Protecting The Sacred White Lions with Linda Tucker

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African lion populations have decreased by nearly 70% in the past 50 years. Were it not for some courageous activists that number might be even more catastrophic. Under the spiritual guidance of a wise medicine woman who saved her life in the African wilderness, Linda Tucker abandoned her high-powered career to return to the pride lands and follow her destiny as an appointed “keeper of the white lions.” African Sangomas, who are the indigenous African priests, recognize white lions as the direct messengers of the divine—embodying a sacred essence that balances our planet’s ecosystems, and brings true leadership among living beings. Working tirelessly against the enormous forces that are decimating this precious species Linda Tucker reveals her quest to save the white lions from extinction. (hosted by Justine Willis Toms)

Bio

Linda Tucker, an ecological activist, grew up in South Africa during Apartheid and attended the Universities of Cape Town in South Africa and Cambridge in the United Kingdom. In 2002, she founded the Global White Lion Protection Trust, an organization that works not only to protect the white lions, but also the indigenous communities and knowledge of the Tsonga and Sepedi cultures, which celebrate the white lion as a sacred living heritage. She’s a guest speaker at international conservation congresses, and her work has been featured in documentaries produced by National Geographic and Animal Planet. She, along with her partner, lion ecologist Jason A. Turner, live in a protected area neighboring South Africa’s Timbavati reserve where the white lion prides have been reintroduced into the wild.

Her books include:

• Mystery of the White Lions: Children of the Sun God (Hay House 2010)
• Saving the White Lions: One Woman's Battle for Africa's Most Sacred Animal (North Atlantic Books 2013)

To find out more about the work of Linda Tucker go to www.whitelions.org.

Topics Explored in This Dialogue

• How did Tucker become the spiritual keeper and protector of the white lions
• Who was Maria Khosa, Lion Queen of Timbavati
• What are the canned hunting operations in South Africa
• What is the connection between the white lions of South Africa and Egyptian mythology
• What gives Tucker the ability to be resilient in the face of setbacks
• What are the challenges of releasing a lion into a reserve
• What are the economic realities in South Africa that support trophy hunting
• How can individuals be of help in saving the white lions

Host: Justine Willis Toms   Interview Date: 7/7/2013   Program Number: 3472

Music Playlist

Album: Rhythm of the Ancients
Artist: Medwyn Goodall
2002 New World Music #NWCD 526Survival Records #RCD 10441

Opening Essay: Track 01 Trail of Vine
Music Break 1:Track 04 Lost City
Music Break 2 Track 06 Chamber of the Gods
Music Break 3: Track 07 The Gates of Eternity