Namibia
31 August 2019
A COMMUNAL farmer in the Torra Conservancy in Kunene Region, Euphrasius Dawids, lost 25 goats to lions on Saturday.
He said a few lions managed to break through the kraal early on Saturday morning, where they killed prize rams, ewes and kids. He estimated the loss at about N$40 000.
“They ate some of the goats; some completely, others just partially. It’s when we arrived with lights to see what is happening that the lions ran out into the bush. It’s difficult because while I am a farmer, I am also a conservationist for 20 years, so one is a little torn apart. On the one hand, it is understandable, but it remains a dear loss too,” Dawids told The Namibian.
He was selling the remains of the goats for meat to locals for “give-away prices”, just to make the best of the loss.
Conflict between communal farmers and lions happen fairly often in Kunene. This has resulted in many lions being shot and poisoned by locals out of frustration.
Attempts to get comment from the environment ministry has not been successful until now.
To maintain control and balance of the situation, the farmer needs to be quickly compensated. At the same time, an investigation should be done by MET to know the predictors / facilitators of the situation.
Farmers in the region should have financial support for the construction of anti-predator Kraal’s. Wildlife survival is closely associated with the safety of the rancher.
Murder for retaliation (poisoning) needs to be effectively avoided. The Kunene region has an ancient and recent past of countless poisoning lion deaths. Now, in the face of it, lions need to be monitored to see if they threaten others … if so, the whole group can be preemptively slaughtered. Nothing more effective than a prevention policy with the region’s breeders – it avoids the loss of cattle / goats / sheep as well as the loss of rare desert lions.