ANNUAL REPORT
MARCH 2018 – FEB 2019
MARCH 2019 – FEB 2020
KEVIN RICHARDSON
OUR MISSION
The Kevin Richardson Foundation is committed to the preservation of Africa’s lions and the habitat on which their existence depends. If we continue on the current trajectory of diminishing wildlife habitats in Africa, scientists warn that wild lions may go extinct during our lifetime.
When predator species dwindle, the natural systemic balance for other species is at risk too. Ensuring the protection of lions as a keystone species, secures the future of entire eco-systems, encompassing predators, herbivores, insects, birds, grasses and water sources.
The links between human behaviour and the wellbeing of the natural world are well established. In order to ensure sustainable protection of wild species it is thus essential to create opportunities and advantages for underprivileged communities that live on the fringes of protected areas. The Foundation is committed to engaging with practical interventions that decrease human-wildlife conflict and create opportunities for communities to benefit from the preservation of wildlife in meaningful ways.
The Foundation hopes to see an end to the abhorrent practice of canned hunting in South Africa, as well as the exploitative tourist trade of lions that includes captive breeding, cub-petting, walking with lions, canned hunting and the bone trade.
A NEW KIND OF CONSERVATION
BY KEVIN RICHARDSON
When I began my work with lions in 1998, there were an estimated 110,000 to 130,000 lions in the wild. In just 22 years these numbers have plummeted to approximately 15,000, and yet the rhetoric around conservation and preservation of key species remains largely the same. What does this mean for our planet?
The story of lions really sums up the relationship between humans and wildlife over the last century. Whilst wild lion populations have diminished by 80% in the last 40 years, the human population has increased by approximately 65%. Whilst wild lion populations have diminished by 80%, captive lion populations have grown exponentially – a dramatic example of unbridled commercialisation and extractive human behaviour that has dominated our planet since the industrial revolution.
I believe, however, that a new dawn is rising. With the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus pandemic, preceded by the SARS and MERS outbreaks in 2003 and 2012 respectively, the world is waking up to the health implications and economic devastation that are a direct result of the consumptive practices of humans towards wildlife and the earth’s resources. The dwindling lion population in Africa is not an African problem – it is a global problem, just as wet markets in Wuhan are not a Chinese problem – they are a global problem. It is becoming increasingly clear that borders between countries are imagined concepts. Global issues affect everyone.
Biodiversity is the foundation upon which our earth depends. We have finite resources and protecting them is Biodiversity is the foundation upon which our earth depends. We have finite resources and protecting them is essential, not only for global health, but for our economic survival. The time is ripe to focus on changing core beliefs and attitudes towards wildlife, focusing on key species that function as indicators of the greater health of a system.
By fostering a culture of creative collaboration with like-minded individuals and organisations, the Foundation seeks to enter a new age of conservation that makes use of the power of multi-platform media and the internet to bring about change. This change must take place within deeply embedded cultural and legislative attitudes towards the natural world, its people and its wildlife.
In just over 40 years, the world has witnessed a 40% decline in land-based wildlife populations. This level of decline requires transformational not incremental change, as the link between biodiversity preservation and human behaviour is established further. Although human technology will never replace the innate wisdom of nature’s technology, we can use technology to ignite the cultural shifts necessary to reverse the path we are on.
In 2018 the award-winning film Mia and the White Lion was released internationally. The film brought the unpalatable story of canned hunting to millions of people via a platform that was family-friendly, entertaining and moving. More than four million people watched the film in cinemas across the world. Millions more watched and continue to watch the film on television and through video-streaming platforms. Shown to large audiences in China during the Franco-Chinese Month of the Environment conference in 2019, it was invigorating to see a conservation narrative imparted to critical audiences outside of the medium of ‘shock documentary’ or grim scientific papers.
As a direct result of the release of the film, our Foundation received thousands of messages of concern and shock at what was occurring in the world of captive lions. Although this response was significant, the lack of public awareness about such issues is disheartening. It made me realise what a monumental job we have in educating the world about what’s going on and, more importantly, how much needs to be done. Our work is a drop in the ocean and at times the task that lies ahead seems overwhelming. However, the almost overnight education of the world about the Covid-19 virus, resulting in adjustments to behaviour across the globe, does indicate that digital media can play a huge role in helping global society wake up to the reality of what actions need to be taken in the immediate future.
How do we do this? In order to reach beyond the world of existing animal activists and conservation supporters – to reach the ordinary individual, the ignorant consumer, the poacher, or the influential government leader – we need to take creative and disruptive approaches. There are four values I see as integral to transformational systemic change.
The first is non-separation – the misconception of self and world. With the rise of individualism we have seen a deep separation of ourselves from each other, and from nature. In this we see the disassociation of our behaviour and consumptive choices from their effects. We see the rise of outrage culture and increasingly polarised views rather than approaches that focus on finding common ground and respecting individuals’ needs and perspectives.
I once heard someone say, “Idealism is a perfect science, until it affects you personally.” Bearing this in mind, the second value is learning to hold idealism loosely, with an open hand. Idealism, whilst honourable as a cornerstone of hope, can warp one’s approach to solving a problem. In the world of lions, we want to see an end to captive breeding, but we don’t want to talk about what to do with the 12,000 odd lions that will remain as a result of a ban. Our ideals prevent us from admitting that the best solution might be euthanasia.
This leads on to the third value: resolute empathy. I feel so much sadness when an elephant gets poisoned or killed by a rural community in Botswana or Tanzania, but if you were a member of that community and an elephant destroyed your entire year’s food crop, or trampled your toddler, would you be so outraged at a retaliatory action?
Without empathy for the lived reality of others, we cannot move beyond national, cultural or political differences to make decisions that bring about unified change. Every person arrives where they are as a result of their unique life’s journey. I believe that most people are doing the best with what they have, even if I don’t always agree on what they do or how they do it. Empathy can help people with different values to see beyond their differences and work together on what they do share. This is imperative for the transformational change needed to save our planet and its species.
THE EARTH DOES NOT BELONG TO MAN, MAN BELONGS TO THE EARTH. ALL THINGS ARE CONNECTED LIKE THE BLOOD THAT UNITES ONE FAMILY. MAN DID NOT WEAVE THE WEB OF LIFE, HE IS MERELY A STRAND IN IT.
WHATEVER HE DOES TO THE WEB, HE DOES TO HIMSELF.
Chief Seattle
THE PAST CANNOT BE CHANGED, THE FUTURE IS YET IN YOUR POWER.
Mary Pickford
And lastly, an appreciation for storytelling. We are storytelling animals – it is possibly one of the key things that differentiate us from other animals. I don’t know many people whose lives have been transformed because of a fact sheet or news report, but I do know many whose lives have been changed by hearing or reading a story. To close the gap between self and nature we need to help people fall in love with animals again. My story happens to be lions, but everyone has a story, and everyone has a role to play in protecting our earth. Whether a single experience causes someone to become a vet, or eat less meat, or rescue a bird, or support a wildlife organisation, we must share our stories so that we become conscious and self reflective and can adapt and change.
These methods and principals are critical to informing and engaging the public. At this time in our history we cannot depend solely on policy-based change. If anything, this approach has slowed us down as we have witnessed individual leaders of powerful nations deny the very existence of the crisis we face. Instead, we need to turn towards transformational change; which means transforming the day-to-day choices of those living in areas near wildlife, as well as those far away whose behaviour inadvertently affects them.
As a young organisation we aim to play to our strengths: focusing on transforming narratives around wildlife and teaching compassion by bringing the story of lions into the hearts of as many people as possible. We will support all interventions and programmes with proven benefits to lions, whether scientific, education-based or focused on advocating legislation reform. We will, however, also approach our conservation efforts with the underlying belief that values and compassion for wildlife must be taught, and in today’s interconnected world this is truly a potential reality.
How do we help people fall in love with their world? Well, for thousands of years humans have learnt through storytelling. We will start by telling the story of lions.
Thank you for your support and I am excited about what this new decade will bring.
KEVIN
RICHARDSON
OUR JOURNEY THUS FAR
BY SHANI VAN STRAATEN, FOUNDATION MANAGER
As a fledgling organisation we are immensely proud of what we have achieved in a relatively short period of time. The supporters of the “Lion Whisperer” have proven to be more than just spectators of a unique humananimal story. Rather, they have become active participants in the conservation of a species that has found a firm place in their hearts.
Since the launch of the Foundation in July 2018, the organisation has benefited from the support of individuals the world over. Since our first year we have supported external organisations in proven interventions such as the Namibian Lion Trust’s (formerly AfriCat North) Protect our Pride project – working to protect the wild lions of northern Namibia.
In the academic research realm, funds have been allocated to support important research carried out by the University of Pretoria’s Carnivore Working Group, which has informed methods of caring for captive predator cats across multiple species. With Kevin’s ability to be hands on with the sanctuary lions, scientific trials for pharmacological treatment in big cats has been made possible without the need to anaesthetise trial subjects.
Such projects are generously facilitated by Kevin and the animals living at the sanctuary on an ongoing basis, a stark reminder that the statement “captive lions have no conservation value” is severely lacking in creativity and foresight.
Education is a key focus for the Foundation and we have supported classroom-based conservation programmes in rural areas of Namibia for learners whose lives are affected by lions on a day-to-day basis. As our capacity grows, we hope to create our own educational programmes in 2021 for communities based near the Kevin Richardson Wildlife Sanctuary.
The Foundation is close to completing its first habitat acquisition goal and we foresee the conclusion of this by the fourth quarter of 2020.
We are grateful to all our supporters and look forward to responding to the unique challenges of our time with agility, creativity and cooperation.
– SHANI –
FOUNDATION HIGHLIGHTS
HABITAT PROTECTION, LION PRESERVATION
In July 2018, the Kevin Richardson Foundation was launched with the campaign #LandforLions. The response was overwhelming and we surpassed our goal within the first month, raising R2,800,000 (approx. USD 134,545 at the time) from a committed group of 1,949 individual donors. The money was used to purchase 1,180 hectares of land on the surrounds of Dinokeng Big 5 Game Reserve in South Africa.
Thanks to the power of crowdfunding – primarily through social media – individuals from across the world are now invested in every inch of land secured. This land is protected from development and will remain a natural space in perpetuity. It serves as a base for the Kevin Richardson Foundation and ensures lifelong care for the rescued animals in the sanctuary. We are excited that this land will not only be protected, but will enable us to fulfil our mandate for education, conservation and research.
#LandforLions is an ongoing project that will focus on extending wildlife areas in Southern Africa and ensuring that they remain protected.
COLLABORATION AND SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH
The Foundation believes that supporting existing organisations and institutions is key, especially for a foundation in its infancy. We therefore partnered with the University of Pretoria’s Wildlife Management Centre working with leading scientist Prof. Adrian Tordiffe and the Carnivore Working Group, which carries out a wide range of research into matters affecting predator cats.
The sanctuary has hosted three major research projects since 2018, empowering scientists to carry out experiments that may prove beneficial to both wild lions and lions in captivity, as well as other predator cats. The sanctuary facilitated studies creating energetic models in roaming lions, which are being utilised to motivate the government of Botswana to maintain adequate buffer zones to protect wild lions from human encroachment.
The lions in the sanctuary were also the subjects of pharmaceutical trials using the hormone Oxytocin to stave off aggression and trauma in translocated wild predator cats, as well as assist in the healing of captive lions undergoing veterinary procedures. The trust between Kevin and the lions has opened up possibilities that would otherwise not be possible, as his ability to interact with them allows observations and trials to be made without the trauma of darting and anaesthetising the animals.
EDUCATION AND EMPOWERMENT
In both 2018 and 2019 the Foundation supported the incredible work of the Namibian Lion Trust, protecting wild lions from retaliatory killings by rural farmers in northern Namibia. The “Protect Our Pride” programme empowers farming communities in high conflict areas to manage and protect their livestock. Monitoring of lion movement and behaviour also provides valuable long-term data to identify “hot spots” and thereby inform the kraaling and herding programmes. By providing cattle kraals, solar powered “lion lights” and collars for lion prides and paying for the annual salary for a “Lion Guard”, early warning systems have been put in place to avoid any loss of livestock. Working with communities to better manage and protect livestock empowers them to create systems that support conservation and co-existence.
If we do not inspire the next generation to care for and conserve wildlife living amongst them, we have little hope of eradicating widespread incidences of human-wildlife conflict. For this reason, the Foundation supports classroom-based conservation programmes in rural schools in Namibia. However, rural communities often see an exodus of youth to schools in cities. In a bid to encourage the next generation to remain in the region and be taught about the importance of protecting and managing their environment, the Foundation also contributed to the material needs of the Onguta Primary School in Namibia.
NAMIBIAN LION TRUST & AFRICAT HAVE MADE ME A FRIEND OF THE LION…
WE PROMISE TO LOOK AFTER OUR WILDLIFE AND TELL OUR ELDERS WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED FROM YOU ABOUT CONSERVATION.
Ngavangue Tjiraso, age
8
CAPTIVE LIONS IN CONSERVATION
The Kevin Richardson Wildlife Sanctuary is home to lions, hyenas and black leopards, all rescued from the captive breeding and canned hunting industry. These animals catalysed the story of the “Lion Whisperer” that has captivated millions of people around the globe. The animals have been privileged to enjoy a long life with attentive care and enrichment and, in return, have fostered support for the pressing crisis around habitat loss, unethical wildlife tourism practices and canned hunting.
Using his platform “Lion Whisperer TV”, Kevin Richardson and the animals of the sanctuary have raised awareness of issues that are otherwise challenging to understand, as well as educated international audiences about lion behaviour and the circumstances of their existence.
The Foundation is committed to protecting these animals for as long as they live and has thus supported various veterinary procedures ensuring the health of the animals. In 2019 this included a mass spay of the sanctuary lionesses. The procedures were filmed and used as an opportunity to explain the futility of captive breeding. Maintenance work in the sanctuary has also been supported to ensure a thriving eco-system for the wildlife living there, and to improve the experience of the volunteers that serve at the sanctuary and go on to educate peers about the lessons learnt during this unique experience.
Tours of the sanctuary provided to the public have created meaningful opportunities to educate tourists and industry stakeholders about the challenges facing lions today.
FOUNDATION REACH –CREATING AWARENESS ABOUT LIONS
The work of the Foundation has ostensibly benefited from the large online reach established by Kevin’s work as the “Lion Whisperer”. The Foundation has mutually provided a container to allow his message and work to take form in measurable and tangible ways. Lion Whisperer followers have actively joined the Foundation community via social media with over 100,000 followers in the first year and a growing newsletter database of active readers.
The film Mia and the White Lion, which attracted millions of viewers, directed individuals to the Foundation and has thus opened up a new audience in territories outside of the traditional English-speaking countries such as the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada and Australia. The deluge of messages from across the globe expressing disgust and shock over the story of canned hunting, provided the Foundation with opportunities to follow up knowledge sharing with practical ways for individuals to take action.
The expansion of technology has allowed us to tap into audiences in places like India and Latin America, which we might not otherwise have reached, for example, through Kevin’s promotion of the work of the Foundation via his Youtube channel. It is impossible to quantify the reach that is available for future campaigns and advocacy but, as we build upon existing audiences and establish new ones, we look forward to extending our reach to spread vital messages and promote shared work in the field of lion conservation.
The Foundation has also benefited from awareness work carried out by agents for change ranging from school children and teachers integrating our lion education material into their classrooms to bigger influencers such as renowned photographer and ambassador David Yarrow and celebrities such as Nina Dobrev.
In 2019 Kevin travelled to Australia’s three largest cities to speak at fundraising events to assist the non-profit Painted Dog Inc’s Zambian Carnivore Project. This resulted in the purchasing of vehicles and telemetry equipment to protect large carnivores in the region.
The patronage of Her Serene Highness Princess of Monaco has provided the Foundation with opportunities to engage with the Prince of Monaco on the challenges facing lions. As a South African, the princess is passionate about the future of Africa’s lions, and this relationship will hopefully open doors to help foster political will to support change in the future.
CONSERVATION CHAMPIONS
DAVID YARROW, AMBASSADOR
Back in 2014, when wildlife photographer David Yarrow was trying to achieve the ‘widow maker’ of all lion shots –that of a lion charging towards the camera – he travelled to South Africa to enlist the help of Kevin Richardson. At the end of a long and dusty day – with nothing more serious than a bruised knee to show for it – they got the shot, aptly titled ‘The Full Nine Yards’, and a friendship was born.
David is now an ambassador for the Kevin Richardson Foundation. As he says, “I can play a minor role … by helping Kevin raise money and by highlighting to people the important role that Kevin has from an awareness perspective. Kevin is an influencer and if I can take pictures that show the glory of a cat and help him further his influence, then I have a role. What would the world be without lions?”
In 2019 David’s sale of legendary image “Pride Rock” was sold for £40,000, which he generously donated to the Foundation’s activities.
YOUTH AMBASSADORS PROGRAMME
In 2019 a Dutch and American student living in Europe proposed a schools education programme to spread awareness about the plight of lions. Impressed by their enthusiasm and initiative, the Foundation commissioned Elliot Brent and Finn Boering to create a presentation relevant to their peers and age group. Elliot and Finn also aimed to engage their fellow students in joining the cause by donating funds, organising fundraisers and/or becoming youth campaigners for the Foundation.
Since then Elliot and Finn have made presentations to over 450 students at various international schools in Barcelona. They piloted their first virtual presentation – aimed at primary school learners – with a first grade class in Dallas, Texas at the beginning of 2020.
FINANCIAL OVERVIEW
SUMMARY
The Kevin Richardson Foundation prides itself on keeping a lightweight operation. We have succeeded in our aim to keep administrative costs to less than 10% of our operational budget, making sure that most of the donor dollar gets to the ground. Our generous supporters have enabled us to deliver programmes in each focus area of our Foundation pillars, and all activities have been conducted with stringent monitoring and evaluation measures in place. A large part of our capital budget remains ready for our first land acquisition which, as mentioned, is due to be completed before the end of 2020.
DIRECTORS:
Edwina Thring, Kevin Richardson, Caroline Edmonds, Rodney Nombekana, Etienne Toerien
AUDIT PREPARED BY:
Advoca Accounting Services & Mzansi Accountants & Associates
Independent auditors: C&S Chartered Accountants
Chartered Accountants (SA) Registered Auditor
The Kevin Richardson Foundation NPC (Registration number: 2004/015375/08)
Photography Courtesy of:
David Yarrow (Pages 11, 20/21)
Harry Vincent (Pages 14/15)
Jackie Badenhorst (Pages 16/17) Wayne Smith (Page 29)
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