As reported earlier, the new Land Rover Defender was being tested in Africa with the brand’s global conservation partner The Tusk Trust in Kenya. And now Land Rover has announced that the new Land Rover Defender has completed the test phase conducted in a specially camouflaged Defender prototype.
The Land Rover Defender has now been tested in one of the world’s most desolate regions with the harshest climates in the world. The prototype SUV has been used by wildlife managers to support conservation operation in the Borana Conservancy which spans across 14,000 hectares. The SUV has been tested in Kenya with the Tusk Trust which supports Lion conservation. The capability of the SUV has been put to test by towing heavy supply loads and wading through rivers while tracking, radio-collared, pride of Lions. The Tusk Trust has been in partnership with Land Rover for 15 years and the wildlife conservation charity highlights the year 2019 as the ‘Year of the Lion’ to mark the declining number of Lions in Africa.
The SUV was also used to replace a inoperative tracking collar on a male Lion. The Lion was sedated from close range using the new Defender for safety. The Borana conservancy has challenging terrain and the SUV has negotiated muddy river banks, rocky trails and thick forests to test its capability.
The new Defender has completed nearly 45,000 tasks around the world in different climates and altitudes and several other milestones. The new Defender has also been recently spotted testing in India and is expected to make its global debut soon.
