by Dan Bloom, producer
Beverly and Dereck Joubert‘Big Cats,’ lions, leopards and tigers, are among the most beautiful and beloved animals on earth, but their numbers in the wild have reached dangerous lows. In the 1940s, nearly a half-million lions roamed in the wild, now their population is estimated at 20,000.
Dereck and Beverly Joubert have dedicated their lives to big cats and their latest project, The Last Lions, is a tandem book and film released by National Geographic. Filmed on Duba island in Botswana’s Okavango Delta, the film follows a mother lion and her cubs as they face a barrage of challenges.
The project is part of a larger public information campaign undertaken with National Geographic, dubbed ‘Cause An Uproar.’ Also, their ‘Big Cats Initiative’ has already provided funds for eight animal conservation projects in Africa.
Links to the Jouberts’ projects:
The Last Lions
Cause An Uproar
Wildlife Conservation Films
Big Cats Initiative
Jouberts’ TED Talk
The Jouberts also operate eco-tourism lodges, including in the Okavango Delta, through Great Plains Conservation.