Liontrust Responsible Capitalism Report 2022 - Flipbook - Page 72
BIODIVERSITY
Liontrust is committed to supporting biodiversity through our Community
Engagement.
ZSL London Zoo
Liontrust are proud sponsors of the global conservation charity
ZSL and its efforts to protect the Asiatic lion from extinction, a
partnership that stretches back nearly a decade.
Liontrust has helped recently to bring together a newly matched pair of
the big cats at ZSL London Zoo’s immersive Land of the Lions exhibit. It
is hoped that the pair will breed and boost the numbers of the Critically
Endangered species – of which just 600 remain in the wild.
The iconic big cats which once roamed across Asia – from Turkey
to Eastern India – are now found only in the Gir Forest in Gujarat,
India. Thanks to conservation efforts, Asiatic lions were brought
back from the brink of extinction and their numbers have risen
slightly in the last decade, but their future is still precarious. Due to
their limited range and reliance on a single habitat, Asiatic lions
are particularly susceptible to disease outbreak or natural disaster.
ZSL, through its science and conservation efforts in the field and
at ZSL London Zoo, is working to ensure a future for Asiatic lions.
Five areas currently exist to protect the Asiatic lion in India. The
Gir Sanctuary, Gir National Park and Pania Sanctuary form the
Gir Conservation Area (GCA) covering an area of 20,000km2 of
forest representing the core habitat for the Asiatic lion. The other
two wildlife sanctuaries, Mitiyala and Girnar, protect satellite areas
within a lion’s range distance of the Gir Conservation Area.
ZSL supports all efforts to protect Asiatic lions in the Gir and works
with the Wildlife Institute of India to assist with conservation efforts
– from sharing expertise to providing training for wildlife vets.
ZSL London Zoo’s flagship exhibit Land of the Lions is an immersive
and engaging hub for ZSL’s Asiatic lion conservation and education
efforts, and an area sponsored by Liontrust. Transporting visitors
from the heart of London to India’s vibrant Sasan Gir, people can
get closer than ever before to the lions, while embarking on an
adventure through the Indian-inspired experience. From exploring
an Indian barber shop in the replica Sasan Gir high street to a
railway station, the exhibit truly gives visitors a sense of just how
closely lions and people live in India.
Land of the Lions is home to a pair of Asiatic lions, male Bhanu
and female Arya. Matched as part of the international breeding
programme for endangered species, co-ordinated by EAZA’s
(European Association of Zoos and Aquaria) big cat specialists,
the hope is that the two will breed in future.
Arya’s move from Paignton Zoo could not happen until the three
females that previously resided at London had moved to a new
home in Germany. Liontrust sponsored the moves of all four lions,
including the creation of custom-made travel crates so that the
precious cargo could travel in utmost comfort.
The lions form a back-up population of the Critically Endangered
species in an environment in which people are inspired to protect
animals and where conservationists can learn both from and about
animals. These learnings are shared with other zoos across the
world and with conservationists in the field, who use this critical
information to carry out their work in the wild.
Tusk Lion Trail
Liontrust is proud to have supported the Tusk Lion Trail 2021 by
sponsoring the lion statue that lived outside the National Gallery
in Trafalgar Square. The event was part of a global celebration of
lions, the people who live alongside them and the conservation
work in Africa. Forty seven life-sized lion sculptures, designed
and made by artists, musicians and sportspeople, were placed
around the world, including in London, as part of the Trail.
The Liontrust lion that lived in Trafalgar Square was painted by the
legendary comedian John Cleese and his wife Jen Wade. The
rainbow colours signify hope, dreams and magic. The fish is the
symbol of John Cleese’s wife.
72 - Responsible Capitalism Report 2022