Library.

“Station-based observations from the Kgalagadi/Kalahari Gemsbok National Park area show that the mean annual maximum temperature in the Kgalagadi region increased by about 0.039°C per year (about 1.6°C over 40 years).”

The claimed warming rate is broadly supported, but the exact framing overstates precision. A station record from Twee Rivieren shows mean annual maximum temperature rising by about 1.95°C from 1960 to 2009, or roughly 0.040°C per year, which is very close to 0.039°C per year. The “about 1.6°C over 40 years” wording is an approximation rather than a directly reported park-wide 40-year result.

“Freestanding water is not readily available for lions in Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, resulting in a lack of extra drinking water for lions.”

Natural surface water is indeed scarce in Kgalagadi, but the broader claim is misleading. Reliable sources show the park maintains many artificial borehole-fed waterholes that provide freestanding drinking water and are used by lions. So the evidence supports aridity and limited natural water, not a general lack of accessible extra drinking water for lions.