Cape Town, 19 September 2019 – Nu Metro Cinemas today (Thursday, 19 September 2019) donated over R50 000 to the FOUR PAWS Animal Welfare Foundation at their Canal Walk cineplex in Cape Town - to “Rise Up and Roar” for one of the 21st century’s most important conservation causes. A donation drive was launched in July, whereby cinemagoers were given an opportunity to donate R5 as part of their Nu Metro movie ticket purchases online and in-cinema to raise funds aimed at saving South Africa’s lions.

“Nu Metro Cinemas is honored to donate over R50 000 to FOUR PAWS, with a special thanks to the thousands of cinemagoers who contributed R5 to their movie ticket purchases at our cinemas across South Africa. The phenomenal response from public exceeded our wildest expectations and proved that they care, as much as we do, about the future of our animals and the environment,” says Chantelle Burrows, Nu Metro Cinemas: Marketing & Content Executive.

“As FOUR PAWS’ conservation efforts rely solely on donations, we sincerely hope that our fundraising drive assisted in creating a better world for our big cats. Nu Metro is proud to have been a fundraising partner through our entertainment experiences and marketing platforms for this very important cause relevant to all human beings; we will continue to support the wonderful work done by organisations such as FOUR PAWS – making the world a better place for our children, and their children’s children. See you at the movies!” says Burrows.

“It has been a remarkable journey with the Nu Metro group; not only raising funds for our project, LIONSROCK big cat sanctuary, but also allowing us to raise awareness. In this partnership lies an invaluable exposure that we as an organisation rely on to not only tell the stories about our animals but to educate South Africans about the ongoing plight of South Africa’s lions,” says Fiona Miles, director of FOUR PAWS in South Africa.

“It was an absolute dream working with the remarkable team of Nu Metro, who ensured the smooth sailing of our partnership throughout the past few months. We are extremely thankful for the very generous support from the team and look forward to continuing this relationship for many years to come, by having a close ally to constantly raise awareness for South Africa’s lions who continue to be under siege,” says Miles.

With over 100 big cats in the care of FOUR PAWS at LIONSROCK, they constantly look at ways to ensure the longevity of this project through donation-support. These big cats consume almost 3,500kg meat per week, regular vet checks are done, maintenance to security and enclosures are required and further development of the sanctuary must be done in order to accommodate rescued animals.