A three-month exhibition of 25 life-sized bronze lions has launched on Bristol Downs today (July 4) as part of a charity campaign. The international wildlife charity, Born Free, has installed the sculptures to raise awareness of the shrinking lion population which has declined by 90 percent in 55 years.
Entitled ‘Born Free Forever’, the exhibit features 25 life-size bronze sculptures of lions. Each representing a real-life lion, with its own unique story, highlighting the grave threats facing big cats both in captivity and in the wild.
Its centrepiece is the Elsa lioness, which sits on top of a 4x4 vehicle, as depicted in the 1966 film Born Free, which starred charity co-founders Virginia McKenna OBE and the late Bill Travers MBE .
READ MORE: Live: M5, M4 and M32 fuel price protest to block multiple routes around Bristol
The exhibition also marks the launch of Walk on the Wildside where people are challenged to walk 20,000 steps in a day by World Lion Day on August 10, 2022. According to the charity the 20,000 steps will represent the remaining 20,000 lions left in the wild, just a fraction of the 200,000 roaming the world back in the 1960s when Born Free was made.
Charity co-founder Virginia McKenna said: “Please visit this incredible exhibition of these individual lions. These real lions mean so much to Born Free.
"Each has its own unique and powerful story. Through those individual stories, visitors will learn so much about lions that they could never learn through watching them in captivity.
“There are 7.8 billion people on Earth, and we now have to decide: are we prepared to share our planet with the shockingly few wild lions that remain or not?"
Born Free patron and actor Dan Richardson added: “The dramatic decline in wild lion populations over the last century is mind-boggling and heart-breaking in equal measure. Decisive, positive action is imperative, right now.
"These incredible sculptures stand as a life-sized reminder of a species under threat and the precious lives we must work together to save, before it’s too late."
Each of the statues is available to purchase, with all the funds going to Born Free. A Forever Lions Fund , set up in Bill Travers' memory, will use money raised by the exhibition and other donations to help protect wild lions, resolve human-predator conflict, care for rescued lions, and stop the slaughter of lions for trophies and as part of canned lion hunting (the killing of lions in captive facilities from which there is no escape).
READ NEXT:
- University of Bristol student who 'can't afford' graduation gown unable to attend ceremony
- The tough Bristol pub where Blackbeard quaffed ale and rockers settled disputes
- From Bristol Airport to Temple Meads - exploring Bristol's 11 biggest 'mistakes'
- Giant interactive gorilla to wow crowds in the final weeks of Bristol Zoo Gardens
- Bristol Zoo planning application submitted to transform site
