Tusk Lion Trail
Global public art installation
Trafalgar Square, London
2021
Global celebration of African lions
10 August – September 2021
London, Bristol, Edinburgh – UK
The Hamptons – USA
Wellington – New Zealand
Nairobi – Kenya
Sydney – Australia
47 life-sized lion sculptures, designed and made by some of the planet’s foremost artists, musicians and sportspeople, are roaming streets around the world to highlight the threats currently faced by ‘the King of Beasts’, and to raise vital funds to support community conservation and livelihoods impacted by Covid-19 across Africa.
Iconic sites
Curated by Chris Westbrook, this is an art trail like no other. The sculptures take you on a tour of iconic locations around the globe, from Piccadilly Circus in the heart of London’s West End to the forecourt of New Zealand’s Parliament building in Wellington.
The lions bring to life the stories of these iconic predators as well as the people who work tirelessly to protect them. Look out, world. The lions have landed!
Lion Sculpture Location
St Martins in the Field Crypt
St Martin-in-the-Fields,
Trafalgar Square, WC2N 4JL
Google Map Link: https://goo.gl/maps/m4yJuYxWjzMXf1gm7
What3Words: https://w3w.co/quite.cliff.zeal
Google Plus Code: GV5F+J5 Mitcham
GPS Co-ordinates: 51.509069,-0.127103
View the Tusk Lion Trail Google map online to discover more lions in London.
Or Download the PDF to print and go!
Threatened wildlife
Big cats have been central to human culture since our very evolution. Yet the African lion population has shrunk in half over the past 25 years. Conflict with humans and competition for space are some of the greatest threats lions face.
The Tusk Lion Trail is an art trail with a difference. Spanning the globe it will showcase the work of some of the world’s most incredible artists, while raising awareness of the urgency to protect all wildlife in Africa and to support the communities sharing the same landscapes.
Global issue, global artworks
Two main lion prides will stalk the streets of London and The Hamptons, New York, while smaller prides and coalitions will pop up in major cities around the world.
The designs, contributing artists, locations and trails will be revealed right here on World Lion Day, August 10th 2021. You’ll also be able to download trail maps and find out more about the artworks and the #TuskLionTrail movement, including how funds raised will support local conservation and community development at its best.
Lion Conservation
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 last 25 years.
The most recent estimates put the total population of lions at approximately 22,5001 (IUCN Red List 2021), 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, human-lion conflict and poaching.
Conflict with wildlife
People living in and around ‘Lion Landscapes’ bear the cost of living with lions, both through livestock predation, and sometimes even conflict with humans. Lions are regularly killed in retaliation or to prevent such loss in the first place.
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.
Innovative programmes aimed at fostering co-existence through lion conflict mitigation work and models where the economic benefits of having lions on the landscape can be realised, will only become more important in the future.
In harmony with nature
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.
The conservation projects we support provide not just protection for Africa’s wildlife, but contribute to the livelihoods, economic stability and improved wellbeing for hundreds of thousands of people too.
Funds raised through the Tusk Lion Trail will also support the livelihoods of poor communities living alongside wildlife, mitigating the huge economic impact of Covid-19 on their jobs and security.