Animal advocates gather on Boston Common during second annual event to call for an improved coexistence between humans and lions as world mourns Cecil

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

Days after the death of Cecil the lion incited international outrage, organizers of World Lion Day are hoping to raise even more awareness of the complex nature of the relationship between lions and humans.

“Obviously, Cecil put the lions in the spotlight,” said Wim Dekok, executive director of Four Paws, an international organization that runs sanctuaries to protect wild animals. “Unfortunately, what happened to Cecil happened to many lions before.”



The killing of Cecil, a protected lion in Zimbabwe, sparked calls for prosecution for the American dentist who shot him.



To honor the second annual World Lion Day on 10 August, the US office of Four Paws, located in Boston, Massachusetts, is hosting an event in Boston Common on Monday to raise awareness of lions.



World Lion Day – in pictures Read more

Dekok said Four Paws is concerned about the dwindling lion populations in the wild as well as the plight of lions and big cats held in captivity. Some are circus animals while others are kept by private owners in enclosures, according to Dekok.



At Boston Common, people can have a photograph taken by a cutout of Cecil with a large display of an African landscape in the background. The organization is passing leaflets with information about the plight of lions and asking for online donations.



Concerns about lions are great for a number of reasons. They are dying out, and threatened with habitat and prey loss. Conflicts between lions and humans in villages lead to more deaths. Unsustainable trophy hunting, poaching and the illegal wildlife trade threatens lions further.



Zoo New England, based in Boston, is giving visitors a chance to learn more about lions and conservation efforts. According to a release from the zoo, “lions serve an important role in maintaining balance in healthy ecosystems”.



Those who come to the zoo can participate in arts and crafts and visit with two lion brothers who live onsite.



Across the world, in Kenya and Tanzania, World Lion Day efforts focus on the co-existence of lions and humans. Lion Guardians, a conservation group whose members work toward helping lions and people coexist, is meeting with local communities to talk about the importance of protecting lions.

