Oct 6, 2026 |
A lioness belonging to one of the resident prides of Coutada 11, in the Zambezi Delta, has been freed from a wire snare detected during a monitoring flight.
The lioness, which was fitted with a GPS collar, was located from the air by a pilot, Tamar Kendon, who noticed the wire caught around her neck. The team was able to capture the lioness safely, remove the snare and treat the wound.
Because of where the injury was, the collar also had to be removed to allow proper healing. The lioness has returned to her natural environment, and the team hopes to find her again on the camera traps or during a future tracking flight, according to Zambeze Delta Conservation..
The case shows the value of constant vigilance in an area where the lion once disappeared. In 2018, 24 lions were moved from South Africa to Coutada 11, at a time when the species was considered functionally extinct in the region, and the population today exceeds 100 animals. The coutada, part of the Marromeu Complex, has been managed for more than 30 years by Zambeze Delta Safaris, and a 2024 aerial census recorded an increase in large mammal populations.
For the organisation, episodes such as this show the importance of regular tracking flights, anti-poaching patrols and continuous monitoring across the whole of Coutada 11. Locating an animal in difficulty quickly, it stresses, can be decisive when intervention is needed.
Photo: Tamar Kendon/Zambeze Delta Conservation
