Lion killed at Okakarara
A male lion was shot and killed this week in the Okakarara area of the Otjozondjupa Region in yet another incident of human-wildlife conflict.
Environment ministry spokesperson Romeo Muyunda told Namibian Sun the lion was shot and killed by a community member on Wednesday.
Muyunda said the lion came into the area this past weekend and the ministry was informed.
“We suspect the lion came from the Tsumkwe area. It had been moving through commercial areas and killed livestock and was also reported to have been in the eastern part of Waterberg.”
According to Muyunda, after this was reported to the ministry, officials found its tracks, but were unable to track down the lion.
“The lion was killed yesterday by a member of the community.”
Photos and a video taken after the lion was shot have been circulated on social media.
In the video, a group of people who hunted the lion talks about how it was killed. One person is armed with a firearm, while another is armed with a bow and arrow.
According to the community member who killed the lion, he initially shot it but the animal tried to escape into the bushes. He again shot at it and the lion then suddenly emerged and jumped on one of the hunting party members.
The shooter said he then shot the lion twice in the head.
A radio message on Friday warned community members to be alert, as there was a lion in the area.
Mitigating measures to reduce the escalating conflict, which led to the illegal killing of at least 19 lions this year, were introduced by the ministry in 2017.
The Human-Lion Management Plan for North-West Namibia aims to eliminate and reduce this type of conflict.
A total of 25 lions were killed in 2017, of which 19 were killed illegally. The rest were killed by ministry officials or professional hunters, according to recent statistics by the environment ministry.
According to the conflict plan, between 2003 and 2015, the conservancies that share land with the desert lion population recorded 5 863 incidents of livestock attacks by lions and other carnivores.
On average, 451 incidents were recorded per year, with the Sesfontein Conservancy recording the highest number of attacks (2 293) followed by the Anabeb (1 393), Torra (1 303) and Purros (873) conservancies.
Between 2005 and 2015 a total of 343 incidents of human-lion conflict were recorded by the conservancies, at an average of 32 incidents per year.
A total of 37 lions were killed between 2005 and 2015. The Torra Conservancy (18) reported the highest number of lions killed during the 2015 human-lion conflict, followed by Sesfontein (nine), Anabeb (three) and Puros (three).
ELLANIE SMIT
Environment ministry spokesperson Romeo Muyunda told Namibian Sun the lion was shot and killed by a community member on Wednesday.
Muyunda said the lion came into the area this past weekend and the ministry was informed.
“We suspect the lion came from the Tsumkwe area. It had been moving through commercial areas and killed livestock and was also reported to have been in the eastern part of Waterberg.”
According to Muyunda, after this was reported to the ministry, officials found its tracks, but were unable to track down the lion.
“The lion was killed yesterday by a member of the community.”
Photos and a video taken after the lion was shot have been circulated on social media.
In the video, a group of people who hunted the lion talks about how it was killed. One person is armed with a firearm, while another is armed with a bow and arrow.
According to the community member who killed the lion, he initially shot it but the animal tried to escape into the bushes. He again shot at it and the lion then suddenly emerged and jumped on one of the hunting party members.
The shooter said he then shot the lion twice in the head.
A radio message on Friday warned community members to be alert, as there was a lion in the area.
Mitigating measures to reduce the escalating conflict, which led to the illegal killing of at least 19 lions this year, were introduced by the ministry in 2017.
The Human-Lion Management Plan for North-West Namibia aims to eliminate and reduce this type of conflict.
A total of 25 lions were killed in 2017, of which 19 were killed illegally. The rest were killed by ministry officials or professional hunters, according to recent statistics by the environment ministry.
According to the conflict plan, between 2003 and 2015, the conservancies that share land with the desert lion population recorded 5 863 incidents of livestock attacks by lions and other carnivores.
On average, 451 incidents were recorded per year, with the Sesfontein Conservancy recording the highest number of attacks (2 293) followed by the Anabeb (1 393), Torra (1 303) and Purros (873) conservancies.
Between 2005 and 2015 a total of 343 incidents of human-lion conflict were recorded by the conservancies, at an average of 32 incidents per year.
A total of 37 lions were killed between 2005 and 2015. The Torra Conservancy (18) reported the highest number of lions killed during the 2015 human-lion conflict, followed by Sesfontein (nine), Anabeb (three) and Puros (three).
ELLANIE SMIT
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