Benefits and achievements

The conservation benefits will be:

To establish a source of African Wild Dogs for possible reestablishment into former ranges.
To provide a protective reserve should African Wild Dog numbers decrease to critical levels.
To allow problem dogs to be moved to Harnas as a temporary facility for later translocation.
To generate baseline bio-medical data with emphasis on disease screening, vaccine testing, genetics, parisitology, morphometrics and reproductive physiology.
To initiate a metapopulation management program for African Wild Dogs in Namibia enabling a study of diet, predator-prey relationships, prey selection, hunting success and interspecific competition.
To sustain the use of wildlife, especially African Wild Dogs and other natural resources though income generating by low impact eco-tourism.

The educational benefits will be:

To prove environmental and conservational education opportunities.

The community benefits will be:

To create employment opportunities for the Bushman communities living on and around Harnas.
To encourage local people to develop tourism enterprises with Harnas.
To create the incentive to enable people to benefit from tourism on their land and to conserve wildlife and natural resources.
We encourage other farmers/lodge owners for possible release sights to contact us about our feasible contract for the envisaged Wild Dog release/exchange program.

Current achievements for the harnas life line and wild dog sanctuary:

Converting the current 8,000 ha Life Line camp into a protected reserve for selected animals.
To break down old internal cattle farming fences.
Construction of a 43km double perimeter bonnox field fence around the Life Line camp.
Establishing a metapopulation management program.
Construction of a capture and release boma in the game breeding camp. This boma is constructed directly outside the Life Line camp. The boma is roughly 50 by 70 meters, a total of 3500m2 large, and is constructed of solid steel and old conveyor belts. Through this boma it will be possible to capture antelope passively (through daily water and feeding methods) from the game breeding camp and transfer them into the Life Line camp.
Continuing the current eco-tourism practices on Harnas.
Establishing the commercial–communal Otjinene conservancy in the near future.
Converting farm dams into more natural water holes, equipped with irrigation systems ensuring a permanent supply of water.
Erecting various observation posts including; the Dam-house, the Anthill, the Tree-house, the Camelthorn-house and the Wild Dog observation den. These posts are used for researching subjects such as counting game, documenting the adaptation of released animals and studying the behaviour of specific subjects.
Erecting of various solar-power systems which provides economically sound, eco-friendly, renewable power for the electrical fences, electrical gates, hot water for the lodge, volunteer village and the farm homestead.
Fitting various predators with GPS collars for more accurate research and observation. Known as a Real Time Location System or RTLS this includes software and hardware necessary for the receiving of transmissions. The RTLS provides passive (automatic) collection of location information.