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In the lions’ den – The women who count Kruger’s big cats

In the lions’ den – The women who count Kruger’s big cats
Elephants drinking near Mopani Camp, Kruger National Park. (Photo: Julia Evans)
Julia Evans
By Julia Evans
15 Aug 2024
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Lesego Mthethwa and Alison Govaerts’ research will culminate in a much-needed estimate for the number of African lions in the Kruger National Park.

‘Lion!” shouts Lesego Mthethwa from the back seat of a Ford Ranger as it skids over a dirt track in central Kruger Park.

In the driver’s seat, Alison Govaerts, co-lead of the Endangered Wildlife Trust’s (EWT) lion spatial capture-recapture survey, comes to a halt. After seven hours of driving, they’ve spotted a lion.

women kruger lions mthethwa Lesego Mthethwa, EWT intern, looking for lions as they drive their early-morning mapped routes in central Kruger National Park. (Photo: Julia Evans)



women kruger lions govaerts Alison Govaerts, a PhD candidate at Stellenbosch University and co-lead of the EWT lion spatial capture-recapture survey, looks for lions in central Kruger. (Photo: Julia Evans)



Most people driving through Kruger National Park are keeping their eyes peeled for wildlife of any kind– but for these two, it’s their job. And it’s very specific. 

Driving with them feels like a safari on steroids: after countless hours on the road, they’ve become experts at seeing lions that, for most of us, would be almost impossible to spot.

These women are halfway through a three-month field research survey. They have driven hundreds of kilometres, scoured the landscape for lions, photographed them from every angle and documented them in pride catalogues – all while living out of tents around central Kruger. Most people would find this tough, but for Govaerts and Mthethwa, it’s the highlight of their year.

 

Their research will culminate in a much-needed African lion population estimate for Kruger Park, the first since 2016, providing SANParks with crucial data for conservation efforts.

Read more: Looking for lions – the quest to count and ID big cats in Kruger

It’s not just their love of the bush that makes this work worth it, but that this research is crucial for the conservation of the African lion, which is classified as vulnerable.

“The fact that these results can be translated into tangible measures is super rewarding,” said Govaerts.

In the back seat, Mthethwa, an intern with the EWT, tells Daily Maverick that despite growing up an hour away from the border of Kruger Park in Mbombela (Nelspruit), she was one of the few of her peers who still live in the area, or who have even been inside the park.

women kruger lions govaerts Alison Govaerts, a PhD candidate at Stellenbosch University and co-lead of the EWT lion spatial capture-recapture survey (Photo: Julia Evans)



women kruger lions mthethwa EWT lion field officer intern Lesego Mthethwa. (Photo: Julia Evans)



“That blows my mind,” said Govaerts, who comes from Brussels, Belgium, and has spent years studying conservation and volunteering as a field assistant in Zambia and Mozambique before landing an opportunity to do her PhD at Stellenbosch University.

“If I had a park like that [so close], I would go every month!”

From Brussels to the bush


Govaerts first came to Africa on a safari in Kenya when she was younger and was immediately drawn to the freedom and authenticity of wildlife, and how people still lived so close to animals.

Now, she spends half her year in South Africa, three months of which is in her “happiest place”, in Kruger, trying to count as many unique lions as she can.

She’s collaborating with EWT on this project because she’s using the data collected for the survey to investigate lion movement behaviour and connectivity in Kruger Park and the adjacent Limpopo National Park (in Mozambique) as part of her PhD project.

“I love animals and I love being in an environment where they are free, and where they are respected,” said Govaerts.

women kruger lions Alison Govaerts (left) and co-lead of the EWT lion spatial capture-recapture survey catalogue lions at base camp with EWT lion field officer intern Lesego Mthethwa. (Photo: Julia Evans)



“It’s also somewhere where I can return to the basics because usually we don’t know how much we have until we miss it.”

On the border


While Govaerts discovered her calling when she first visited Africa, Mthethwa’s passion for wildlife was nurtured in her own back yard. Growing up near Kruger’s border, her parents took her to the park every year, where she developed her love of large carnivores, especially lions.

“Every time I see animals, it’s like I’m seeing them for the first time,” Mthethwa says. “This is my happy place.”

But her entry into conservation wasn’t easy.

“Growing up, I was taught that lions and other carnivores, like leopards and hyenas, are very dangerous and they’ll eat you,” she said, recalling hearing stories of how elephants can flip cars over.

“But once you study an animal’s behaviour, and see things from their point of view, you get to understand them better.”

Inspired by National Geographic documentaries and a desire to give a voice to misunderstood creatures, Mthethwa decided in Grade 6 to pursue a career in conservation.

women kruger lions mthethwa EWT lion field officer intern Lesego Mthethwa opens the gate of their camp at sunrise as the EWT field researchers head out for a day of looking for lions in central Kruger National Park. (Photo: Julia Evans)



“I decided that I want to go into conservation and understand why animals act the way they do, and what makes them different or similar to us,” she said, “because growing up, I was misunderstood as a kid… I was very quiet and I never spoke out.”

She went on to complete her undergraduate degree in biological science, zoology, and physiology at North West University and now, at 23, is completing a field internship with the EWT.

In the lion’s den


“You don’t often find people like me going into this industry,” acknowledged Mthethwa.

“So this is a way of showing that we can also be in this industry and that it’s not meant for a specific type of person. It’s meant for anyone who has a love of animals and just wants to do good by them.”

Like many people who live near the border of Kruger, her family was sceptical and afraid when she first took the internship to research lions. 

“Every time I leave, they ask, ‘Are you okay? Has anything eaten you?’” Mthethwa recalls.

However, she has seen a shift in their attitude, especially with her younger cousins. “Recently, when they dropped me off, my baby cousin asked, ‘Are you a doctor for animals?’ When I said I just take care of them, she responded, ‘I want to be a doctor so I can help you’.”

women kruger lions elephants Elephants drink near Mopani Camp, Kruger National Park. (Photo: Julia Evans)



This reaction deeply touched Mthethwa, “because if I can be the impact to my family, then I can be the impact to local girls in the communities that never thought they could make it this far.”

Mthethwa credits her progress to the opportunities she’s had with the EWT and the mentorship of Govaerts.

“It’s not easy coming in as a junior, especially in conservation in South Africa,” said Govaerts, “which is very male-based, let’s be honest.

“So I’m very happy that Lesego’s here. I’ve been wanting to help people get into carnivore conservation because I know how hard it is to get in, and on top of that, be respected and listened to. I just want to pay it forward for the people who helped me on my path.”

Sitting on a rock in Mopani Camp in central Kruger during a midday break before heading out to look for more lions, Mthethwa said, “I used to tell my mom sometimes that I want to be the voice because animals can’t speak.

“And if you have people like us that understand them and can show the good side of these beautiful species, then people will understand that they’re not as dangerous as they’re made out to be.” DM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REeWvTRUpMk

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