2021: Looking back on a remarkable year

As the COVID-19 pandemic continued to wreak havoc around the globe, this year the Global White Lion Protection Trust has continued to grow and adapt to the many and wide-ranging challenges it has faced over the past 2 decades. This year was particularly notable for our Founder and CEO, Linda Tucker, as it marked the 30 year anniversary of her heart ignition into The Way of the White Lion, by indigenous medicine woman, Maria Khosa Ndluvo.

Background

It was on the evening of 10 November 1991 that Linda was rescued from a pride of angry lions in the African bushveld wilderness by the Tsonga grandmother, who walked through the darkness and through the lions on foot with a baby on her back.

Thinking back on this fateful event, Linda says, “Maria saved my life, and I have been campaigning for the safety and protection of these critically rare, legendary animals ever since.

 When I asked her, “How did you do that? Walk through the lion pride, without being harmed?” The wise woman answered:

“There are only two rules in Nature: Love and Respect.

The lions are my family.

That’s why I took my baby grandchild with me.

When you follow those two rules,

you will never be harmed by Nature.”

 Love and Respect.

She was the most LionHearted woman I have ever encountered.”

This is how Linda defines LionHeartedness: that quality of fearlessness inspired by Love and Respect for our Natural World that enables us to transform our human world. It makes us unstoppable!

That quality of LionHeartedness has informed every action that Linda has since taken:

• Establishing the Non-Profit Organisation, Global White Lion Protection Trust
• Challenging governing structures and unjust legislation
• Buying large tracks of land to ensure the freedom of the White Lions
• Setting up community youth and elder centres, where culture and environment are taught and celebrated
• Establishing the Academy for LionHearted Leadership™ for emerging leaders to prepare for the leadership of tomorrow

From one dark night on 10 November 1991, to the dark night of the soul we all are facing as humanity right now, this ancient wisdom is more relevant now than ever.

Temple to Nature

Without visitor group income over the entire COVID lockdown period, our non-profit organisation had to make bold adjustments. Instead of retrenching staff, as many other organisations and businesses did, we appointed more staff and courageously focused on building a Temple to Nature. Like a phoenix rising from the ashes in the heart of the White Lion Kingdom, the inspiration was to create a  “Template” for true governance, in honour of all living kingdom and create a meeting place for all cultures and creeds of humanity who serve Nature in loving reverence.

All advanced civilisations have built sacred architecture to honour Nature, and in the Heartlands, more than 5000 stones have been laid down, some as large as 10 tonnes, with an ultimate vision of Peace on Earth. The construction of this monumental Temple was completed this year – the architecture for which has been designed by world-renowned South African sculptor, Andries Botha.

Expanding the Heartlands:

The White Lions are site-specific and directly linked to ecosystem regeneration. Yet, commercial lion hunting takes place on the borders of their Heartlands, risking the continuity of this critically rare species. Furthermore, industrial developers are prospecting. What happens here impacts the entire ecosystem.

If the Amazon represents the lungs of the Earth, the White Lion Heartlands represents the Earth’s heart – and we recognise that it must be expanded as a matter of priority, to help ensure the regeneration of this critical biodiversity hotspot. Hundreds of thousands of rare, threatened and critically endangered species are at stake – from micro flora to mega fauna.

The Global White Lion Protection Trust has been at the forefront of new-paradigm conservation strategies since 2004, and we are encouraged by the IUCN’s recent calling for the protection of half of Earth’s lands and seas with a minimum of 30% by 2030.

Our goal is to significantly expand the Heartlands in 2022. If you are interested in assisting us with our Land Strategy, please send us an email

The Lion Prides

We now have 3 magnificent prides flourishing on 3 separate pride lands in the heart of their ancestral territories, with important strategic decisions in place to expand their Heartlands.

As the Kings and Queens of Creation, the fate of Lions as the apex animal represents all species around the globe.

Accordingly, the White Lions’ Message at this time is uncompromising: Wild animals may no longer be commoditised.

Understanding this, and honouring Nature’s rights to be Sacred & Wild, Linda recently made an unprecedented decision: to rescue two White Lionesses, who, tragically, took it upon themselves to claim the life of their beloved human who had used them for profit. Their story was covered by People Magazine. This year, we have focused on building these lioness sisters, Alpha and Omega, a beautiful home range of their own in our southern territories, with much-needed funding being raised through our wonderful Sacred & Wild art auction.

In what seems like an incredible coincidence, shortly after Alpha and Omega were given sanctuary in the White Lion Heartlands, the South African government finally announced their intention to shut down the despicable cuddle-to-kill industry.

Through the lion crisis, Nature’s Message is finally starting to be heard.

Shockingly, the international public was conned into participating in this heinous cuddle-to-kill lion industry and helping to fund it, commercially petting lion cubs at the expense of our wildlife heritage and our own moral codes of conduct. (To better understand the “Con” in conservation, see Linda’s TEDx Talk: “I Speak for the Lions”)

In Linda’s life’s work, this dramatic turnaround represents the culmination of 3 decades of campaigning and parliamentary presentations. Having actively opposed the captive lion breeding industry since the ‘90s, the Global White Lion Protection Trust now works collaboratively with several international alliances to influence positive legislative change.

There is a long road ahead.

Regenerative Strategies

Another very exciting development has been the establishment of a task team to drive a Regenerative Agriculture Initiative on the borders of the White Lions’ ecosystem. The Global White Lion Protection Trust is one of a handful of experts from wide-ranging fields who make up the steering committee for this initiative, which aims to create large-scale livelihoods for rural communities, in alignment with the ASSEGAIA model, which was declared at Davos during the World Economic Forum, 2020.

How you can help

One way in which you can immediately influence effective transformation is to direct support to frontline conservation causes that are pioneering new paradigm strategies.

The Global White Lion Protection Trust is one of these, with a long track record of meeting seemingly insurmountable challenges. For 3 decades, this leadership organisation has been charting the route to regenerative strategies:

1. Ecological regeneration;
2. Cultural regeneration;
3. And now, regenerative agricultural initiatives.

If you would like to support our pioneering organisation, we invite you to make a donation to one of our fundraising campaigns.

We would like to acknowledge donations over U$350.00 with a special gift designed by Linda and her team*:

A unique Journal-Diary inspired by Marah and all that our founder lioness represents by way of a sacred living legacy and the restoration of our planet (valued at U$150.00 including courier costs).

If you would like to receive this special gift, please email us with your postal address and a screenshot of your payment confirmation.

*Limited supply available