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By Daniel Mokaya  The man Eater of Tsavo sponsored by RVR
The campaign is sponsored by companies and schools and involves Kenyan artists and students who decorated the lions. The event will culminate in a gala auction on November 6 2009. Each lion will be auctioned to the highest bidder to coincide with the 25th anniversary of Born Free Foundation. This lion is called Mjukuu sponsored by International school of Kenya The lion was feted as the best choice for the event as it is at the top of the food chain and essential for maintaining a healthy and balanced ecosystem. Secondly, the lion is critical to Kenya’s tourism industry, with one valued at $1million to the economy. The animal conservation organization Born Free Foundation initiated the campaign with sponsorship from fifty organizations. The scenic objects are a pride of fifty lions that can be seen standing majestically at strategic places within the city center and the suburbs. Daily, they attract curious onlookers whenever they stumble on them. Some even take time to admire their colourful patterns and bold posture. Children, especially, like playing with them sometimes taking a static ride on their backs!
The life-size sculptures is the work of several artists whose display of ingenuity and talent will definitely go a long way in raising awareness and funds to protect Kenya’s big cat. Lions are one of the most endangered species of the cat family, with an estimated 25,000 members only in Africa down from 200,000 twenty years ago. In Kenya, there are as few as 2,100 lions, a grim revelation considering that more are being killed in the ongoing human-wildlife conflict.All the model lions have a name and personality, most with a rich twist, symbolism and allusion to the fate awaiting them should mankind not act fast enough to save them. Consider for instance Nilinde; Sponsored by Safaricom Ltd, and cast by artist Maingi wa Karanja. Located at Kimathi Street, Nilinde means protect me. The name is an earnest cry of the animal for protection from human encroachment of its natural habitat which has resulted into its massive decimation. The presence of King Lion at the heart of the city is also an appeal by the King of the jungle to be given the chance to live with human beings in harmony. The other is Simbaiosis by artist Jan Allan and sponsored by Ol Seki Mara Camp at Village Market. Simbaiosis represents the intimate relationship between tourism and conservation. The personification of the lion as a tourist underscores the connectedness between the awareness and revenue that tourism brings to conservation and its direct benefit to the preservation of Kenya’s wildlife and habitats. Simbaiosis is also richly embossed with canvas, steel and wood remnants, to firmly demonstrate the importance of conservation friendly tourism. The alarming decline can be attributed to the conflict between the animal and herders who slaughter them in revenge for killing their life stock. Hundreds of lions have been killed by Maasai herders who accuse them of eating their cattle. The Maasai are a pastoral community in Kenya and Tanzania who depend on their cattle for a living. The loss of even a single head of cattle therefore is not tolerated and it attracts a death sentence from the herders. On a recent visit to the Nairobi National Park by this writer, he was informed by the tour guides that he should not expect to see a lion, at least during the day, as their number had drastically decreased. The initiative by Born Free Foundation therefore, christened The Pride of Kenya will appeal to stakeholders and well wishers for the noble cause of conserving Kenya’s King of the Jungle. Awareness, like The Pride of Kenya, will help in educating Kenyans and the international community on the need to preserve our natural heritage including the endangered |
