Disney's 'The Lion King' Supports APW's Efforts to Protect the Pride

Since The Walt Disney Company released the original version of “The Lion King” in 1994, lion populations in the wild have dropped by a staggering 50 percent. Today, a groundbreaking remake of the popular film hits theaters along with a critical mission: to ignite the spirit of conservation around the world and bring lions back from the brink.

In honor of the film’s release, Disney has teamed up with the Wildlife Conservation Network’s Lion Recovery Fund and its partners to launch Protect the Pride, a global initiative aiming to double the number of lions in the wild by 2050. As a grantee of the Lion Recovery Fund and the Disney Conservation Fund, African People & Wildlife is proud to take part in this essential effort to protect and revitalize lion populations and the habitats they depend on.

The story of “The Lion King” serves as a reminder of the role we each have in ensuring that lions and other wildlife species endure for generations to come.

“I’m hopeful because lions can recover,” said Dr. Laly Lichtenfeld, African People & Wildlife’s co-founder and CEO. “They’re going to do their part as long as we’re standing alongside them with the support they need. Our hope for “The Lion King” is that the public will get excited about lions, learn about the challenges they face, and get involved in some way with conservation.

”As few as 20,000 lions remain in the wild today, and the threats to their survival are many and growing. Conservation efforts and needs can differ according to conditions on the ground.

Northern Tanzania is an essential region for lion conservation. Across its landscapes, 92 percent of available wildlife habitat consists of places where people and wildlife interact. African People & Wildlife’s holistic approach to lion recovery includes:

• Reducing conflict between people and lions through our Living Walls and Warriors for Wildlife programs
• Preserving vital habitat and wildlife corridors for lions and their prey through the Sustainable Rangelands Initiative and the Women’s Beekeeping Initiative
• Monitoring the presence and movements of lions outside of Tarangire National Park in partnership with the Tarangire Lion Project to prevent lion-livestock conflict and detect changes in the number of lions in the ecosystem

Here's how you can help Protect the Pride:

• Learn more about lion conservation efforts through the Protect the Pride global initiative, the Lion Recovery Fund, and African People & Wildlife’s Northern Tanzania Big Cats Conservation Initiative.
• Join the conversation on social media using the hashtags #TheLionKing and #ProtectThePride.
• Raise awareness about the plight of lions by sharing information with your family and friends.
• Stay up to date on our lion recovery efforts by following us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.