Protect lions in Namibia from retaliatory killings

We are so incredibly grateful for the individuals who have generously donated to this project. Human-wildlife conflict is an extremely sensitive and complicated issue and every little bit helps in making progress towards improving the problem.

In this report, we would like to share one of the training courses for the Lion Guards that your donations helped to bring about:

"With this training course, the Lion Guards of the Namibian Lion Trust made their first step into the field of wildlife protection law enforcement – and into the improvement of their personal safety on duty”, says Marco Grunert, “Coach Marco”, Director and Chief Instructor of Security Experts CC. Security Experts, established in 1996, is specialized in high-quality security services and security training services, extending into the field of wildlife protection (“Anti-Poaching”).

In 14 training days, Coach Marco gave the ten Lion Guards an introduction and basic know-how in the following subjects:
a) Wildlife protection laws of Namibia
b) Criminal law and self-defence laws
c) Tracking & criminal investigation
d) Conflict management, including conflict avoidance, de-escalation tactics and “verbal self-defence” tactics
e) Escape and self-defence tactics and techniques
f) Trauma first aid

These subjects provided the Lion Guards with well-rounded and effective skills on law enforcement work for wildlife protection. Some of the training included the following aspects: 

An introduction into law enforcement work for wildlife protection took place in the form of how to interpret vehicle and human tracks. This would help in localizing and identifying offenders. As wildlife protection ("anti-poaching") is security work / law enforcement, knowledge of the relevant laws was also a crucial part of the training to ensure the Lion Guards would be working in a legally secure manner. 

Closely related to wildlife protection / law enforcement is the ability of the wildlife rangers to control conflict with suspects or emotionally charged farmers in such a way that an escalation is avoided. This was a necessary part of the training that included preparation for extreme cases of threats or attacks. As part of the applied health & safety training, the lion guards were trained in escape and self-defense tactics and techniques.

Another important aspect of the health & safety training was the stoppage of heavy bleeding as part of trauma first aid. This can be lifesaving when working with dangerous wild animals, such as lions, as well as if confronted with criminal attacks or in the case of vehicle accidents.

The training courses, divided into two groups, took place under the ideal conditions of the Ondjou Wilderness Reserve and the SurvivalZone Wilderness Academy. Theoretical lessons in the fully equipped classroom were combined with practical training in the wild African bush. Every morning at sunrise, the day began with fitness training, which not only increased the fitness of the participants, but also gave them a boost in motivation to continue working on their fitness after the course - a necessity for their kind of work. 

Due to the excellent team spirit and the high motivation of the participating rangers, they were all able to overcome the high hurdles of the course and each proudly received the course certificates from the chief instructor once it was over. 

In the individual evaluations of the participants, the high demands as well as the high value of the training for their qualification and their health & safety, were emphasized. Thanks was given to the management of the Namibian Lion Trust for making this training course possible. In his final speech, chief instructor Marco Grunert not only welcomed the endurance and motivation of the teams, but also expressed his expectations of the participants to use the knowledge and skills gained in the service whenever possible and to keep it present in any possible way.

The need for further in-depth and advanced training courses was particularly emphasized by everyone, including all participants, the instructor, and Tammy Hoth, director of the Namibian Lion Trust.

Thank you for making something like this possible. We are so excited to share the next report with you and continue to show how your donations have made a difference!