29 July 2020 – Blood Lions

PRESS RELEASE: World Tiger Day – South Africa breeds lions and tigers for traditional medicine

29 July 2020

In support of World Tiger Day (29 July), Blood Lions puts the focus on the international trade in tiger body parts and makes the link to South Africa’s legal lion bone trade, in their latest campaign movement. Since 2008, nearly 7,000 lion skeletons weighing a total of around 70 tonnes have been exported from South Africa to South East Asia for use in traditional Asian medicine practices.

This trade in lion bones is “supplementing and feeding the demand for tiger bones with a cheaper supply, against which criminal networks are making significant profits. The lion bone trade is keeping the desirability and demand for tiger very much alive, which is a huge problem for tiger conservation”, says Debbie Banks (Campaign Leader for Tigers and Wildlife Crime – Environmental Investigation Agency).

Since the beginning of the 20^th Century, 95% of the world’s wild tiger population has disappeared and this magnificent big cat is now highly endangered. With fewer than 4,000 tigers left in the wild, every conservation effort protecting these apex predators in their natural habitat needs global support to avoid extinction.

“Almost every part of the tiger has a value in the marketplace. The skin is used in home décor, bones are used in Traditional Chinese Medicine to treat rheumatism or arthritis and to make tiger bone wine. Bones are also used to make bracelets, tiger teeth and claws to make expensive jewellery set in silver and gold with gems, and their meat is consumed as a delicacy”, says Banks.

South Africa is one of the few countries in Africa that allows the intensive captive breeding and keeping of lions and other big cats for commercial purposes. In more than 350 facilities big cats, including lions, cheetahs, leopards, caracals, servals, and many exotic species, such as tigers, jaguars, pumas, and even ligers (a crossbreed between lions and tigers), are bred and kept in mostly substandard conditions.

“We believe that there are now an estimated 60 breeding facilities in South Africa holding 1,000-1,500 tigers – an endangered predator that receives no protection under South Africa’s conservation legislation”, says Dr Louise de Waal (Campaign Manager – Blood Lions).

“Many of these tigers are, like their African cousins, slaughtered for their body parts, (illegally) exported often in consignments labelled as lion bones, or sold legally through CITES as live animals to South East Asia with no clear insight in their final destination or fate.”

Blood Lions is calling on the Minister of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries, Ms Barbara Creecy, to set a zero CITES export quota for lion body parts and to destroy all bone stockpiles, to ensure among others the conservation of the last remaining wild tigers. “We can’t turn a blind eye to the damage South Africa’s legal lion bone trade inflicts on the conservation efforts of the last remaining tigers in the wild”, says de Waal.

Watch this short film for more information:

More information:

Contact: Dr Louise de Waal
Email: management@bloodlions.org
Blood Lions is an award-winning documentary feature film and campaign that blows the lid off claims made by the predator breeding and canned hunting industries in South Africa.
Blood Lions website: www.bloodlions.org

South Africa breeds lions and tigers for traditional medicine

This is an excerpt from an article written by Louise de Waal and published online by The South African on 29 July, 2020

In support of World Tiger Day on 29 July, Blood Lions puts the focus on the international trade in tiger body parts and makes the link to South Africa’s legal lion bone trade, in their latest campaign movement.

Since 2008, nearly 7,000 lion skeletons weighing a total of around 70 tonnes have been exported from South Africa to South East Asia for use in traditional Asian medicine practices.

This trade in lion bones is “supplementing and feeding the demand for tiger bones with a cheaper supply, against which criminal networks are making significant profits. The lion bone trade is keeping the desirability and demand for tiger very much alive, which is a huge problem for tiger conservation,” says Debbie Banks, Campaign Leader for Tigers and Wildlife Crime – Environmental Investigation Agency.

Miracle cures and bling – How SA is killing the world’s last living wild tigers

This is an excerpt from an article written by Nica Richards and published by The Citizen on 29 July, 2020

South Africa’s lion bone export quotas make it easy to trade tiger parts and bones destined for Asian markets, putting further pressure on the last remaining wild tigers.

There are fewer than 4,000 tigers left in the wild, 95% fewer than there were since the start of the 20th Century.

Every indication points to this number dwindling fast, giving animal rights organisations very little time to save wild tigers from extinction.

If tigers become extinct, the blame rests squarely on the shoulders of human beings. At this rate, there may not be many World Tiger Day celebrations left.

The sinister business of breeding and trading tigers has been a serious concern for animal rights groups for many years. Despite this, these illegal activities still take place throughout South Africa, with many citizens boasting about owning a tiger cub in their backyard.

International Tiger Day: Still no protection for these majestic cats under SA law

This is an excerpt from an article written by Mike Cadman and published online by IOL on 29 July, 2020.

Today (Wednesday 29 July) is International Tiger Day, an event designed to raise awareness to the dire circumstances facing the world’s largest cat. There are fewer than 4000 tigers left in the wild and they now are found in only about four percent of their original range.

The last thing these endangered creatures need is more threats to their existence but unfortunately the South African government’s policies on the captive breeding of tigers and lions amounts to just that – a major conservation problem which is contributing to the plight of wild tigers in Asia.

According to several South African based NGO’s there are between 1000 – 1500 tigers held, often alongside lions, leopards, jaguars and other cats, in at least 60 breeding facilities around the country. There are between 8 000 – 12 000 lions held in captivity in South Africa.

“Although, as most people know tigers are not indigenous to South Africa, they are bred here for live export top zoos elsewhere in the world, for their skins and even for their bones which are used in traditional Eastern medicine,” Blood Lions, one of several organizations campaigning against the continued captive breeding and trade in big cats.

Update: the most recent statistics by the World Animal Foundation show an increase in tiger numbers as of 2023 with 5,574 tigers believed to be living in the wild.