Lion killed in Palmfontein identified as a problem animal

Staff Reporter

THE Ministry of Environment Forestry and Tourism (MEFT) has hit back at activists trying to smear the country’s reputation after a lion was put down in Palmfontein.

The ministry clarified that the lion killed on 10th October 2023 in the Kunene region was declared a problem-causing animal and was put down for persistently killing people’s livestock.

Romeo Muyunda, Chief Public Relations Officer of the MEFT, clarified that the lion population in Namibia is not endangered and called upon all tourists, visitors, and all Namibians to disregard the advocacy against Namibia aimed at nothing but discrediting the country’s conservation efforts.

Muyunda said that the lion was put down according to the provisions of Namibia’s laws and policies. “This incident is unfortunately being used by animal rights groups to spread advocacy and false assumptions about the Ministry and its ability to manage human-wildlife conflict. The lion caught and killed 14 goats in July this year before it killed a Brahman bull in the area of Palmfontein. This lion was collared, making it easier for the Ministry and the conservancies to monitor its movement. To this effect, various mitigation measures and interventions were put in place by the Lion Rangers to manage the conflict but to no success. Even with the presence of game in the area, the lion continued to prey on livestock, causing serious concerns to communities and farmers in the area,” Muyunda said.

He added that the lion was declared as a problem-causing animal and destroyed through conservation hunting.

“A total of N$20 000 from the hunt will be deposited in the Game Product Trust Fund to be used for wildlife conservation and human-wildlife conflict management. A total of N$300 000 will be paid to the affected communities through Ehirovipuka and Khoadi Hoas Conservancies, to be used for conservation as well as social and economic upliftment of the communities,” Muyunda said.

Further to this, he explained that lions occur across the entire north of Namibia and some parts of the country in the central and southern areas.

“Our estimated lion population in the country is over (700) with (450) in Etosha National Park and over (60) in Kunene Region where this incident occurred and parts of the Erongo Region, (60) in the Khaudum National Park and surrounding areas of the Kavango East Region and Otjozodjupa Region, (60) in the Zambezi Region and about (60) in some commercial farms,” Muyunda summarized.

He added that the ability of lions to adapt to living in harsh environments such as deserts is not genetic but through their knowledge of the terrain, high mobility, and physical endurance. “The lions that are commonly known as desert-adapted are the same species of lions that occur elsewhere in the country and are scientifically known as ‘Panthera leo’. Strictly speaking, the concept of desert lions is a marketing gimmick used to imply the endangerment or imminent extinction of these lions. These lions are not at risk of extinction at all; in fact, their numbers have increased to the highest level in at least half a century over which aerial surveys were done or credible estimates were made,” Muyunda concluded.”