World Lion Day2026 · Date · History
Current conservation sources verify August 10 recurrence, while World Animal Protection and National Geographic attribute the 2013 founding to Dereck and Beverly Joubert.
About World Lion Day
World Lion Day is observed on August 10 to raise awareness of lions and their conservation.
Authoritative conservation and National Geographic sources attribute the observance’s 2013 founding to conservationists Dereck and Beverly Joubert.
Why World Lion Day matters
The day is used by conservation organizations to discuss threats to lions, habitat protection and coexistence with communities living alongside wild lions.
Lion conservation differs by region and population; African and Asiatic lion circumstances should not be treated as interchangeable, and population figures should be tied to a date and source.
History of World Lion Day
World Animal Protection says World Lion Day was founded in 2013 by Dereck and Beverly Joubert, and National Geographic has separately described the Jouberts as the creators.
Current organizations including Panthera continue to use World Lion Day for lion-conservation awareness, but the reviewed evidence does not establish one exclusive present-day global steward or the exact format of the first recurring edition.
What the evidence establishes
Confirmed institutional roles and milestones are shown first. Details that could not be established from the reviewed sources are listed separately below.
8 fields not established in reviewed sources
How to Observe World Lion Day
Learn about lions from reputable conservation organizations, protected-area authorities and current scientific sources.
Support conservation organizations that publish transparent programs and safeguarding policies.
Never approach, feed, bait or disturb wild lions for a photo or World Lion Day activity.
Do not publish sensitive den, cub, collaring, monitoring or exact wildlife-location information that could increase disturbance or poaching risk.
Follow protected-area rules and trained-guide instructions; keep conservation claims specific to the region, population and date of the evidence.
World Lion Day Facts
World Lion Day is observed on August 10.
World Animal Protection and National Geographic attribute its 2013 founding to Dereck and Beverly Joubert.
Panthera currently uses World Lion Day for lion-conservation awareness.
No single exclusive current global steward is established by the reviewed sources.
Wildlife location, population and conservation claims should be current, source-specific and sensitive to disturbance risk.
Topic and context
What this page does not assume
- Keep the source-defined country, community, organizer or institutional scope; do not silently broaden it.
- Do not treat the title alone as proof of government recognition or public-holiday status.
- Do not add a creator, founding story or origin claim unless the supporting evidence establishes it.
Evidence & sources
Sources used across the guide are gathered here. Labels show how each source supports the page, and contextual references are kept separate from primary evidence.
Government of India PIB — current World Lion Day corroboration
Panthera — current World Lion Day conservation page
Government of India PIB — World Lion Day (opens in a new tab)
Government Corroboration
Panthera — World Lion Day (opens in a new tab)
Conservation Organization
World Animal Protection — World Lion Day (opens in a new tab)
Institutional History
National Geographic — World Lion Day / Joubert creator attribution (opens in a new tab)
National Geographic — Joubert creator attribution
World Animal Protection — 2013 Joubert founding attribution
Understand it, compare it, then explore further
Start with the most common factual questions, then compare closely related observances and explore useful connections.
Frequently asked questions
When is World Lion Day?
10 August The documented recurrence rule is: 10 August.
Does World Lion Day fall on the same date every year?
Yes. It uses a fixed annual date unless stronger evidence changes the pattern.
Is World Lion Day an official public holiday?
The reviewed sources verify it within this scope: international lion-awareness and conservation observance. That recognition does not by itself make it a statutory public holiday; the site only makes public-holiday claims when reliable evidence explicitly does so.
Who established or recognizes World Lion Day?
The documented basis is: Current conservation sources verify August 10 recurrence, while World Animal Protection and National Geographic attribute the 2013 founding to Dereck and Beverly Joubert.. Supporting evidence includes Government of India PIB — World Lion Day. The site does not infer a separate creator or founder unless reviewed evidence establishes one.
Is World Lion Day international or country-specific?
The documented scope is international or global: international lion-awareness and conservation observance. That does not mean every country treats the date as a public holiday or observes it in the same way.
How is this page verified?
The factual information is checked against reviewed sources, including the date pattern, scope and institutional history. This page was checked on 2026-09-24.
When is World Lion Day?
It is observed on August 10 each year.
Who founded World Lion Day?
World Animal Protection and National Geographic attribute the 2013 founding to conservationists Dereck and Beverly Joubert.
Who runs World Lion Day now?
Multiple conservation organizations use and support the observance; the reviewed sources do not establish one exclusive current global steward.
How should people observe World Lion Day around wild lions?
Follow protected-area and guide rules, keep a safe distance, never feed or approach lions, and do not share sensitive wildlife-location information.
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