Beverly Joubert Instagram – “During the annual floods, Botswana’s Okavango Delta becomes a saturated swampland of twisting channels and deep spillways. Lions that live in this watery wonderland, learn how to navigate the soaked plains from a young age, and selecting the most narrow section to leap across becomes second nature. If a channel is too wide to bound over, lions will sometimes swim (somewhat reluctantly) to claim new territory or find a meal. All that wading and paddling – not to mention a diet of large prey – makes these swamp cats some of the strongest lions on the African continent, which is one of the reasons it’s so crucial that they are protected. Some estimates suggest there are fewer than 16,000 African lions left in the wild today and many of them live in small reserves where they are not able to contribute significantly to the global population. The Okavango Delta remains a stronghold for these apex predators that are increasingly threatened by habitat loss and human-wildlife conflict. Through projects like the Big Cats Initiative that we oversee through @GreatPlainsFoundation, and films like The Last Lions that highlights the perilous plight of these iconic animals, we hope to secure a future for lions in the Delta and across the continent.” – @beverlyjoubert ________ #okavangodelta #beverlyjoubert #conservationphotography #africanwildlife #ilcp #ilcp_photographers