Desert Elephant and Kunene Lion Tracking

Namibia’s desert elephants and the lions living in the Kunene regions are a source of great interest. What makes the Desert Elephants as well as the lions living in the Kunene Region so special is the fact that they are free roaming – their movement is not restricted by a fence, like it would be if they would be living in a National Park.

Terra Nova supports two projects, whose aim is to educate the rural communities living in areas where elephants and lions roam free that humans, elephants and lions can live together in peace.

Terra Nova can arrange Safaris tracking both the Desert Lions and the Desert Elephants – if you wish to support either of these projects, please feel free to contact us.

Desert Elephant Project:

Elephant Human Relations Aid (EHRA) is a Namibian registered NGO, which runs an elephant conservation and volunteer project in Namibia.

EHRA aims to find long-term sustainable solutions to the ever-growing problem of facilitating the peaceful co-habitation between the subsistence farmers, community members and the desert-adapted elephants.

Through concerted efforts, the population of desert dwelling elephants in the region has grown from as low as 52 members to a current population of over 600 elephants.

Desert Lion Project:

Namibia supports a unique population of desert-adapted lions that survive in the harsh Namib Desert. The “Desert” lion is a prominent feature in Namibia and is highly valued, both aesthetically and financially, by the growing tourism industry. Namibia has received international recognition (e.g. CITES) for successful conservation efforts, such as the communal conservancy program, that led to significant increases in wildlife numbers, especially in the arid areas. With the growing wildlife populations the conflict between lions and the local people has intensified as lions are killing livestock more regularly. In protection of their livestock, farmers often shoot, trap, or poison lions.

As a species, the lion is highly adaptive and resilient. Current research findings demonstrate that Desert Lions can survive in extreme conditions. They do not need to drink water and feed on gemsboks, ostriches, and occasionally on seals. They breed rapidly under ideal conditions and are quick to expand into areas of suitable habitat. The value of the unique Desert Lions to the Namibian tourism industry is of great significance. However, to ensure the long-term conservation of Desert Lions, it is vital to monitor their population ecology and manage human-lion conflict.