DALLAS (WBAP/KLIF) – Close to 40,000 hunting enthusiasts are expected to visit the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas this weekend for the Dallas Safari Club’s annual convention.
The convention will highlight a historic conservation effort amid a weekend full of seminars and events. “Twenty Four Lions” is the largest move and release of wild lions across an international border in history, aims to completely balance 2.5 M acre ecosystem. The Cabela Family Foundation, along with wildlife experts, has released 24 wild lions into the Zambeze Delta of Mozambique, the largest conservation transport of wild lions across an international boundary in history.
On August 5, a coalition of partners, including the Cabela Family Foundation, Ivan Carter Wildlife Alliance, Zambeze Delta Safaris and Marromeu Safaris, released five lions in remote regions of a 4,500 square kilometer Zambeze Delta area of Mozambique called Coutada 10 and Coutada 11. The remaining 19 lions will be released on August 11 and August 14. Through dedicated anti-poaching efforts and sound conservation practices over the past 24 years many other species of ungulates once again flourish to the incredible numbers the delta holds today. 
“A hundred years ago, there were over 200,000 wild lions living in Africa. Today, leading researchers estimate the population to be 20,000 or less, with lions now extinct in 26 African countries,” Dan Cabela, director of Twenty Four Lions and chair of the Cabela Family Foundation, said. “It’s been a privilege to participate in this effort with our outstanding partners. We look forward to realizing the full potential of the ecosystem becoming balanced again.”
Cabela will speak at this weekend’s convention which will also feature nearly 1,000 vendors at the annual expo.
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