News

Tour guide killed by a lion

Professor David Macdonald, Director of WildCRU, said: ‘All those at WildCRU who work on the Hwange Lion Programme were saddened to hear of the death of Quinn Swales, a very experienced tour guide killed by a lion while leading a party of tourists on foot in the centre of Hwange. Our hearts go out to his family and friends at this terrible time. The lion, Nxaha, was one of those tracked as part of our long-term research into lion conservation in Hwange National Park. Along with many other lions in the Park, he was equipped with a GPS collar that enables the WildCRU team to monitor their movements and contributes vital information to our conservation programme. Although we know little of the details of this tragic episode, it poignantly emphasises the point we have made repeatedly in recent weeks that for individuals and communities living alongside large carnivores, these can be dangerous animals, and plans for their conservation, and the well-being and development of communities living alongside them, must take account of this reality’