Cause an Uproar with the Big Cats Initiative and celebrate World Lion Day on August 10.
Images of lions are everywhere. From the iconic statues on the steps of the New York Public Library, to your favorite team mascot, to movies and Broadway musicals, lions are cultural icons. The list of lions in public spaces, artwork and the media is endless, all tributes to the magnificent and fearless “King of the Jungle.”
But did you know there are more lion statues and images than actual wild lions roaming across Africa? In the last 50 or so years we’ve seen the lion population decline nearly 95%. These amazing creatures are victims of habitat loss and degradation as well as human conflict. Without immediate action, we may one day live in a world where the only lions we know are statues and mascots.
In response to the critical situation facing lions and other big cats in the wild, National Geographic teamed up with Explorers-in-Residence Dereck and Beverly Joubert to launch the Big Cats Initiative (BCI), a comprehensive program that supports on-the-ground conservation and education projects in conjunction with Cause an Uproar, a global public-awareness campaign. To date, BCI has given more than $1.75 million toward big cat conservation projects that are making a difference on the ground.
Brent Stirton:Photo
Yusufu Shabani Difika lost his arms in a lion attack in Tanzania’s Selous Game Reserve. Poor villagers farm marginal land along reserve edges, where bushpigs raid crops and lions may attack people. Here his uncle bathes Difika, a father of two. www.brentstirton.com
(Photograph by Chris Johns, National Geographic)
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