South Africa’s commercial lion breeding industry does not benefit Africa’s iconic wild lions, according to new research by Blood Lions and World Animal Protection. 

This finding may have vital implications for the future of lion farming in South Africa – an industry that has been allowed to grow over the past three decades to around 350 captive facilities holding nearly 8,000 lions and thousands of other big cats for tourist entertainment and profit.

Researchers from Blood Lions and World Animal Protection reviewed 126 peer-reviewed articles and 37 public reports published between 2008-2023. Their analysis identified several red flags suggesting that lion farming may harm wild lion populations by accelerating – and potentially facilitating – commercial demand for lions and their body parts, including bones, claws and teeth.

The review also highlights key knowledge gaps that must be addressed to better understand the wider implications of the captive lion industry. Recommended areas for future research include: consumer preferences for lion products sourced from either captive or wild populations, supply and demand interactions relating to captive lion products, economic comparisons between farmed and wild lion products, the genetics and genetic health of captive lion populations, and the extent of illegal activity taking place between Africa and destination countries in Southeast Asia.

Currently, there is no scientific evidence to substantiate industry claims that commercial captive lion breeding protects wild lion populations. On the contrary, the findings suggest it may be driving demand with potentially damaging consequences for the species in the wild.

Contributing researcher and Director of Blood Lion Dr Louise de Waal said: “We need to err on the side of caution globally, but in particular in African lion range states, to stop facilitating the further emergence of commercial captive predator breeding and trade. This is particularly relevant when considering the increased wildlife trafficking opportunities between the African continent and Southeast Asia, fuelled in part by the expansion of the Belt and Road Initiative^[1] – a global infrastructure development strategy by the Chinese government.”

In May 2021, former Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Barbara Creecy, initiated a process to ultimately close South Africa’s commercial captive lion industry with all its associated activities, such as cub petting, walking with lions, and “canned” or captive trophy hunting.

This decision followed the release of the High-Level Panel report, which found that, among others, the captive lion breeding industry damages South Africa’s eco-tourism and conservation reputations, lacks the necessary transformation, and is widely accused of animal welfare neglect and abuse.

In its 2018 Non-Detriment Finding Assessment for African lions, the Scientific Authority of South Africa concluded that exporting captive-bred lion trophies, live captive-bred lions for zoological or breeding purposes, and/or trading lion skeletons from the captive population did not negatively impact South Africa’s wild lion population. While wild lion populations in South Africa are currently considered stable, this new research shows that using captive breeding as a tool to meet the demand for lion commodities  may pose potentially detrimental effects on already vulnerable lion populations and other big cat species across other range states.

Dr Angie Elwin, contributing researcher and Head of Research at World Animal Protection added: “Our review finds no clear evidence that South Africa’s captive lion breeding industry benefits wild lion populations, and growing indications it could be doing harm by fuelling demand for lion parts. Given the precarious status of lions globally, any claims of conservation value should be treated with extreme caution. Lessons from tiger farming show that legal trade from captive animals has failed to protect wild populations and may even accelerate their decline. We risk repeating the same mistake with lions.”

These new research findings are highly relevant for the current political process and should urge Minister Dr. Dion George (Department of  Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment) to take two critical next steps: first, to impose an immediate moratorium on the breeding of lions in captivity, and second, to develop a structured and timebound phase-out plan for the broader commercial predator industry.

Find a PDF version of the full peer-reviewed research paper HERE.

^[1] Hughes, A.C. Understanding and minimizing environmental impacts of the Belt and Road Initiative. Conserv. Biol. 2019, 33, 883–894.