I am writing with a heartfelt thank you to all early supporters of the WORLD HERITAGE SPECIES initiative! I am inspired by the fact that we have come together for this mission in which I firmly believe. Your signatures and your sharing with your friends has given us a solid start. We are stewards of Cecil’s legacy to the survival of lions and other beloved creatures. The positive impact of a UN administered World Heritage Species Program would extend to other animals needing protection too. The purpose of this petition is to let UN/UNESCO know that the interest in the World Heritage Species Program is not limited to wildlife organizations and animal advocacy groups; it is a global call from the people of the world in general. We the citizens of this planet are concerned about the present state of our wildlife. We the citizens CARE. The international diversity of our petition signatories already spans the continents. I take this opportunity to introduce a very special signatory and supporter of this petition and the person who in many ways inspired my own interest into the idea of WORLD HERITAGE SPECIES program. Cecil the Lion holds a very special place in this person’s heart. In fact, I cannot think of anyone else who could know – and I truly mean “know” - Cecil better than Mr. Brent Stapelkamp. Mr. Stapelkamp is a lion researcher from the Oxford University Wildlife Conservation Research Unit at Hwange, Zimbabwe, Cecil the Lion’s home. Mr. Stapelkamp had “lived with” and researched Cecil for close to a decade. He was the last person who had contact with living Cecil as it was Mr. Stapelkamp himself who collared Cecil for the last time in October of last year. Mr. Stapelkamp is also the person who alerted authorities that something is amiss after he noticed that Cecil’s GPS collar stopped sending signals that dark day when Cecil’s murder was discovered. Featured in various interviews following Cecil’s death, and most notably in the ABC’s 20/20 “The Hunter and the Hunted”, Mr. Stapelkamp’s passion and dedication to lions is unsurpassed. Mr. Stapelkamp – a heartfelt thank you for being part of our growing group of WORLD HERITAGE SPECIES supporters. Dear WORLD HERITAGE SPECIES supporters: please keep sharing and exposing our petition! We need more people to become aware of the incredible potential of this amazing program. I myself am working in the background to the best of my ability to get the message out. Please do the same. Share, share, share. The program is worth attention. Let’s do this for the posterity - for the beautiful creatures that roam this planet, for Cecil, for his cubs and for our children. I end this note with a stunning photo of Cecil and lioness taken by Mr. Brent Stapelkamp himself. With gratitude! Daniela