human-wildlife conflict has two victims - namely the predators who are killed and the farmers whose livestock losses threaten their well-being.

The organisation works closely with communal and free-hold farmers along the western, northern and southern boundaries of the Etosha National Park.

According to Hoth, the organisation has established several programmes and initiatives in order to effectively address human-wildlife conflict in the area. She said the organisation's ultimate goal is to provide support to the communities in order to mitigate and prevent losses from predators, which will ultimately reduce the number of lions which are killed. Also, the organisation's programmes aim to address the conflict between predators - lions and the spotted hyaena - and humans in order foster an environment in which the animals can remain in their natural habitat, to prevent exploitation and the inhumane treatment and to ensure that captive populations are well cared for.

Challenges are multiple however. Livestock on the Etosha boundary remain vulnerable because of damaged and porous fences separating farms from the wildlife haven.

Farmers do not "have the time or the inclination nor the means with which to deal with lion conflict .. in order to protect his livelihood [he] will look for what he feels is the easiest and fastest solution to his problem - the use of poison, gin traps and snares and shooting".

Furthermore, Hoth pointed out that there is "no support system in place to assist farmers with such problem animals, nor is there a system in place to protect lions outside of specially protected areas".

Namibia is home to an estimated 1 000 to 1 500 free-ranging lions, Hoth said, although exact numbers are murky. The free ranging predators occur in the Kunene region, Etosha area, and north-eastern parts of the country.

According to Hoth, the Etosha lions contains approximately 350 to 400 adults and sub-adults. Together with an estimated hundred desert lions in the north-western parts of the country, these lions are "a highly valuable population" because of their status as free of feline immuno-deficiency virus (FIV).

"Large numbers of these lions are destroyed annually along the borders of Etosha, as well as on communal farmland to the west, the north west and to the north, when they leave the confines of the park through porous fences and prey on livestock".

One of the programmes of the organisation, the AfriCat Livestock Protection unit, consists of trained personnel who offer advise and support to farmers in the area, specifically on the reparation and maintenance of fences, building of strong kraals and herding of livestock.

This initiative is aimed at arming farmers with effective protection against predator attacks, which in turn decreases the number of lion causalities at the hands of humans.


Furthermore, the organisation launched the AfriCat-Okorusu Communal Carnivore Conservation Programme (CCCP), which together with the livestock programme, assists and supports farmers.

"The CCCP encourages farmers to become self-sufficient in maintaining fences and kraals, in a bid to better protect their livestock". Furthermore, farmers are supported to improve livestock management and sound husbandry.

"As soon as the farmer's losses are reduced, so should his tolerance for the wilderness and wildlife increase", Hoth said.

She noted that it should be recognised however that attitude changes do not take place "overnight", especially in circumstances "where there is no financial incentive".

One of the solutions is to focus on "photographic tourism" which, she said, could contribute towards "a long-term protection of wildlife".

Unfortunately, that has been a part of human/animal relationships thru-out history. The first animals eradicated from an area humans have decided to claim for their own are the predators, of any and all sizes. Basic human fear and competition for food species are the over riding factors.