World Lion Day is celebrated on August 10, and to celebrate the momentous day, Shamwari Private Game Reserve and The Born Free Foundation will host a virtual game drive.
Shamwari’s virtual game drives started when head ranger Andrew Kearney, armed with just a rifle and cellphone, started filming his daily excursions around the reserve and posting them on YouTube.
The short videos went viral instantly, and to cater for the demand the game reserve launched Shamwari TV episodes for tour operators, travel agents and guests around the world. This, higher quality, professionally shot series gained massive traction by armchair travellers.
The World Lion Day special will be aired on Monday, August 10, at 1pm.
It will start when the team pays a visit to one of the Born Free Foundation’s two big cat sanctuaries on the reserve. Here viewers will find out more about the work the Born Free Foundation does in educating people about the consequences of taking wild animals from their habitat and experience first-hand how it cares for rescued African big cats.
Viewers will be introduced to some of the cats, which have been kept as household pets or rescued from zoos and circuses around the world and are not able to survive in the wild. At Shamwari, the lions are cared for in five bush enclosures.
They will then join the Shamwari rangers and a pride of lions living in the wild on the 25 000 hectare reserve.
The rangers will provide the full safari experience, telling viewers more about the lions, how they live, sleep, hunt, their habits and social interactions and the dynamics of the pride.
To join, register here:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZctdu-gqzgjGNcRMIBby3AvLlPLkdyXsYso