Out & About July 2017

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National Park at the heart of which lies the
Hoanib River.
This concourse remains dry for most of the
year, but, surprisingly, supports relatively lush
floodplains full of springbok and oryx antelope,
ostrich and numerous birds, happily feeding to
a backdrop of undulating white sand dunes.
I was on a mission however, as I had heard
some troubling news.
I had come to this section of the northern
Namib in search of the elusive and highly
threatened desert lion.
It is estimated that perhaps only 150
individuals exist and they all occur in this small
pocket of Africa.
Dr Phil Stander of Desert Lion Conservation, a
heroic individual who has dedicated the last 20
years of his life to researching and protecting
these lions, met our group at the western side
of the Hoanib floodplain.
One of the last two females of the Floodplain
pride had been recently killed – gored by the
horn of an oryx while hunting – and her sister
had fled the area.
More distressing was that the deceased
female had three 18-month-old cubs entirely
dependent on her for food and water.
Being too young to find food or water for
themselves, they had been waiting for days for
their mother to return and their skeletal bodies
had almost given up.
The situation was desperate, with Dr Stander
praying that the fleeing sister would return to
take care of the cubs.
By some miracle we were driving through the
dunes en route to the airstrip for a scenic flight
when one of our group spotted a peering face
on top of a sand dune. It was the lioness.
We immediately radioed Dr Stander who
stayed with her the whole day and later
observed her killing an oryx.
At the time of writing, I had been informed that
the cubs and the female have now linked up,
the cubs had fed on the oryx carcass and their
condition had greatly improved.
What struck me most during my time in
Namibia is that it is one of the last bastions of
true wilderness in Africa; an unending show of
sandy and rocky vistas that justifiably attract
visitors from afar.
It came as no surprise to hear that Angelina
Jolie chose to relax in the Namib Desert during
her last pregnancy, Jeremy Clarkson and the
crew of the Grand Tour had just traversed the
toughest 4x4 routes and that several recent
Hollywood movies had been filmed amid the
lunar landscapes.
While I was awestruck at just how much there
was to see and do, the real pleasure was the
strangely liberating and profoundly humbling
sense of insignificance I felt in the face of such
a vast and majestic space.
I cannot wait to go back.
If you are inspired by this journey, contact Bailey Robinson.
With their in-depth knowledge and experience, attention to
detail and special contacts around the world, you can trust
them to create your perfect holiday.
To find out more email:
01488 689700
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