Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/769056
S P O R T I N G C L A S S I C S • 161 every one of these challenges valiantly and without serious danger to their overall populations. Who could have ever foreseen that a box of pesticide could become the greatest risk to their survival?" he says, referring to the pesticide Furadan, which has been used with deadly success to poison lions and other wildlife in areas where local farmers see wild animals as a threat to their livelihood. Banovich is currently working on plans for a museum tour specifically featuring lions. "I would like to get the conversation moving in a meaningful direction," he says. "The lion has become such a controversial animal that what should be a subdued, well thought-out, and meaningful conversation on the best way to conserve these beasts, turns into a shouting match with headline grabbing one-liners and hate spewed back-and-forth. It never gets us anywhere." The tour, set to start at the Nevada Musuem of Art in January of 2019, is aptly titled "King of Beasts: A Study of African Lions by John Banovich." Banovich, who has given so much of himself to the lion, hopes to inject a sense of urgency into the conversation and get people talking about sustainable, long-term solutions to the lion's survival. "If Africa loses the lion, it loses so much more than a great cat— it loses it's soul." Banovich's goal is to portray the African lion as we have seen it throughout history—from B.C. up to modern times and then projecting what it may look like in the future. "I would like to pose the question of how do humans live with big beasts—in particular big beasts that can and do eat humans from time to time. What kind of place does that kind of beast have?" The tour will feature at least 35 original Banovich pieces, taxidermy, historical artifacts, photographs, as well as artwork depicting the lion throughout human history. "The plan," Banovich says, "is to take the viewers on a great journey with the African lion." At the risk of over-anthropomorphizing the lion, it only takes a quick glance at a few of his pieces to see why the world has always been so fascinated by these animals. He captures moments in their lives that are very real to life, yet impossible not to identify with. In his painting, A Mother's Wish—Long May He Reign, we see the tenderness of a proud mother. In Game of Lions, we can almost feel the courage of soldiers rushing into battle. In Man Eaters of Tsavo, murder, rage, and the horror it instills. In It's a Jungle Out There, our need and ability to take calculated risks. In Somewhere Between Cubs & Killers, we see the importance of family and the desire to stick together. These are but a tiny peek into the scope of Banovich's work on lions. But they offer a glimpse of why they have consumed so much of his efforts. "If I had to put a number on it, I would say that over the course of more than forty trips to Africa I have studied more than 5,000 lions," Banovich says. "And every time I see a lion—any lion—it is like I am seeing an old friend. At the same time, it's also as if I am seeing this magnificent creature for the first time." B anovich has clearly been drawn to Africa, and in particular, the lion, for the most intimate reasons. And, like any outdoor enthusiast who cares about what happens to the animals he loves, he not only worries about the lion's fate, but has put his love and passion for them into action through Banovich Wildscapes Foundation. While the Foundation benefits many different species, the lion has, like in Banovich's work and life, been the focus of many Wildscapes projects. "The lion is like the canary in a coal mine," he says. "When their numbers drop, it shows that something bigger is wrong with the environment. Because lions live in prides—because they live in family units—they face many challenges and have to deal with so much more when the landscape changes. "Throughout most of their history, they have withstood nearly