ENTRY DESCRIPTION
In the dunes around a remote village in the Skeleton Coast, part of the arid Kunene Province of Namibia, desert lions, elephant and other wildlife still roam wild, here these animals live outside the protection of national parks, often around small villages that inhabit the same landscape. Villages which are just are just a cluster of tin shacks against a bare hill. Here, keeping livestock that live on the same scarce vegetation as the wildlife are the only way these villagers can eke out a meagre living in this harsh desert.
Both the competition for grazing and the presence of domestic livestock - which form easy prey for Lion cause conflict, conflict that shortly before this picture had resulted in the villagers poisoning some of the last few precious male lions that roam the area – significantly compromising these unique desert adapted lions ability to survive into the future.
This image of the young girl sheltering in the shade of a leafless tree brings some sense of the hardship that all the inhabitants of this desert share.
AUTHOR
Roy Terlien is a South African homed in Cape Town.
Having first used a camera and darkroom at the age of 14, since then finds it most rewarding producing Wildlife and themed Fine Art photography projects. Achieved 2nd place South African in the WPO awards and has exhibited painting at the South African Association of Arts.
Schooling interests were Physics and Fine Art. Otherwise an IT specialist who started his own national communications company, currently an IT Architect and Data Scientist - though with a serious interest in photography, trained as an Architect at University of Cape Town. Has and conserves an 1800ha wilderness in the magnificent Succulent Karroo and truly cherishes the living things around us while being most passionate about elephants.
He has owned and is qualified to sail both oceangoing expedition yachts and ski boats, at one stage had a private pilot's licence, other adventures include an open water diver and training as a Wilderness Field Guide as he intends leading truly wild, mobile camp photographic excursions in Southern Africa.
back to gallery
