The last World Lion Day was not a celebration for us. Instead of sharing uplifting stories, we had to deliver heartbreaking news: the matriarch of the Hippo Creek Pride in Victoria Falls was brutally killed by poachers. She was an extraordinary lioness, raising multiple litters over the years and anchoring the pride’s survival in Zambezi National Park. Her loss left behind two young daughters, that were left to lead the Hippo Creek Pride, and three tiny cubs who had no chance of surviving in the wild without her.