Overview

• On May 30, Bernd Kebbel, a 59-year-old businessman and wildlife conservation supporter, was killed by a lioness as he stepped from his tent to use the toilet at Hoanib Skeleton Coast Camp near Sesfontein.
• Camp companions pursued the animal and drove it off, but Kebbel had already succumbed to fatal injuries before help arrived.
• Namibian officials located and euthanized the lioness on June 1 after determining it posed an ongoing risk to both tourists and local communities.
• The region’s desert-adapted lion population—estimated at about 60 adults and over a dozen cubs in 2023—has suffered from drought-driven prey shortages and increased human-wildlife clashes.
• The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism and Namibian Police Force are conducting a joint investigation into the circumstances of the attack and safety measures at remote camps.