Save Namibia’s lions

This video is called Lions in Etosha National Park, Namibia.

From The Namibian:

Namibia: An Exhibition to Save Desert Lions

By Clarice Theys, 11 November 2013

As majestic and intimidating as they may seem, Namibian lions have been living a precarious life of survival, with their numbers rapidly dwindling over the past three decades. Conservation for these endangered species was dealt a heavier blow with the death of XPL-77 who was hunted down at the end of September 2013.

XPL-77 was residing in the Kunene Region, which supports a unique population of desert-adapted lions. These lions are however vulnerable. Between 2000 and 2010, local people have killed 15 male lions in protection of their livestock and 11 male lions were shot for trophy hunting.

The long-term viability of the desert lion population has been compromised by the excessive killing of adult and sub-adult males.

It is with this background that The Fine Art Gallery in Swakopmund hosted a Masterpiece Contemporary fundraiser on Friday, 8 November and welcomes members of the public, art collectors and enthusiasts to view the exhibition, which is open until 10 December.

A broad selection of original artwork by emerging and established artists from the local community will be on display in order to raise additional funds for the Desert Lion Conservation Project. Dr Philip Stander will open the exhibition and will talk about his project.

So far, the support by the local artists has been overwhelming. Some artists like Siggi Kolbe donated two works in order to raise funds for the project. Participating artists are Anita Roux, Anja Denker, Annika Funke, Karla Kolbe, Betsie van Rensburg as well as Omarte Gallery from Omaruru. The project of Dr Stander received international recognition for the successful conservation efforts.

International support will be present in the form of Wildlife artist Paul Dixon, who will also participate in the fundraising exhibition, which will be on display until 10 December 2013.

A boma is a secure enclosure that protects livestock. It costs only $500 to build and improve and $25 a year to maintain. Good bomas are proven to decrease the killing of lions: here.

Related articles

• Living Landscapes: Namibia Part 2 (aquaticheart.wordpress.com)
• Namibian government and people lauded for conservation successes (wwf.panda.org)
• REI Adventures Presents Namibia’s Conservation Guards with Sustainable Tourism Award (prweb.com)

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