lion

At Retreat to Africa, we believe the future of travel lies not only in sustainability but also in regeneration.

We want to be a part of a world where our planet is protected and celebrated, where our planet’s diverse wildlife and cultures are preserved.  Each supplier, lodge, and partner is fully aligned with our ethos and values and operates in support of them. We are a proud member of Responsible Travel, one of the world’s largest sustainable travel companies.  We embody their business values and support their work in local communities and in growing eco-tourism worldwide.

The Global White Lion Protection Trust is a project very close to our hearts with whom we have been personally involved for over 10 years. They are the main project we support with a percentage of all our profits channeled to them for where it is most needed at a time. We also support various projects and foundations throughout the year, with each of our retreats and group trips supporting a chosen project. We incorporate visits to ethical sanctuaries, local communities, and their projects in as many of our itineraries as possible for mutual betterment. Our clients enjoy an authentic experience and see first-hand the impact their tourism spend has.

About the Global White Lion Protection Trust

The Global White Lion Protection Trust was founded by author and conservationist Linda Tucker to reintroduce the critically endangered White Lions back into their natural homeland, simultaneously developing a rural support and enrichment program making a difference in the lives of the local communities who neighbour the White Lions lands. Today there are 3 successfully reintroduced white lion prides roaming in freedom in their ancestral lands; however their ongoing protection involves not only expanding their borders but ensuring that their entire natural homeland receives “heritage site” status and thereby the highest possible legislative protection. To this purpose genetic research is being carried out, also to ensure that the White Lions can be listed for CITES and IUCN Red Data protection globally. The trust is also working hand in hand with local schools to help foster a culture of respect and love for the sacredness of nature and the White Lions.

Why we support the White Lion Trust

White Lions can be found naturally in only one place on earth, in the Timbavati region of South Africa in the heart of the Kruger to Canyon Biosphere, which is the 3rd largest biosphere in the world and of global conservation importance. It has long been believed through the ages in myth and legend and more recently by indigenous elders that the arrival of the White Lions heralds a Golden Age for humanity. Despite being revered as a sacred heritage by the Tsonga and Sepedi people of this region and indigenous peoples around the globe, the unique White Lions are not protected by international law. They remain on the brink of extinction, yet can be hunted without recourse in the wild, and in cages. Tragically, White Lions are kept in captivity by the tourism industry and bred to be killed by international trophy hunters.

Unfortunately today lion trophy hunting has reached an all time high and despite 20 years of campaigning by the GWLPT and international opposition canned lion hunting is still legally endorsed by the South African government with pressure from the trophy hunting mafia. Sadly today money has become humankind’s “god” and for many a value system no longer exists. This is despite lions being in a 95% decline with an estimation that all “big cats” will be extinct soon without urgent intervention.

The White Lions are not only rare and highly endangered animals worthy of our support to bring them back from the brink of extinction in the wild on the basis of their rarity and beauty, they are also sacred symbols of our times. Our natural world is in a critical state of demise with our wildlife and ocean life disappearing at an unprecedented rate. Human beings are also on the path to extinction whereby monetary gain and material wealth are valued higher than spiritual and natural connections. The White Lions as pure beings of white light and at the very apex of the natural food chain are here to recall us back to our roots, connecting us back to nature and to our true selves.

They invoke the highest qualities in humankind: The Lionheart, The Braveheart and the Trueheart.

To read more about the Global White Lion Protection Trust and the work they are doing or to make a donation visit www.whitelions.org