A pride of five lions known as the Musketeers were thought to have been responsible for taking the cattle at the Giribas Plain and it was reported yesterday they had all been hunted and killed. There are only 130 surviving lions freely roaming the desert around Porus and these deaths have made headline news in Namibia.
Two of the five - this picture was taken last month in Porus Canyon by scientists tracking the pride.
There are many differing points of view about the killing of lion here. The cattle farmers, including many Himba, recognise the 'value of a living lion' - the value being it attracts visitors, who spend money and help sustain the local economy. But they also understand that once a lion has killed cattle it will keep returning for more. The domesticated animal is easy prey, moves slowly and is good to eat. This creates tension and serious conflict between lion and farmer both living on the edge of survival in this arid country. From the farmers point of view the choice is survival of the lion or his family. So the lion must be hunted and killed.
How this is achieved is another matter. Some say let the wealthy tourist come and pay a lot of money to kill the trophy lion and have some of that wealth go to the community in who,s territory the lion hunts. Others want the lion removed and rehoused somewhere else. Some politicians say the lion should be conserved no matter what and must not be hunted, but they talk only and are not willing to pay for such a policy to be implemented.
Amongst the death and media misunderstanding there is life however and it goes on, each moment of now another miracle. After all in the end, love is all there is and watching a family of elephants move together across the vast savanna, you just know the truth of it.
Elephant walking from a waterhole at dusk - often where lions are, elephant are too.
The Hoaruseb river, a refuge for lion and elephant.
Dust and light dance together at the dimming of the day to create the most beautiful colours.
An architects dream of patterns and spaces formed out of stardust and wavy pointed photon thingy's.
Wow - rock on dfg and just to add to the general cosmic vibe I would like to present a tune that came past me in the desert around the old campfire near the Hoaruseb river. The words are yet to come but I live in hope!
'Sing song' campsite near the river - the night of the full moon.