Multi-award winning cake artist, Dot Klerck, partnered with Animal Welfare Organisation FOUR PAWS to ignite the launch of the organisation’s new #RiseUpAndRoar awareness campaign against the trade and hunting of lions: Together, we can “Kill the trade, not the species”.

Working for more than 400hrs over the last 5 weeks, Dot and her assistant Elmarie Louw, created a cake masterpiece capturing a moment in time, straight out the Bushveld.

140kg of fondant, 100kg of chocolate, 80kg of modelling chocolate, 50kg of buttercream and 50 giant sheet cakes have gone into making this lifelike sculptured edible art piece.

Dot and Elmarie are very proud of their hard work and have enjoyed the public reactions after delivering the cake in the midst of a terrific gale-force wind and rain. It was revealed at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town this past Friday. “Delivering a cake of this size (4m x 5m) is probably the most challenging part of the whole 5 week process.” Dot emphasized “My hubby, Tobie is the real hero in this regard.”

This is not the first time Dot and Elmarie took on this mammoth task, last year they created a life size elephant with calf and the previous year a rhino. Dot specialises in large, life size realistic creations, her hope is that by creating this cake, it can make the plight of our lions a forefront concern that is taken seriously by the public and government.

Says Fiona Miles, Country Director of FOUR PAWS South Africa: “We are extremely thankful that Dot joined the cause. Our aim with this campaign is to get the public to #RiseUpAndRoar for the protection of our lions.”

With the campaign FOUR PAWS demands a world where lions are awarded the greatest possible protection in terms of keeping and trading.

FOUR PAWS is looking for 300 000 signatures to present to the South African authorities to ensure that during the 2019 CITES COP 18 Conference being held in Sri Lanka, members vote to provide the lion with the highest possible protection.