Brandberg Human Lion Conflicts
Friday 7 May 2021
An male desert lion has been involved in Human Lion Conflicts in the Brandberg /Ugab area recently. This is the story of Helge Denker who was infolved in the most recent conflict.
Brandberg Lion Attack - A minor drama in a complex conservation landscape
by Helge Denker
Lion crouched next to koppie after briefly moving away from our tent - photo credits: Irene Denker
Sometime after 11 O'clock at night, I am abruptly woken from deep sleep. My wife, Irene, suddenly sits up next to me. I also sit up and through the mosquito gauze of our tent door see an animal facing us in the moonlight, perhaps five metres away but partly obscured by a knee-high shrub. I think it's an inquisitive spotted hyaena. The animal only looks at us for a short moment, then fades into shadow as it walks towards and past the side of the tent. There it turns, pauses – and attacks with a chilling growl.
We were camping on the western side of the Brandberg on Friday 23 April 2021, having arrived at sunset after a long drive from Windhoek. Namibia's highest mountain lies in the Tsiseb Conservancy, one of the southernmost of around 40 adjoining conservancies that make up the Erongo–Kunene Community Conservation Area. The conservancies reach from the Kunene River to the Swakop River, and from the Skeleton Coast Park to Etosha National Park. We had positioned our sturdy 2.5 x 2.5 metre canvas tent between our Land Cruiser, standing in the well-worn access track, and a small koppie with steep basalt walls. It was a warm night and we had kept the canvas door and two side windows rolled up. The door faced west, while one window looked onto the Cruiser and the other onto a rock wall, which cast a dark shadow in the soft moonlight. Sitting on Irene's left, I could only see the dark patch of rock, less than two metres away through her window.
photo 1 - Lion getting up to move back to tent, showing position of koppie and access track
photo 2 - Lion chewing on tent, showing position of tent in relation to koppie and track
Photo credits - Irene Denker
Irene sees the animal turn and charge at her. She instinctively screams at it at the top of her lungs. I immediately also shout as loud as I can. I'm half expecting a typical lunging, swiping hyaena bite at its target – in this case Irene's face at the window – but our screaming makes the animal veer away out of sight. I lean back and take the revolver that I keep next to my bed out of its holster. We are wondering what the animal might do next when Irene sees that it is back – and again it charges at her window with that same low growl. I swing my revolver towards the window and fire without hesitation in the direction of the sound. The animal crashes hard against the tent, dislodging a tent pole and peg and tilting the tent inwards onto us. Complete silence follows the noise of the shot. The animal has disappeared without a sound. Both attacks have taken place with undoubted intent from a distance of less than five metres.................
Read the full article by Helge Denker - namibia conservation website
The Ministry of Environment , Forestry and Tourism was quick to react and the male was immobilised and relocated to a captive facility / protected area in central Namibia. The cause of the problem that developed with Lions in the Ugab river is unfortunately more complex than just the lack food. During the past few years there has been continued evidence suggesting that tourists and operators in the Ugab area have been feeding the resident lions, presumably to increase photo and viewing opportunities.
Important info for Human - Lion interactions
Carnivore Observation Form
please print and fill in this form after a Desert Lion sighting and send it to contact @ desertlion.info
