AfriCat on Okonjima

http://www.africat.org

The AfriCat story started in 1970 when the Hanssen family settled on the farm Okonjima in central Namibia. Brahman cattle were raised on the land but annual losses of calves to predators, particularly leopard, amounted to between 20 and 30 per year, decimating the herd and causing huge financial losses. As with many farmers at that time, the Hanssens embarked on a programme of trapping, shooting and hunting the leopards in an attempt to control their losses. However, these losses continued at the same rate as before. Other measures were called for and calf-holding pens were built at watering holes where cows could give birth safely. The calves remained in protective custody until they were approximately 4 months old, their mothers coming in at regular intervals to feed them. Employing these livestock protection methods reduced losses to about 3 or 4 per year.

Wayne, the only son, recognised the need for a better understanding between humans and carnivores. He began observing the leopards and becoming more familiar with their habits and movements. At the same time the family started a small bed and breakfast business and tourists visited Okonjima. Wayne’s research had revealed where leopard could be found and he started to share his viewing experiences with the guests. Hunting ceased as more and more guests came to view the big cats at close quarters and Okonjima became a fast-growing tourism enterprise.

At the same time farmers were approaching the Hanssens for advice on livestock protection and to remove cheetahs and leopards that they had caught in traps on their farms. More and more large carnivores were coming to Okonjima to be treated, if necessary, and then released back into the wild. Some of these animals could not be released, having been orphaned at an early age and being too young to fend for themselves. These cats had to be cared for in the long term and the strain on Okonjima’s finances was considerable. In 1993 the AfriCat Foundation was registered as a non-profit organisation to raise finds for the care of these large carnivores. To date AfriCat is the largest rescue and release centre for large carnivores in the world.

Although separate entities, the relationship between Okonjima, a business concern and AfriCat, a registered non-profit organisation, is one of symbiosis. In a nutshell, Okonjima owns and manages the land and operates the tourism business while AfriCat provides the unique selling point: the opportunity for guests to view the large carnivores in a natural environment, as well as the work of the Foundation. AfriCat in turn receives an income from the revenue generated by tourism, which contributes to covering the running cost of the organisation, as well as an opportunity to obtain additional income from visitors who are more conducive to donating funds having witnessed the Foundation’s work.

Afri-Leo Foundation becomes AfriCat North

In 1989, Tammy (née Hanssen) and her husband Uwe Hoth followed in Uwe’s father’s footsteps and continued with livestock farming after taking over Kaross, a 25 000-acre cattle farm on the south-western border of Etosha National Park. As with their predecessors and neighbouring farmers, they suffered high losses to predators, especially the spotted hyaena. Aware of the lion conflict along the southern Etosha boundary, they established the Afri-Leo Foundation. The Foundation was registered as a Namibian-based, non-profit organisation in 1997. Its mission was and still is today to find workable solutions to the ever-increasing human-wildlife conflict. With lion population ‘guestimates’ ranging from 600 to 1000 adults and sub-adults, and these cats being confined to limited areas in Namibia, Afri-Leo set out to develop a comprehensive programme in support of the long-term conservation and protection of the Namibian lion. Based on Kaross, the Foundation is ideally situated to play a vital role in supporting environmental education, human-wildlife conflict mitigation and research and monitoring programmes in the Kunene region of Namibia.

Since its inception, Afri-Leo has worked closely with the AfriCat Foundation. Due to the ever-increasing demands of large carnivore conservation, a mutual decision was reached to merge these groups under the AfriCat banner. Afri-Leo’s programmes and projects will continue and expand under the name AfriCat North.

http://www.africat.org/