In celebration of #WorldLionDay, I've compiled some photographs of my top five most memorable lion encounters from several different safaris I've taken in South Africa, Namibia, and Tanzania.

Though Cecil's death has stirred some very interesting debates about the sport and canned hunting industries, I'd rather take some time today to highlight the people and organizations that are doing really great work towards ensuring big cat populations remain sustainable across the globe. So thank you Panthera, African Parks, Ewaso Lions, Ruaha Carnivore Project, and the African Wildlife Foundation for all the great work that you do!