Hi everyone, greetings from New Haven, Connecticut. It’s cold and wet and gray so naturally my thoughts are set on that Samburu sun.
I’m winding down my first year at the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies and it’s been a fantastic opportunity to get linked with a wonderful community of students and faculty from a wide range of environmental sectors. I’ve been able to explore large carnivore conservation from new perspectives, particularly from a social science approach. After all, lion conservation is not just about lions — it’s about people. And the methods we at Ewaso Lions use to promote lion conservation are very much driven by human needs. Next month I head back to Samburu to work on a project that will explore this link between people and lions. And I can’t wait to be reunited with the Ewaso Lions team!
Until then, I continue to represent the Ewaso Lions USA team. Last week I spoke at a special advance screening of Disneynature’s newest film, African Cats as part of the 2011 Environmental Film Festival at Yale. The film features extraordinary cinematography of lions and cheetahs in the Mara. I have never seen a cheetah hunt quite like the one they captured in the film. And there’s a scene where a male lion confronts a crocodile that is pretty unbelievable.
We got a full house at the African Cats screening.
After the film I held a question and answer session with Mary Wykstra from Action for Cheetahs in Kenya, a friend of Ewaso Lions and who is also getting her Masters here at Yale. Although the film lacked a conservation message, we had the opportunity to tell the 130 audience members about the pressing need to conserve Africa’s big cats. Perhaps my favorite part of the event was hearing the kids in the audience laugh, shout, and even chirp along with the cheetahs. I hope the film has a big impact on the next generation of conservationists.
Mary Wykstra and I gave a talk after the film.
Thanks, friends. I hope all of you are well.
Paul
African Cats opens in the US on April 22. If you buy tickets during the opening week a portion of the proceeds goes to our friends at the African Wildlife Foundation to support conservation.
