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African Lion appeal

African Lion appeal

It’s unthinkable – but Africa’s iconic savannah lions are at risk of extinction.

Lions are the superstars of the savannah. At the top of the food chain, they play a pivotal and essential role in maintaining the balance across diverse habitats.

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Sadly lions are being poached for bushmeat, body parts and are targets for horrific canned hunting activity. However, the biggest threats to lions comes from shrinking habitats and our biggest challenge is finding new ways to share the landscape.

Help us save the African Lion

The mighty king of the savannah is terribly vulnerable, and just one step away from a conservation status that’s very hard to come back from.

The African savannah is incredibly beautiful and inspiring, but it will be a lesser place without lions in it. We need you to join the fight to keep them there.

Nick Boyle, Taronga’s senior conservationist, explained the reasons for the shocking decline in Africa’s lion numbers:

"Lion habitat is shrinking, much of it being taken up by agriculture. So instead of having traditional prey to hunt, lions are often coming across cattle and other livestock. If they predate livestock, they put farmers’ livelihoods at risk, and we are seeing a lot of retaliatory killings."

But there are ways to give humans and lions a shared future and by donating today you can make a huge impact for the future of lions.

Donate online now or call 1300 369 116

All donations of $2 or more are tax-deductible for Australian residents.

Geoffrey Lokorukoru (pictured), a ranger of the Northern Rangelands Trust.
Geoffrey Lokorukoru (pictured), a ranger of the Northern Rangelands Trust.

Conservation projects

Taronga is involved in exciting conservation projects that have the potential to help save lions from this uncertain future. But it is only with your thoughtful support that we can make a real difference in time to save lions.

These projects include:

Eye-Cow Research project

Eye-Cow is a simple and clever initiative, pioneered by Taronga’s conservation biologist, Dr Neil Jordan.

Lions are ambush predators, which means they capture or trap their prey by stealth or strategy. Understanding this, Dr Jordan devised a research project that involved painting eyes onto the rumps of cattle and other livestock to deter lions from attacking them by tricking the lions into thinking they’ve been seen. This innovative yet low tech, low cost idea has yielded successful early results in a small sample group. If this pilot project is proven successful, there is scope to engage with local governments and expand its applications to other communities.

Wildlife Protection Rangers

Taronga supports the Northern Rangelands Trust (NRT) wildlife protection rangers who monitor wildlife and help keep poachers at bay in protected areas of Kenya. Geoffrey Lokorukoru, a ranger for the NRT, also talks to local people about the value of wildlife. He told us:

"Lions are important and they belong in the landscape. I am proud to educate other people on how important they are for conservation and for the future of our land."

Geoffrey Lokorukoru (pictured), a ranger of the Northern Rangelands Trust.
African Lions
African Lions

How you can support African communities fighting to save Lions

Your opportunity to make the biggest possible difference to lions is now.

To save Africa’s savannah lions, we need to make sure they have enough territory to live and hunt in. But we can’t ignore the fact that humans need land to live on too.

Will you please donate today to fund smart conservation that can:

  • Help stop lions from hunting livestock
  • Help communities in Africa's Savannah earn a living in ways that don't put pressure on lions or lion habitats
  • Support amazing local communities who are actively protecting wildlife
  • Your urgent gift today can help save lions from an uncertain future and stop the lions from sliding into extinction.
African Lions

We proudly Acknowledge the Cammeraigal (Taronga Zoo, Sydney) and Wiradjuri (Taronga Western Plains Zoo, Dubbo) people, their Country, spirit and traditions as customary owners of the lands upon which our Zoos stand.