The death of a beloved, humanized Zimbabwean lion named Cecil at the hands of an American hunter has sparked outrage everywhere from Twitter to Jimmy Kimmel’s emotional thoughts on the subject during his show last night. Nat Geo Wild today announced that, in response to Cecil the Lion’s tragic death, the network will commemorate World Lion Day on Aug. 10 with a lineup of big cat programming to “remind viewers why these vital apex predators are so important to protect.” (Note that these shows are not directly about Cecil, but about lions in general.)
“Nat Geo WILD has supported the National Geographic Society’s Big Cats Initiative since we went on the air five years ago with our annual Big Cat Week event, and unfortunately it’s news like the tragic death of beloved Cecil that reminds us that our work to save these majestic animals is far from over,” said Geoff Daniels, executive vice president and general manager of Nat Geo WILD. “Big cat populations are in dramatic decline, and it is our network’s responsibility to do everything we can to bring awareness to their plight.”
Nat Geo Wild says it is actively supporting the National Geographic Society’s efforts to protect big cats by promoting #5forbigcats on social media platforms.
NAT GEO WILD WORLD LION DAY PROGRAMMING — MONDAY, AUG. 10 (All times ET)
12pm Lion Battle Zone
1pm Lion Gangland
2pm The Last Lions (2 hours)
4pm Game of Lions
5pm Killer Queen
6pm Fight for Life: Lion Pride Takeover
7pm Man v. Lion
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Photo of Cecil the Lion from YouTube
