Since Disney released The Lion King, in 1994 and the world fell in love with its story of adventure, friendship, and family on the savanna, Africa has lost half of its lions.
In 2019, Disney released the groundbreaking live-action adaptation of The Lion King and teamed up with the Wildlife Conservation Network’s Lion Recovery Fund and its partners to help bring back lions in the wild. Through this collaboration, Disney and the Wildlife Conservation Network’s Lion Recovery Fund encouraged audiences to “Protect the Pride,” urging fans and wildlife lovers around the world to participate in the conservation of lions and their habitats and help support local people who live alongside lions.
Five years later, with the release of Mufasa: The Lion King, we teamed up with Disney again to continue efforts to Protect the Pride, celebrate successes to date, and grow hope for a future where lions and people thrive.
How Disney is Making an Impact for Lions
$3
Million Raised
Disney contributed more than $3 million to support lion conservation during the 2019 Protect the Pride campaign. This support has helped employ thousands of people across Africa and brought together communities to co-develop solutions that benefit both people and wildlife.
80
Conservation Leaders
Disney teamed up with the LRF to convene more than 80 leading conservation experts at the Lion Footprint Forum in 2019, the first meeting of its kind in 20 years, aimed at expanding collaboration to grow conservation impact for lions. Another forum will take place in 2025.
83,000
Snares
Thanks in part to the Protect the Pride campaign in 2019, at least 50% of the sites in which the LRF is investing already show stable or increasing populations of lions. In addition, LRF support has helped remove 83,000 snares that could harm wildlife.
The Disney Conservation Fund has been a recognized leader in conservation efforts for decades and has worked with Wildlife Conservation Network for over 20 years. Building on Disney’s previous $125M investment in global conservation efforts since 1995, these combined efforts to support lions through The Lion King and Mufasa represent one of the biggest single-species wildlife conservation initiatives in Disney’s history.
Disney is an unparalleled storyteller with the power to reach millions of people around the world. Connecting one of their most universally beloved stories—The Lion King—to lion conservation efforts is helping to raise awareness that the lion population is declining and inspiring people to help protect lions throughout Africa.