New Charity. Big Issue.

LION AID™ might be a new Charity on the block, but it’s going to emerge with a roar that will be heard all over the world.

Starting in the UK, LION AID™ will spread a message far and wide. Lions in Africa are in desperate need of sound conservation programmes.

While everyone was perhaps concentrating on the plight of elephants and pandas and maybe tigers, the iconic lion has decreased from 200,000 individuals 50 years ago to maybe 20,000 now. On the whole African continent. You could gather all the remaining lions in Africa and put them in Old Trafford Stadium with room to spare.

And who is paying attention? Can we really turn our back on a species so intertwined with British culture, symbolism, iconography, images?

The simple answer is no. LION AID™ will initiate a campaign in the UK that will hopefully drive home a powerful message and derive funds to ensure the survival of lions in the wild.

The message is this. Lose lions in the wild, and lose them at home. Extinction on the African plains means loss of icons and symbols. Imagine a life without lions, including those you are so used to.

Look at your UK passport. Look at the Coat of Arms. Look at Trafalgar Square, the England football and cricket team badges… even the stamp on fresh eggs. From very early days, Britain has been enamoured of lion symbols - denoting strength, courage, nobility. Now the favour needs to be returned.

Can LION AID™ alone halt the decline? Of course not. The main reasons for the decline of lions in Africa have to do with conflict arising from expanding human and livestock population, decrease of habitat, infection with diseases carried by domestic animals, trophy hunting… the list goes on. The Charity aims to fund three programmes, closely linked with a diversity of international collaborators. First, let’s have an accurate count of what is left. Second, let’s assess the disease risks. And third, let’s make sure that lion populations in designated protected areas are truly protected with the will and commitment of the African states. Let’s ensure that the few populations left will remain viable by instituting conservation programmes that are relevant, locally acceptable, and durable.

The LION AID™ campaign starts on March 1 in Glasgow, and ends March 31 on Trafalgar Square, with 11 UK cities (Blackpool, Blantyre, Manchester,Liverpool, Nottingham, Norwich, Birmingham, Bath, Cowes, Portsmouth, Rochester) in between. The nature of the campaign? Still a bit of a secret, so stay tuned…

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