With less than 20,000 lions estimated to exist in Africa, they are listed as critically endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Lions were once native to three continents, but have now disappeared from 94 per cent of their historic range.

The long-term partnership of the Löwenbräu label with SAVE is now intended to make a new generation of lion cubs possible with a newly launched project. The cooperation is initially set for three years. The brand will donate an annual sum of 15,000 euros to the joint project. In addition, the new generation of Löwenbräu will also be celebrated by a donation of 1 euro per Löwenbräu crate sold. In this way, an additional 60,000 euros will be collected to actively protect the lion population in Botswana.

As an attention-grabbing kick-off of the project, small blue lion cub replicas of real lion statues were distributed around Munich last week for the design launch and the Spaten Tower was decorated with an installation. Now the brand reveal follows via various channels. The newly designed bottles will be available in stores from November 2022.

The Okavango Delta in Botswana is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and home to many endangered species. Today, only about 1200 lions live here. Again and again, the animals are shot or poisoned by the inhabitants of the delta. In most cases, the reason is that the big cats attack the residents’ livestock. Although the farmers try to protect their livestock as much as possible, the predators still manage to snatch livestock again and again. According to the statistics of the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP), the project area has the highest number of conflicts with lions.

Against this background, SAVE would like to start the lion conservation project “Next Generation” in cooperation with Löwenbräu. Together with a research team and the villagers, we will analyse the conflict situation and implement effective solutions for herd protection so that the lions and their next generation can be sustainably protected. A lion alarm system is designed to prevent conflicts between residents and lions, thus helping to effectively protect the next generation. The aim is, depending on the

The aim is to equip up to five lion prides with GPS transmitters, depending on the possibilities. For this purpose, one animal of each pride is anaesthetised and given a collar with an integrated GPS transmitter. This is not dangerous for the animals, the GPS collars do not disturb them and fall off on their own after three years. Every two hours, they send a signal to the researchers via satellites that reveal the lions’ whereabouts. Based on the data, the researchers can see where the animals are moving to at any given time. This allows them to determine a critical line along which encounters are likely to occur.

The alarm system is based on a dynamic geofence system. A geofence is a virtual fence or perimeter around a physical location. Just like a real fence, a geofence creates a separation between that location and the surrounding area. Unlike a real fence, it is also able to detect movement within these virtual boundaries and send an automatic alert to occupants without revealing their exact location.

To use the system, participants must register. For this, the name and a mobile phone number are deposited, whereupon one receives an automatic notification when a lion approaches. In addition, the effects of the decline in lion populations on the ecosystem are being studied. The findings will help to find solutions that can contribute to the protection of the lions, the community, and their livestock.