HELD
CAPTIVE
A Photographic Exhibition
HELD CAPTIVE showcases a curated collection of visual narratives documenting South Africa’s commercial captive predator industry. It’s a compelling story bringing together issues of exploitation, the unethical nature and highly unsuitable conditions of keeping apex predators in captivity for human entertainment and financial gain. It also shows clear links between the South African predator industry and the tiger trade in Southeast Asia.
HELD CAPTIVE was first presented at the Inside Out Centre for the Arts in Forest Town, Johannesburg, alongside Roger Ballen‘s powerful The End Game installations in August 2025. The above lion with the ball & chain, part of Roger Ballen’s The End Game exhibition, provides an impactful illustration of the lions that are part of the wildlife industry in South Africa.
HELD CAPTIVE comes at a pivotal time, highlighting the urgent concerns regarding the future of South Africa’s captive lion industry. It presents a timely and vital opportunity for dialogue, urging Minister Dr Dion George (Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment) for more decisive action in the form of a moratorium on breeding and a structured and timebound phase-out of the broader commercial captive predator industry.
- All
- Lions
- Other Predators
- Welfare
- Entertainment
- Tiger trade Asia
- Storyboards
- Bios
Chained Desperation
A young lion, barely old enough to understand captivity, reaches desperately through the cold and rusted metal – licking the chains that bind him. This image is a visceral embodiment of Blood Lions’ aim, to expose the cruel exploitation of South Africa’s predator breeding industry.
Pippa Hankinson
The Last Look
Through a narrow slit of steel crate, a lion’s eye meets ours – silent, resigned, and unseen. This is the face of commercialisation and brutality of South Africa’s predator breeding and captive hunting industries. Crates replace savannas. Captivity replaces freedom. Apex predators destined for “canned” hunts, a breeding facility, or the bone trade. The journey ends the same: a life commodified.
Ian Michler
Born to Be Broken
Torn from their mothers within days of birth, these lion and tiger cubs are raised by humans to fuel a relentless breeding machine. Denied maternal care and confined to barren cages, they grow up for one purpose only: profit. This image is not one of innocence—it is the first chapter in a lifetime of exploitation.
Pippa Hankinson
Parched
On a scorching day, a cub searches for water that may never come. In a profit driven industry, even the most basic needs – clean water, proper food, shelter are routinely denied. But the neglect runs deeper. Stripped of their natural pride structure, these social animals are raised in isolation, deprived not just of care, but of identity.
Pippa Hankinson
Stripped
The soul of an apex predator lies in its instinct – to hunt, to roam, to rule its territory. But here, lions are reduced to lifeless assets, confined to barren enclosures with no shelter, no stimulation, no purpose. Deprived of everything that defines their true wild nature, they exist not as predators, but as products in a profit-driven trade.
Pippa Hankinson
Rarity Price Tag
In the wild, white lions are a genetic marvel – rare and revered, seen only in places like the Greater Timbavati. In captivity, however, their rarity becomes a deadly asset. Bred for their uniqueness, they are offered up for “canned” hunts, where wealthy clients pay for a guaranteed kill. Scarcity is no longer protected – it’s a price tag.
Pippa Hankinson
Alone Together
These youngsters don’t know what it means to have the care and safety of their mother and pride. They cling to one another – finding fragile solace in shared vulnerability. This brutal industry is devoid of empathy and safety is an illusion. Alone together, but never truly protected.
Pippa Hankinson
Continents Apart
As global pressure mounts to end South Africa’s captive lion industry, breeders pivot toward a new target: tigers. These non-native predators are now being exploited to feed a booming demand for tiger products in Southeast Asia. When one market closes, another opens, but the cycle of cruelty continues under a different stripe.
Louise de Waal
Engineered for Exploitation
In South Africa’s captive predator industry, even nature’s boundaries are no longer respected. Inbreeding is rampant, but cross-breeding takes the cruelty further. Ligers – unnatural hybrids of lions and tigers – are bred to grow abnormally large, often at the cost of chronic health problems.
Why? Their oversized skeletons fetch a higher price in the legal and illegal lion bone trade. Profit, reimagined as science.
Louise de Waal
Breaking Desperate for Freedom
Behind cold and rusting bars, this leopard’s natural instinct to roam is replaced with confinement. She pushes her head through the smallest gap, desperate to get out. Normally solitary in nature, she shares a cramped enclosure with two other leopards, vying for space and freedom. Should any creature built for the wild endure captivity for fleeting human amusement?
Stephanie Klarmann
Paying for uniqueness
A black leopard cub born behind bars because of its exquisite and unique coat. A rarity in nature. But highly sought after by collectors and trophy hunters. Bred specifically for its rosette covered black fur. A life behind bars. The price they pay for their uniqueness.
Louise de Waal
Caged Shadow
Perched behind mesh and wood, a serval’s natural grace is confined for spectators. He snarls and hisses as people approach, evoking giggles and snide comments, without realising the stress he must endure in a 3x3m enclosure. At what cost do we trade freedom for fascination?
Stephanie Klarmann