Arts and Sport – THE LIONS HAVE LANDED!

Wellington, New Zealand:  All Blacks legend Richie McCaw has teamed up with prominent artist Dick Frizzell to create a life-sized lion sculpture as part of New Zealand’s contribution to a global art campaign.

The conservation charity Tusk, of which His Royal Highness Prince William is Patron, has launched the Tusk Lion Trail.

The British charity has launched more than 45 life-sized lion sculptures onto the streets of iconic cities including Edinburgh, New York, London, Bristol, Nairobi, Sydney, and Wellington – with each sculpture created by an internationally recognised celebrity.

New Zealand has been invited to show its support for the global campaign, with Richie McCaw and Dick Frizzell conceptualizing a striking black lion, complete with silver fern.  

The Lion has been installed on the forecourt of Parliament on World Lion Day – Tuesday August 10th – where it will remain for the next six weeks.  New Zealand is the first country in the world to unveil its art piece, kicking off a series of activity from international cities.

The population of African lions is estimated to have declined by as much as 50% over the last 25 years. There are now fewer wild lions left in the world than rhinos. Each sculpture will highlight the magnificence of lions, threats to their existence and the people and solutions working for their survival – raising awareness for conservation efforts across the world.

Tusk has teamed up with curator Chris Westbrook to bring together a spectacular array of talented artists from the world of art, design, film, theatre and comedy, to release a phenomenal collection of lion sculptures across the world.  

Internationally recognised faces who have contributed to the campaign include Rolling Stones guitarist, Ronnie Wood; Dire Straits bassist, John Illsley; fine art photographer, David Yarrow; American fashion designer Donna Karan and British actors Mathew Horne, Noel Fielding and John Cleese. Each lion sculpture has been generously sponsored by a Tusk partner or supporter.

Richie McCaw commented: It’s a true honour to be part of this global campaign as an ISPS Handa Ambassador and ensure that New Zealand is represented on the world stage.  The conservation and environmental challenges we’re facing are daunting – and the work Tusk does to protect lion habitat and mitigate human-lion conflict is admirable.  I’d encourage anyone passionate about wildlife to pop down to see the sculpture at parliament, and better yet, register to bid at the global auction to own this incredible art piece from Dick Frizzell

Artist Dick Frizzell agreed:  “We really wanted New Zealand’s lion to pop on the world stage with our proud jet-black colouring and silver fern – and because we’re dealing with a British charity, I guess this is technically the closest you’ll see to a British & Irish Lion in the colours of Aotearoa.”  

Charlie Mayhew MBE, chief executive of Tusk, added: “New Zealand has an incredible reputation on the world stage when it comes to conservation, environmentalism and sustainability.  We’re pleased to launch our very first fundraising efforts in New Zealand and believe everyday Kiwis will get behind our global rally-cry to save the African Lion.”

DHL is the global lead partner for the Tusk Lion Trail, which is co-sponsored by ISPS Handa.

Roy Hughes Executive Vice President of Network Operations for Europe at DHL said: “We are proud sponsors of the Tusk Lion Trail 2021, managing the safe transportation and logistics of these fantastic creations has been an honour. To now see them lining the streets of iconic locations across the globe for the masses to see ahead of the auction fills us with pride.”

ISPS Handa Founder Dr Handa said “ ISPS Handa is delighted to continue its partnership with Tusk this year through the Lion Trail 2021. ISPS Handa Ambassador Richie McCaw agreeing to design the New Zealand lion is a source of great pride to us and we look forward to the global auction raising funds for the efforts to counter extinction of our wild life.”

Following the worldwide exhibition of these one-of-a-kind art pieces, New Zealand’s lion will be auctioned off by leading global auction house Bonhams in London on November 9th.

Three years ago, Tusk raised $1.5 million NZD with its Rhino Trail and is hoping to surpass this total by taking the art installation global. Funds raised at the auction and through public donations will support the work of Tusk and its partners in protecting species and empowering communities across Africa.

More information about the event can be found here: www.tuskliontrail.com

THE KING OF THE BEASTS

Big cats, the ‘King of Beasts’, lions have been central to human culture since our very evolution. Once roaming most of Africa and parts of Asia and Europe, the population of lions is estimated to have declined by as much as 50% over the past 25 years. The most recent estimates put the total population of lions at approximately 22,500, occupying less than 8% of their historic range. There are now fewer wild lions left than rhinos.  The future of the African lion lies in the ability of lions and humans to coexist. At the top of the food chain, lions only face threats that stem from human actions: habitat loss and fragmentation, prey depletion and human-lion conflict. More recently they have also been poached for their body parts (especially claws, teeth and bones) for use in alternative medicine, predominantly in the Far East. As well as protecting some of the lions’ greatest strongholds and mitigating human-lion conflict, Tusk invests in initiatives working with local communities to catalyse innovation, utilise technology, change attitudes, and provide economic stability and empowerment.

ABOUT TUSK

Tusk’s mission is to amplify the impact of progressive conservation initiatives across Africa. The charity has earned a reputation for providing a highly efficient solution for funding wildlife conservation programmes. Tusk partners with the most effective local organisations, investing in their in-depth knowledge and expertise. By supporting and nurturing their conservation programmes, it helps accelerate growth from an innovative idea to a scalable solution.  For more than 30 years, Tusk has helped pioneer an impressive range of successful conservation initiatives across more than 20 countries, increasing vital protection for over 70 million hectares of land and more than 40 different threatened species. But the threat to Africa’s unique natural heritage remains real and more urgent than ever.  The charity, which has Prince William as its Royal Patron, has raised and invested over £90m since its founding in 1990.