Vanishing Kings

The Namib is the only place on Earth where a small population of desert-adapted lions occurs. Remarkably, these unique lions have survived along the Namib's Skeleton Coast for decades, but until 20 years ago they were merely phantoms – elusive and seldom seen – and then believed to have become extinct.

In 1997, scientist Dr Philip Stander discovered a small pride of survivors in the heart of the desert and began to study the lions: a study which turned into a lifelong commitment. Through the years he was able to unfold the secrets surrounding these highly adaptive big cats who appeared to thrive in their harsh environment.

Having followed multiple generations of desert lions from birth to adulthood, Stander takes the reader into their fascinating world, one that would otherwise have remained largely unknown. Through his intimate accounts of several male desert lions' life stories, we come to understand how these rare lions survive in the relentless Namib Desert.

Illustrated with over 300 astonishing images of desert lions and other desert-adapted animals that survive in the Namib, Vanishing Kings is an account of one of the most remarkable research projects ever undertaken