Cecil the Lion’s Death Spurred Donations to Wildlife Groups … Now What?
After a trophy hunter killed one of Africa’s most famous lions, interest in conservation soared.
Cecil the lion’s illegal killing inspired people around the world to do more than voice outrage. Several organizations that work to protect big cats have seen an increase in interest and donations.
Three weeks ago, Oxford University’s Wildlife Research Conservation Unit, which had been tracking Cecil, considered scaling back its anti-poaching efforts because it was running out of money. Now, after Cecil’s death and an emotional mention from late night host Jimmy Kimmel, WildCRU has received over 300,000 British Pounds ($468,660 U.S. dollars) in donations.
That number’s growing: Philanthropists Tom and Daphne Kaplan have pledged $100,000 to match donations “dollar for dollar, pound for pound.” WildCRU founder David Macdonald told National Geographic that these new donations
