The Fazendin Portfolio’s African Adventure

It felt like a moment passing in slow motion. The calm in the center of a storm, Dr. Philip “Flip” Stander gently laid his hand on the slowly heaving chest of the lioness, and then bent over to kiss her just below her ear. It was not the first, nor will it be the last time that Africa reduced me to tears.

Rewind exactly twelve hours. Resigned to another day of driving through the Namibian bush, we sleepily pulled into Puros in the peak of the mid day heat. Puros is a very small crossroads in one of the most remote corners of Namibia, and amazingly we’d been here before. Our guide stopped to enquire about the chief of the village. He wasn’t around but the conservancy lion guides, whom we’d met a few days before and are partially trained by Conservancy Safaris whom we were traveling with, mentioned that Dr. Stander was lurking in the bush only a few hundred meters from where our Land Rovers were pulled off to the side of the road. His mission was critical; translocate three lionesses in hopes that two adolescent and badly behaved males would follow, or they would all be dead.

A few nights of these males scratching at the doors of the village was too much for these people, despite the totally selfless and courageous actions they had taken in the name of conservation in recent years. In a long and involved process taking place over many years, the local people had learned to live with predators such as the lion because they were directly benefiting from tourism in the area. Now, after too many close calls with these naughty adolescent male lions, the community had decided that they needed to be moved and fast.

“The worst thing that could happen,” Russell our guide explained, “is that a lion takes out a child from this village. That would not only be horrific, but it would set conservation in this critical area back 20 years at least.”

In an instant we decided to stay in the area and wait for the lionesses to be darted so we could help, and we “made a plan” – as they say in Africa. We’d wait at a nearby lodge and near sunset head back down the dry river bed and meet up with Flip for the darting of the lions. Lucky for everyone as well, one of our guides, Tommy, a seasoned conservation officer, is one of the best hunters in the country. He was sent out to bring back two Springbok for bait.

The group consisted of our group, many guides and guides in training, and some clients from a nearby luxury safari camp. Eventually Flip drove out of the thick bush, only 100 yards from where we were all waiting, in something straight out of a Mad Max movie. Shirtless, shoeless, deeply tanned and smoking cigarettes, he pulled into the middle of the group and started shouting directions to everyone in Afrikaans. The Springbok was to be dropped out of the back of a pick up truck, and he’d follow and hope to get the lion into darting position. Some of the clients from the luxury camp had asked if they could go along with into the bush to see the events, while our guides in no uncertain terms said that we’d all be staying here so as to not interrupt. To my surprise Flip took this request all in stride and was quite gracious in fact. After loading these tourists into the pick up truck along side the dead springbok and giving them very clear instructions, he told them that he expected after this experience of a lifetime that they would be writing a nice check to the Puros Conservancy to “help protect my lions.

Off they went and the waiting game began and the sun went down. As I lay resting in the back of a Land Rover I had time to admire the amazing stars of the dark Namibian sky. Eventually we heard two darts go. Sadly, the female he needed to get was out of sight, and the two we heard was first one, then a second dose for the one that was down. Eventually he needed more bait, and off Tommy went again to bring back two more Springbok. As night turned to early morning, Flip managed to dart the second lioness and with the tourists long gone we all caravanned into the bush to help load them into vehicles for what was a long drive ahead.

As vital signs were checked, we had an amazing opportunity to inspect a lioness up close. “You must smell her feet,” said Flip. Indeed they were a sweet and musky smell. We looked in her mouth and compared the size of her hand to ours. It was absolutely incredible, and truly touching to see how renowned experts like Flip and Tommy took the time to explain everything that was happening to the local lion conservation officers, elected officials by the local community. This initiative was as much theirs as it was the amazing team of professionals involved.

As of this writing, we have not heard a report on the result of the translocation. For more information on this initiative, and Dr. Stander’s ongoing research, please visit www.desertlion.info.