World Lion Day: Hope and Heartbreak

It's World Lion Day today!

So it seems an appropriate time to release Part 2 of my film 'Lions: Saving A Species'. You can watch both Parts 1 & 2 on our Community Video Page The film was shot over two trips to Kenya - the first one one hugely positive, the second little short of devastating.

What happens in Part 2 of the film has really brought home to me just how serious and immediate the plight of lions in Africa is - if they continue to be killed at current rates they will be extinct in 20 years. The second part follows - sometimes in harrowing detail - what became of the beautiful young pregnant lioness Nashipai, who had been collared and tracked by the Mara Naboisho Lion Project in Part 1 of the film. Having followed Nashipai during the collaring and afterwards, Part 2 was a heartbreaking follow up to make. I often ended up editing it in tears. But hopefully it will help to highlight one of the many complex issues around lions and people sharing limited space and resources. Part 1 is already used by Niels Mogensen of the Mara Lion Project to raise awareness at all of his volunteer, community and fundraising events. When I met up with Niels recently he said "What you managed to say in those three minutes is just so useful. We use the film all the time. When it comes on, that's when people start to get excited about what we're doing and engage."

I hope MLP will find Part 2 just as useful, even though it's a difficult watch. Please share the films, feel free to use them in your own campaigns for lion conservation and do please let me know if they help. Views, Likes and positive testimonials help me gain much needed funding to continue the work. Thank you, and best wishes to all working towards lion conservation on World Lion Day