World Lion Day
Namibia: New names and regions
August 9, 2013Tony Figueira presents POLARITY
August 12, 2013Tomorrow the world will celebrate the lion and create awareness of the threats faced by this mighty predator – through world lion day. King of the beasts, wild lion numbers in Africa are declining rapidly. In the past 50 years, wild lion numbers have decreased by between 80 to 90 % with an estimated 25 000 remaining in the wild on the continent – a worrying trend with some believing that the wild lion might be extinct in the within a decade.
In Namibia it is believed that there are just below 1 000 lions left in the wild – based on sub-populations spread out between the Kunene region, Caprivi, Khaudum, Etosha and the Kalahari.
Today the lion is threatened with:
- Habitat loss
- Prey loss
- Human-wildlife conflict
- Unsustainable trophy hunting practices
- Poaching
- Disease
- Inbreeding
There is hope for the lions. Improved livelihoods and protective measures for livestock of rural people living close to lions could soften the threat of human wildlife conflict.
Lions have ecological, symbolic and even spiritual value. Most importantly they have an intrinsically economic value, through tourism. Today still, nothing epitomizes an African safari than sighting the lion in the wild.
Several NGO’s in Namibia have helped to create the Lion Guardian project, which has so far been quite successful. The project selects members of a community to become lion guardians, who are tasked with keeping lions away from villages and livestock.
By supporting TOSCO Trust, you can contribute to this initiative so that more Lion Guardians can be employed.
Show your support for World Lion Day and you could win a 2-night fully inclusive luxury safari adventure for two at either Damaraland or Desert Rhino Camp sponsored by Wilderness Safaris’, worth ca. 15.000 N$ each! You can find details about the competition on TOSCO Trust’s website
For more information also visit http://worldlionday.com/
