on of "cat blogging". Recently he returned from a photo safari to Namibia and has been busy organizing his digital and film photography. Persona Non Grata plans to exhibit his work soon in a photo gallery supplement, PNG's Darkroom: 
Namibia, because of its low population density (1.5/sq. mile) and early conservation efforts by German colonists, has healthy wildlife populations. It is the only country in the world to specifically address conservation in its constitution. (Article 95) Most herbivores co-exist successfully with humans and their agricultural activities. About 70% of the country depends on agriculture for a living. Most of the central region is devoted to grazing and subsistence farming. Predators like the big cats are not welcomed by native people and many view large felines as dangerous nuisances to be eliminated. Persecution of lions, cheetahs and leopards, which occasionally kill livestock to survive, is common. Carnivores in unprotected areas are driven off to marginal habitats
in the most arid regions of the country. Predator extermination is often the livestock protection method of choice. Large felines are trapped, poisoned or shot on sight. A shift from cattle ranching to trophy hunting and tourism as a livelihood among wealthier landowners has also caused removal of carnivores preying on their natural food. Indiscriminate removal is taking a toll on feline populations. Bushmanland is a sparsely populated 9,000 square kilometer region along the eastern border with Botswana. Only four cheetahs have been relocated to the area. We were lucky enough to see two in the wild. But significant numbers of visitors, mostly from Europe, still come to only view wildlife. High on their must see lists are large carnivores. These visitors are motivating more conservation efforts. Large, private game reserves have been established where paying visitors can closely view animals living behind tall wire "game fences". Some residents even wear radio tracking collars for easier display. 
Photos by US Person:
Okonjima Game Reserve is a 55,000 acre (222 sq. km) private conservancy in central Namibia that provides shelter and care to orphaned, displaced and injured cheetahs and leopards. It is home to the AfriCat Foundation, a registered UK charity, that devotes itself to promoting
tolerance of large carnivores among farmers, educating the public about predators, research, and rescuing "problem" animals for release. AfriCat has rescued and returned 900 cheetahs and leopards to the wild. The foundation provides a home, food and care for over 100 animals that cannot be released into the wild. Orphaned cubs and habituated cats are not suitable for release. Cubs are fed by their mothers until they learn to hunt. Humans do not make good hunting teachers. Habituated animals have lost their healthy fear of humans, and in some case have lost their hunting skills too. Lions, because of their disposition, size and strength, do not make suitable subjects for rehabilitation in most cases. Unfortunately their numbers are declining drastically, and brave souls may have to take on the difficult task of conserving lions displaced by man.
There are lions in Namibia's flagship national park,
Etosha, a huge area of bushveld and savanna about 200 kilometers wide surrounding a saltpan of 4,590 sq kilometers (1.1m acres). The park was established in 1907 by the German governor of Southwest Africa who was alarmed by the disappearance of wildlife in his jurisdiction. By the 1880's, most of the country's lion and elephant populations were killed off. It took thirty one years for a lion roar to be recorded in the Park. Now an estimated that 300 lions live within its boundaries. We saw a magnificent mating pair near Rietfontein. There are few things as thrilling in life as seeing wild lions up close. Politely watching their effort to continue their race under such adversity, artificial and natural, was truly inspiring.
Photos by US Person:
top r: Mafana, a four year old male leopard living at Okonjima;
r: Sandy, a 9 year old female living at Cheetah Conservation Fund a welfare organization founded by Dr. Laurie Marker;
l: a wild Etosha lion;
r: Etosha lion pair