The Desert Lions Project

INEOS Grenadier.

The Desert Lions Project follows the remarkable survival of desert-adapted lions in Namibia’s Northern Namib Desert, one of the world’s most demanding natural environments. For almost four decades, Dr. Phillip Stander of Desert Lion Conservation has recorded the population’s movements, behaviour and changing dynamics across the Skeleton Coast region.

This long-term fieldwork has helped broaden understanding of how wildlife adapts to extreme conditions, while also contributing to research into human-wildlife conflict and the relationship between conservation and tourism. The work is built around patient observation and the collection of ecological data in a landscape where heat, limited water and vast distances shape every aspect of life.

A central figure in the project is Charly, an orphaned lioness who lost her mother on the Hoanib Floodplain at only 11 months old. Alongside her sisters, Alpha and Bravo, she survived against considerable odds. While her sisters largely remain near the coast and rely on a coastal diet, Charly has stayed inland, where she hunts desert-adapted giraffes. Her story continues the legacy of her great-grandmother, known as The Queen, and represents the resilience of the region’s lion population.

The story also provides the setting for one of the toughest Grenadier expeditions. During a Namibian expedition in November 2024, participants met Dr. Stander at Hoanib Skeleton Camp and observed him tracking the lions from his vehicle after their signals were lost. The animals had taken refuge beneath large rocks in nearby mountains to escape the sun.

The expedition offered a broader glimpse of the desert ecosystem as well, with two cheetahs, a mother and cub, observed feeding on a fresh Springbok kill while a lone jackal waited nearby. Together, these encounters show the complexity of life in the Namib and the value of careful, sustained conservation work.