This is an excerpt from an article written by Sheree Bega and published online by Mail & Guardian on 2 December, 2021

A giraffe that was decapitated in 2014 when a transporting vehicle moving the animal to a game farm drove under a low bridge in Pretoria; captive lions found neglected and starving on a lion farm in Limpopo and a lion “abattoir” in the Free State to feed the lion bone trade.

These are some examples of legislative shortcomings where standards for domestic animals are applied across the whole range of wild animals, with “often dire results”, according to a 22 November report on animal welfare by a parliamentary research unit.

It describes how a June 2018 joint report by the Centre for Environmental Rights and the Endangered Wildlife Trust found that the existing regulatory environment is inadequate to manage proliferating commercial private wildlife facilities. 

South Africa has split the animal welfare mandate between the department of forestry, fisheries and the environment (DFFE) and the department of agriculture, land reform and rural development (DALRRD). 

But various reports, according to the parliamentary document, have highlighted the inability of these departments to work together to regulate norms and standards relating to the welfare of wildlife in captivity. 

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This is an excerpt from an article written by Sameer Naik and published online by Saturday Star and IOL on 27 November, 2021

Johannesburg – Global animal welfare organisation Four Paws have urged government to consider legislative changes to stop the commercial trade of all big cats in South Africa.

With South Africa remaining the biggest exporter of live big cats globally, and with widespread big cat farming taking place across the country, the global organisation is pressing for urgent legislative changes.

They want the SA Department for Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment to include all big cat species within the protective legislation it’s planning to implement for lions.

Most recently, Four Paws obtained shocking, unreleased footage, which has revealed widespread big cat farming across South Africa.

The footage documents and supports estimations as many as 12,000 lions, and an unknown number of tigers, are being intensively farmed in captive facilities across the country.

“While the Government’s Draft Policy Position to end the breeding and keeping of captive lions in South Africa for commercial purposes, is a hugely impactful step in the protection and conservation of the species, there is a pressing need to include all big cats within this protective legislation,” Fiona Miles, director of Four Paws in South Africa, told the Saturday Star this week.

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This is an excerpt from an article written by David Henning and published online by Getaway on 15 October, 2021

Blood Lions, along with other animal rights partner organisations, have sent out an open letter, along with a petition signed by more than 75 000 people, urging Minister of Environmental Affairs, Barbara Creecy, to plan for a ‘New Deal for People and WIldlife.’ The full press release is below.

‘Dear Honourable Minister Creecy and Dr Naicker,

NEW DEAL FOR PEOPLE AND WILDLIFE

As global citizens concerned about the fate of South Africa’s biodiversity and iconic wildlife, we write in support of your transformational draft Policy Position on the conservation and ecologically sustainable use of elephant, lion, leopard and rhinoceros and call on you to set ambitious and urgent time frames:

• To immediately halt the domestication and exploitation of lions, as well as implement the closure of captive lion facilities with due consideration for the welfare of the animals affected.
• To reverse the domestication and intensification of management of rhino.
• To prohibit ivory and rhino horn trade under current conditions
• To restrict ex-situ live export of the iconic species.
• To implement an increased wildness, naturalness and wellbeing of fauna focus.
• To adopt the One Welfare approach.
• To embrace a transformative African approach to conservation and ecologically sustainable use, consistent with Ubuntu.

These progressive and ambitious goals are supported not only by Humane Society International, World Animal Protection, Born Free Foundation, Blood Lions, and FOUR PAWS, but also by 75,504 global citizens, including at least 9,011 South African voices, who recognise that these goals are required to ensure a vibrant, inclusive transformation of the wildlife sector, rural socio-economic development and the safeguarding of our iconic species.

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This is an excerpt from an Open Letter written by Jay Naidoo and published online by Daily Maverick on 14 October, 2021

A response to a call by Environment Minister Barbara Creecy for public comment on her draft policy for the conservation and ecologically sustainable use of elephants, lions, leopards and rhinos.

‘Dear Minister Creecy,

Something very important is happening in our country. And it relates to our Constitution, which guarantees all South Africans a constitutional right to “ecologically sustainable development”. 

That word “ecological” is everything.

Having had the responsibility for South Africa’s Reconstruction and Development Programme as a minister in Nelson Mandela’s Cabinet, I speak from experience in appreciating that all development is ultimately unsustainable if it is not ecologically sustainable.

The new environmental position presented by you, Minister Creecy, is a lynchpin in turning around how we should look at economic development going into the future. I applaud the policy position that: “Communities living with wildlife are placed at the centre of our thinking, with a focus on enhancing human-wildlife coexistence.” 

That is where your policy holds the key, Honourable Minister.

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This is an excerpt from an article written and published online by SA People News on 14 October, 2021

A weighty 75,504 global citizens (including at least 9,011 voices from South Africa) are calling on Minister Barbara Creecy and her Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) to implement the New Deal for People and Wildlife, as outlined in the draft Policy Position on the conservation and ecologically sustainable use of elephant, lion, leopard and rhinoceros, without further delay.

On 2 May 2021, Minister Creecy announced her proposal to adopt the vision outlined in the High-Level Panel’s report and its associated goals and recommendations, including the courageous step towards bringing an end to the commercial captive lion industry in South Africa.

In a submission to an extended call for comments on the draft Policy Position document, thousands of South Africans, voices from the African continent and beyond expressed their collective concern about the fate of South Africa’s biodiversity and iconic wildlife, and their support for the visionary draft Policy Position that seeks to redefine South Africa’s relationship with its wildlife.

The public are now asking the Minister to follow through on her promises and set ambitious and urgent time frames for the forward-looking goals outlined in the policy document, including:

• To immediately halt the domestication and exploitation of lion, and the closure of captive lion facilities.
• To reverse the domestication and intensification of management of rhino.
• To prohibit ivory and rhino horn trade under current conditions.
• To restrict ex situ live export of the iconic species.
• To implement an increased wildness, naturalness and wellbeing of fauna focus.
• To adopt the One Welfare approach.
• To embrace a transformative African approach to conservation and ecologically sustainable use, consistent with Ubuntu.

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This is an excerpt from an article written and published online by SA People News on 03 October, 2021

Thirty captive lions on a private breeding farm in the Free State, South Africa, have had to be euthanised after the farm owner apparently left them suffering for days after wildfires had ravaged the area. Details issued by the Bloemfontein SPCA of the scene they discovered in the Glen/Brandfort district are harrowing and heartbreaking.

Unable to escape the blazing flames, the lions must have endured unimaginable pain and fear. The SPCA said it’s one of the worst things to happen to an animal and that this is one of the worst cases of animal cruelty they have ever witnessed.

The Bloemfontein SPCA was at the forefront during the recent wildfires to assist farmers with relieving horrifically injured animals from any further suffering. For days after the fires, the SPCA searched the area for injured animals.

It was whilst on-site at farms in the Glen district – where grazing and land were destroyed – that the SPCA came across the captive, breeding lion farm. Their suspicions were raised by the owner’s refusal to allow them to enter his land, even though blazing flames had “destroyed most of the farmland… especially the enclosures where the lions were kept”.

In a newsletter on Sunday evening, the SPCA alleged: “The owner knew the lions got injured by the fires. For 5 days they didn’t administer any medical treatment. We had no option, but to obtain a warrant to enter the property.

*WARNING – GRAPHIC IMAGES*

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This is an excerpt from an article written by Naledi Shange and published online by TimesLIVE on 01 October, 2021

Teachers at a daycare centre in Boksburg were shocked last week when, during outside playtime, they looked up and saw a white tiger watching them.

The tiger is neighbour’s pet and was seated on a jungle gym overlooking the crèche. Since then, playtime on that side of the crèche grounds has been stopped.

Speaking to TimesLIVE on Wednesday, the crèche owner — who asked for her name and that of the school to be withheld — said they had since learnt their neighbour had acquired two large white tigers. She has taken several pictures of the tigers from her premises.

Since spotting the animals, the crèche owners have had to cage in the children out of fear the tigers could jump over the fence.

“That fence is not high enough and the tigers will jump. If they don’t jump into our school, they will jump into our other neighbour’s house and, just across the road, there is an old age home. There are approximately four schools in this street so this is a danger to everyone living in the area,” the crèche owner said.

She said she told the children’s parents about the tigers and since then several children have stopped coming to school.

She has approached the owner of the tigers, wildlife organisations and the local councillor with the hope she can receive assistance. She said this has yielded no results because there is seemingly no legislation in place around keeping tigers. 

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This is an excerpt from an article written by Nica Richards and published online by The Citizen on 14 September, 2021

Conservationists and hunting associations are at loggerheads once again, this time over the appointment of a board member who is in support of the ‘ranch hunting’ of lions.

The Tourism Business Council of South Africa’s (TBCSA’s) recent appointment of a new board of non-executive directors has, according to conservation body Lion Coalition, the potential to bring South Africa’s already shaky tourism industry to its knees.

This is because one of the TBCSA’s new board members happens to be the Professional Hunters’ Association of South Africa (Phasa) former president, Dries van Coller.

This may not seem like a contentious issue to the ordinary citizen, but for conservationists, in lieu of Phasa’s stance on captive lion breeding and hunting (also known as canned hunting), this decision does not sit well.

The Lion Coalition’s is appealing to the TBCSA to reconsider its appointment of van Coller to the board, as the council serves as “a key conduit between the public and private tourism sectors in South Africa and brings a fragmented private sector under the TBCSA umbrella.”

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This is an excerpt from an article written by Corne van Zyl and published online by The South African on 26 August, 2021

The NSPCA uncovered shocking conditions at a lion breeding farm in the Free State in including more than a dozen dead lions in a freezer.

The National Council of SPCAs (NSPCA) recently uncovered shocking conditions at a lion breeding farm in the Free State, including 13 lion carcasses discovered in a locked freezer container. The lion carcasses were stored together with the lion food supply.

THERE IS SPECULATION THAT THE LIONS DID NOT DIE OF NATURAL CAUSES

“Due to existing animal welfare concerns found at the lion breeding farm, the NSPCA’s concern over the lion carcasses is not only based on how these lions were kept while alive but also, how they died.”

The NSPCA said it has reasonable cause to believe the deaths were not natural.

“Due to their suspicions, 7 of the 13 carcasses were seized in terms of our warrant conditions and were sent for full post-mortem analysis and report.”

NSPCA said a joint inspection initiated by the NSPCA with the Environmental Management Inspectors from DESTEA was carried out earlier this month on a lion breeding farm in the Free State Province.

“The inspection carried out matched that of an old familiar scene NSPCA Inspectors are familiar with regarding lion farming.”

Blood Lions, which has campaigned to end ‘canned hunting’ and exploitative breeding of lions, said these findings are harrowing and a strong reminder that the process to end this sinister industry in South Africa needs to keep pushing forward.

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This is an excerpt from an article written by David Henning and published online by Getaway on 23 August, 2021

The African lion is an iconic species, making it a major attraction for tourists visiting South Africa’s shores. Their status, however, gives them a high commercial value where they are held in captivity and intensively bred.

A joint inspection on 3 August 2021 on a lion breeding farm in the Free State revealed numerous contraventions in terms of the animal protection act, including 13 lion carcasses in a freezer, the NSPCA reports.

They did not name the farm.

The inspection was conducted by the NSPCA with the environmental manager inspectors from the Department of Small Business Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs (DESTEA), revealing the following contraventions of the animal protection act:

• Four lions were found with various physical and/or other health conditions of which no veterinary treatment and care had been procured for the animals;
• Ten lions did not have access to drinking water at all;
• Seventeen lions had access to unhygienic drinking water;
• Several enclosures housing lions were found in an unhygienic state with an accumulation of fresh and calcified faeces as well as decomposing food and bones;
• Several animals did not have access to shelter to protect them from inclement weather conditions;
• Several lions were kept in overcrowded conditions;
• Several lions were infested with external parasites;
• Thirteen lion carcasses were discovered within a locked freezer container. The lion carcasses were stored together with the lion food supply; and
• The freezer container was found in an unhygienic state with blood and old rotten meat on the floor.

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