“Today is the day to take an oath to protect the natural habitat of the jungle's king to protect him and his coming generations.”
— Spokesperson for World Lion Day
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The 10th August is a day dedicated to raising awareness of one of the animal kingdom’s most beautiful and fearsome creatures. Founded by Big Cat Rescue, the day brings people together globally to pay tribute to lions and spread the word that their numbers have dramatically dwindled, to the point where the species will become endangered.
According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, lions are a vulnerable species, which means their numbers could (and should) be higher than they currently are. With between 30,000 and 100,000 lions left, there’s a chance they could find themselves on the endangered list unless significant intervention occurs.
One of the organisations working hard to intervene is Tusk, who are investing in a number of initiatives working with local communities to change attitudes towards lions whilst helping them protect their livestock - after all, human-wildlife conflict is one of the largest threads towards lions, which are killed in retaliation for loss of livestock or human life.
The African lion population has halved since 1993, with only 22,500 remaining in the wild today. Thanks to the degradation of the habitat and bush-meat hunting, their prey base has depleted dramatically. The work Tusk conducts to protect the African lion’s greatest strongholds in Tanzania and Zimbabwe is crucial, which is why Grant Macdonald are proud to work alongside the charity to raise funds and awareness.
To support Tusk’s work, our craftsmen have developed two limited edition creations; the Luangwa Lion, named after South Luangwa in Zambia, which faces widespread poaching, and Okavango Lioness and Cub, inspired by the Okavango Delta, a UNESCO world heritage site and home to one of the most important lion populations in southern Africa.
Made from sterling silver with finely chased details that bring these beautiful animals to life, each piece is hallmarked by the London Assay Office, and 20% from the sale of each piece is donated to Tusk to support their vitally important conservation work.
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Well-managed, protected areas are crucial for the survival of the lion species, and support is necessary to continue the work. With a limited edition sterling silver animal from our Tusk collection, you can be proud to support the work of a dynamic and pioneering organisation with over twenty five years of initiating and funding conservation, community development and environmental education programmes across Africa.