Lion Experts Support ESA Protections for African Lions

Dereck and Beverly Joubert, award-winning filmmakers and National Geographic “Explorers in Residence,” announced their support for a petition by Defenders and other conservation groups to protect African lions under the Endangered Species Act. The petition, submitted on March 1, will help raise awareness of the rapid decline of lions over the last century, bring greater scrutiny to the international trade in lions and lion parts, and spur investment in much-needed lion conservation programs in Africa.

The Joubert’s latest film, The Last Lions, premiered last month in theaters around the country and has been ubiquitously praised for bringing to life the complex social lives of this iconic species. The couple has spent more than 25 years in Africa filming and photographing wildlife, and now they’re bringing their expertise to bear to help conserve lions.

Here’s what Dereck Joubert had to say about our petition on the National Geographic blog:

“This petition comes at a vitally important time when we are looking down the barrel of extinctions of wild lions. Its a shocking tipping point when there are more tigers in captivity than there are in the wild, and what happens to tigers today happens to lions tomorrow,” Joubert said in an email.

“We are releasing our film, The Last Lions, across the United States, at the same time as this petition goes in to the Department of Interior. We endorse the petition, because it’s time for a real conversation about this issue at all levels.”

This petition comes at a vitally important time when we are looking down the barrel of extinctions of wild lions. We endorse the petition, because it’s time for a real conversation about this issue at all levels. — Dereck Joubert

The support of the Jouberts and all Defenders members will be critically important in the coming year as the Interior Department evaluates our listing petition and makes a decision whether to list. Please take a moment to sign our petition urging Secretary Salazar to protect African lions and halt their further decline.

And if you haven’t seen The Last Lions yet (shame on you), watch the trailer below. You can also listen to this fascinating NPR interview during which Dereck and Beverly describe how they filmed the movie. (SPOILER: They were within 30 meters of a vicious battle between male lions from rival prides!)