Our people

OUR PEOPLE

Chris Mercer, Founder. "Over the past 25 years, dedicated anti-canned hunting team members and friends have worked so hard to raise awareness - through presentations, street demonstrations, organised marches, slide shows at schools, charity walks and hikes ... the list is long. They are lion-hearts all; far-sighted, brave individuals who have made time for the lions, to try to make right a terrible wrong."
Go to Chris's blog >>>

Lesley Startin has spent a lifetime around horses and believes passionately in communicating with them. She had wanted to set up a horse rescue centre for some years and to that end, she bought a neighbouring farm to CACH headquarters, Karoo Wildlife Centre, and consolidated it with KWC. This expansive property was recently sold by Chris and Lesley; they have maintained space for the animals under their care, and Chris continues to head up and run CACH.

David Mercer is a recognised technical author and expert in the fields of technology and online business. His books have been published globally and are recommended reading at leading institutions like MIT. In his spare time, David contributes to conservation and environmental causes by helping out with CACH.
He is based in Cape Town.

Les Ward, MBE, is the managing trustee of Marchig Trust. He received his MBE from the Queen for services to animal welfare. Marchig Animal Welfare Trust (CH) is the legacy of Mme Jeanne Marchig and the painter Giannino Marchig; its objective is to support work in preventing animal cruelty. CACH was the recipient of a Marchig grant for its two-decade commitment to ending canned hunting.
www.marchigtrust.org

Faye Peeters (with toy lion) is originally from Belgium, lived in France and the UAE and is now settled in Germany. She is a managing exec in the field of dermatology. Faye always had a passion for animals and became an activist during her time in the Middle East, "where animal welfare is virtually unheard of." See Faye's new multi-lingual website on how the canned lion industry works. https://lionpetting.com/
www.facebook.com/CACHDeutschland

Julie Lasne is a Sorbonne graduate with a postgrad degree in animal behaviour. She is a media consultant for major clients and is passionately committed to green business and humanitarian work. Widely travelled, she has volunteered for a variety of wildlife projects, from endangered vultures to apex predators including leopards, cheetahs and lions.
https://www.facebook.com/Julie-Lasne-263905143972296/

Andrea Meggiorin and Roberta Olivieri hail from Padova, Italy. Andrea has a degree in soil science and Roberta in literature. They are both passionate travellers and nature photographers in Africa, and are CACH's representatives in Italy.
www.facebook.com/groups/CACH.ITALY/
www.facebook.com/roberta.olivieri.58?fref=ts
www.facebook.com/andrea.meggiorin.12

Malena Persson is originally from Sweden and now lives in Edinburgh. "My cameras and animals are my two passions in life; I aim to combine the two to promote wildlife conservation. When I saw the image of Melissa Bachman grinning over the lion she shot, something happened inside me. I could no longer be silent." @ScotlandRoars
www.facebook.com/cachscotland

Tanja Palfalusi lives near Heidelberg, Germany, where she works for an adult education institute. "Since earliest childhood my parents taught me to respect animals and to see them as sentient beings." She and her husband support Drakenstein Lions and adopted Brutus (in pic) who lives at the sanctuary for captive born predators. The couple have volunteered at the sanctuary, and they actively support their local animal charity initiatives.
http://www.cannedlion.org/germany.html

Ronnie and Trish Board. Ronnie is a tax accountant and Trish is an artist; they live in Wilderness, South Africa. "We are passionate about the well-being of all sentient beings, specifically those that cannot protect themselves against the callousness of man. We abhor the senseless activities that have encroached into all societies; in particular, the crass commercialism of our precious wildlife in Africa."

Donalea Patman of Melbourne, Australia, says that her life's most defining moments have always involved animals. Even as a small girl she can remember telling her father and a friend that riding turtles was “interfering with nature!” An active, highly successful advocate for wildlife, she founded For the Love of Wildlife, working with the Australian Government to ban all trophy imports.
www.fortheloveofwildlife.org.au

David Nash is based in Edinburgh, Scotland. A semi-retired lawyer and specialist in public procurement and legislation, he first heard about canned lion hunting at a protest march and was appalled. This led him to CACH and drew him to lion advocacy. David’s wife Marysia is involved in a community project near Port Elizabeth; they visit South Africa regularly.
http://www.cannedlion.org/scotland.html

CJ and Luis Munoz are from Madrid. When they discovered two starved, stressed lion cubs being used for tourist petting in Alicante, they leapt into action. Today, the two cubs, George and Yame, (one cub here with CJ) are fully grown and have a secure home in Kevin Richardson's lion sanctuary near Pretoria. The couple works tirelessly to highlight the silent tragedy that is canned hunting in South Africa. www.facebook.com/Chelui4lions-646678988701616/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQN7LHzaEl4

Edward Bourke is CACH's youngest member. Shocked by the rapidly declining number of wild lions in Africa, and equally by dismayed by the growing number of canned (farmed) lions in South Africa, he set up an organisation called Saving the Lion in order to raise awareness for the plight of wild lions.
www.savingthelion.org

Daniela Luescher is a graphic designer in Switzerland, and first travelled to Africa in 2002 where she fell in love with Africa's wilderness and wildlife. Her love for animals began as a child, and she currently practises energy therapy on animals and has supported various animal NGOs such as Lionsrock Sanctuary. She has a blog sharing her travels and adventures in Africa, called Hello Africa.
www.helloafrica.ch.

... AND SOME OF OUR MANY FRIENDS

Richard Peirce is a committed wildlife conservationist working on various projects to help conserve specific species. Part of the royalties for his book 'Cuddle Me, Kill Me', a must-read for lion advocates, are donated to the Born Free Foundation. His work ‘Dangerous Illusions’ will be a ground breaking study of the effectiveness of the global wildlife community, examining whether, and to what degree, conservation NGOs could be part of the problem they try to resolve. www.peirceshark.org

Karl Ammann is one of the world's top environmental journalists. He received the prestigious Dolly Green Award for Artistic Achievement at the Genesis Awards in 1997. "I came to Africa some 30 years ago, for the wide open spaces, the untouched wilderness, the variety of its people and its general mystique. Lately, I find key eco-systems and species being destroyed, degraded, over-commercialised and exploited." https://karlammann.ch/ammann/deutsch http://www.karlammann.com/

Kevin Richardson is one of South Africa's most outspoken and committed lion advocates. Known as The Lion Whisperer, Richardson owner-runs a predator sanctuary near Johannesburg. The sanctuary's aims include opening doors for new opportunities to continue conservation efforts through wildlife film-making, a volunteer programme, and the K R Foundation.
http://www.lionwhisperer.co.za/ https://www.youtube.com/user/LionWhispererTV
https://www.instagram.com/lionwhisperersa/

UK Artist Susan Hone-Brookes takes inspiration from nature's elements to create her works. Her unique abstract paintings are offered for sale and each work of art sold will help support lion conservation. Susan was pictured here with Vayetse at Kevin Richardson's lion sanctuary in South Africa, where she was recently a volunteer.
http://www.art4lions.com

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