The impression given by the tour operator who brought the killing of the lioness in Torra Conservancy to public attention was that her death was a blow to research, a tragedy for both tourism and conservation and as such reflects badly on the conservation ethics of the conservancy.

The real story paints a very different picture.

In fact, the old lioness's death was a carefully considered and very necessary management decision by the conservancy and demonstrates Torra's maturity at just 10 years old.

The domestic stock taken by the lioness and three sub-adult offspring in the previous few months was listed in the article.

What was not reported was that two weeks before a hunter shot her, the lioness led a killing of a donkey within 200 metres of the Torra Conservancy office and the Bergsig School and hostel's playground.

A senior staff member of IRDNC who happened to be doing some work with conservancy committee members on that Sunday can attest to this fact.

The pride remained in the vicinity thereafter.

How many parents would tolerate four lions on a kill a few hundred metres from where their children routinely play soccer and other games? As the lioness and her pride had become increasingly bold and unafraid of people, and quite obviously posed a serious threat to human life, let alone the economic damage to the farmers who'd lost stock, the conservancy made the decision to get the trophy hunter with whom they have a contract to shoot her as a problem lion.

Not any lion or all the lions: Just the old female who was obviously losing her hunting prowess and was, by example, teaching her three nearly adult offspring to become problem lions.

So sadly she was shot and as suspected was found to have the blunt teeth of old age.

There is little doubt her taste for easier-to-catch domestic meat would have escalated and who will doubt that people were increasingly as risk from this animal? The N$5 000 the conservancy received from the hunter will not even cover what individual farmers lost to these lions although it will go towards some sort of compensation.

As the conservancy hoped, since their mother's death the remaining three lions have moved away from where people are living.

As long as they stay there they are safe.

The chairman of Torra Conservancy, his committee and staff almost all have cell phones; Torra's office has a landline.

It is a pity therefore, that Torra was not given the opportunity to tell the full story of the shooting of the old lioness.

Let us not forget there would not be any lions at all in Kunene Region were it not for community-based conservation and the conservancies.

From just a few individuals surviving in the north-west in the l980s, lions now number over 100.

Remarkably, conservancy members tolerate them, and increasingly are managing their lions in partnership with researcher Dr Flip Stander, MET and support NGOs.

In how many other countries in Africa is this happening? Dr Margaret Jacobsohn IRDNC, Co-director

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