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.
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.
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Their research will culminate in a much-needed African lion population estimate...
