Desert Lions
About Desert Lions and Dr. Philip Stander
With great foresight, Namibia adopted a unique set of conservation laws within the new constitution in 1990. More than seventy registered conservancies have led to a remarkable recovery of wildlife – but with it, a rise in human-wildlife conflict. Predator species have expanded their ranges into areas that were previously unavailable to them due to human persecution and lack of prey. In areas such as the Kunene Region adult cattle are the most valuable resources available to the local herdsman. The loss of cattle to lions is difficult to tolerate by the hard working communities.
Thika Foundation aims to protect both sides in this conflict. The breathtakingly gorgeous and resilient lions, as well as the communities that would massively benefit from their existence via wildlife tourism. Dr. Philip Stander is pivotal is the protection of the desert lions via his Desert Lions Conservancy – and has been remarkably successful in this over the last twenty years, given that he’s a one-man band! By collaring the desert lions in the Kunene Region and thus increasing the possibilities of the lion-tracking and monitoring, Philip has created a safety net for the communities and their cattle resources. With their livelihoods no longer threatened and the option of income from eco-tourism the communities are more than on board when it comes to wildlife conservation. The entire project has been instrumental in the growth of this small population from a mere 20 to population of over 120 individuals.
Philip and his Desert Lions Conservancy aren’t done yet. Key elements to his further plans include the strengthening of cattle corrals to reduce the risk of night time lion attacks, the development of early warning systems to warn communities when lions are close to their corrals, and enabling rapid responses to conflict incidences.
The Thika Foundation, for one, cannot wait to see where this extraordinary man is taking his unique style of wildlife conservation next.
What Happens With Your Contribution?
In short? All sorts of amazing things. If you choose to donate to our Desert Lion Project, your contribution might go to an educational program for local communities. The more communities that might get engaged in human-wildlife conflict learn about wildlife conservation and its positive impact on eco-tourism income, the better. Perhaps Philip’s team will use your donation to build a cattle corral so that the lions cannot reach this valuable resource even if they do slip past the early warning system. Or, the organisation could invest in technology to improve those early warning systems and keep even more lions and communities safe. If you’d like one specific goal for your donation or would like to brainstorm about possibilities, don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Even if you only have a minimum amount to spare we’ll make sure it ends up right. How about you buy the hard-working local Lion Rangers a hot bushmeal for € 5,00?
I’m In. Where Do I Sign Up?
Right here! Choose a recurring monthly donation, a one-time contribution or purchase something in our shop. You can also find an extended list of items to donate to Philip here.
One Time Donation
Thika Foundation has an ANBI status. Donating to a organisation with an ANBI status is fiscally appealing – it gives you the right to a deduction of your income taxes. If you donate to an organisation with ANBI status incidentally, you may deduct these gifts from your income taxes. One should keep into account the threshold of 1% of the threshold income with a minimal of € 60 per year. Your threshold income is the same as your collected income of all tax boxes, personal rebates excluded. You may deduct a maximum of 10% of your threshold income as a gift.
Recurring Donation
Thika Foundation has an ANBI status. Donating to a organisation with an ANBI status is fiscally appealing – it gives you the right to a deduction of your income taxes. If you donate to an organisation with ANBI status periodically, you may deduct these gifts from your income taxes. There is no minimal threshold for periodic donations – you may deduct the entire donated amount from your income taxes. You should, however, donate for at least five consecutive years in order to deduct your donation.
If you’d like to donate to Thika Foundation periodically, simply fill in the form below and make your first payment via iDeal of Bancontact. After your first payment all further donations will automatically be deducted from your account via SEPA. Upon receiving your first donation, we will also send you the necessary forms for your tax deduction application with the Belastingdienst. Do make sure to answer all questions on the form, so that we can make the process of tax deduction as easy as possible for you.
Would you like to stop your recurring donations to Thika Foundation? You can do so at any time. Simply send us a signed letter, and we will stop your automatic donations within 14 days.
Shop
We sell a few items that we think are just too great to keep for ourselves. 100% of the profit goes straight to our projects, so it’s a fantastic way to contribute ánd end up with a gift for someone special (which naturally, includes yourself). Check out our full shop or purchase one of our favourites, Vanishing Kings (The Desert Lions of Namibia) right now!
Vanishing Kings – Lions of the Namib Desert is a unique record of an elusive predator in an unusual environment. It uncovers the secret lives of a small population of desert-adapted lions which occurs only in the oldest desert on our planet, the Namib. A first-ever, this extraordinary book about Desert lions celebrates the highly adaptive nature of one of our planet’s most iconic predators which continues to battle for survival in today’s world.
ISBN: 978-0-9946924-6-7
SIZE: 280 x 210 mm
HARD COVER WITH DUST JACKET
360 pages
PUBLICATION DATE: March 2018
€50.00Add to basket