Saddened by the death of Cecil the lion, Brand ambassador Cara Delevingne decided to auction on eBay her personal TAG Heuer Signature Edition watch, raising 9300 £ (CHF 14’250 / EUR 13’150 / USD 14’430) for WildCRU.org, the research unit with the scientists of the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit who are working on the future of wild lions in Africa and who has studied Cecil since 2008. 

TAG Heuer matched the winning bid to raise a combined $ 28’900 (CHF28’500/EUR26’300) for the charity.

Previously worn by Delevingne on many occasions, including the Monaco F1 Grand Prix, Delevingne auctioned her personal special edition TAG Heuer Carrera watch ahead of its release on the market in September. The case is made of steel -black titanium carbide coated- with a 41 mm diameter and set with 72 Wesselton white diamonds. It is engraved with “Cara Delevingne Edition” and stamped on the back with a lion’s head. The strap is aged black calfskin. The deployant buckle is titanium with Tag Heuer engraving. The signature of Cara Delevingne is stamped in rose gold inside the strap. 

Born under the Leo star sign, Delevingne has always been passionate about lions, evident through her iconic lion tattoo on her finger. TAG Heuer and Delevingne initiated the auction to support WildCru.org, a conservancy in Africa that strives to protect wild lions from poachers. WildCru.org is the organization that tracked Cecil the Lion for six years before his untimely death and is dedicated to preserving the wild lion population. The donation will contribute to the organization’s in-depth study of lion movements through satellite trackers, support of field equipment and staff, and training future conservationists. TAG Heuer and Delevigne hope to raise awareness of wildlife conservation and highlight the important work undertaken by WildCru.org. 

About WILDCRU.ORG

At the WildCRU, in the Recanati-Kaplan Centre at Oxford, we are studying lions in various parts of Africa to uncover the science that will inform and underpin their conservation. This is urgent, because lion numbers are precariously low, estimated at fewer than 30,000 across the continent and we have evidence that there are actually fewer. We have worked on the lions of Hwange National Park, with the support and collaboration of the excellent Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority. Our goal is to understand the threats that lions face, and to use cutting-edge science to develop solutions to those threats. Our work is scientific, we have satellite-tracked the movements of over a hundred lions and monitored every detail of the lives of more than 500 individuals, but WildCRU’s work is also highly practical – we run a courageous anti-poaching team, a local conservation theatre group, and education campaign that gets information into every school in the district, and we work with local farmers to help them live alongside lions and improve their livelihoods. For more information about WildCRU’s work please visit www.WildCRU.org.