South African NGOs launch awareness campaign ahead of World Lion Day calling for an end to the commercial captive lion industry in South Africa.
“You’re killing them softly” ― a powerful message released for World Lion Day (10 August) by South African NGOs campaigning to bring an expedient end to the commercial captive lion industry in South Africa, a significant move pledged by the South Africa government in 2021.
The “You’re killing them softly” campaign brings awareness to the fact that any visitor or volunteer paying to play, bottle feed, and/or hand-raise captive-bred predator cubs, use them as photo props, or merely visit predator parks, is fuelling South Africa’s cruel commercial captive predator breeding – and killing – industry.
National and international animal welfare and conservation organisations – Blood Lions, FOUR PAWS South Africa, Humane Society International/Africa, and Voice4Lions – have come together as one unified voice this World Lion Day.
“However well-intentioned people’s actions are, these cubs are not orphans, they have no conservation value, they are purely bred to feed an unethical and insidious industry that commodifies these predators,” the group states.
Lions and many other predators are bred solely for commercial purposes, such as cub petting, walking with predators, voluntourism, “canned” or captive trophy hunting, the live trade, and trade in their bones, parts and derivatives.
The dignity of our iconic species has been replaced by the commodification of captive lions and other predators at every stage of their lives. Currently, at least 8,000 lions and thousands of other big cats, including many tigers and cheetahs, are bred and kept at approximately 350 lion farms in South Africa.
World Lion Day 2024 comes at a significant time for South Africans as we have entered a new Government of National Unity. Across the world, the public and NGOs are appealing to governments to consider the importance of environmental issues in their policies and legislation.
The commercial captive lion industry is one such pressing issue that has garnered substantial attention, leading to a Parliamentary Colloquium in 2018, the formation of the High-Level Panel and subsequent Ministerial Task Team under ex-Minister Barbara Creecy’s leadership. This process led to the commitment of the government to take steps to ultimately close South Africa’s commercial captive lion industry.
“We acknowledge the significant progress achieved and marked by the recently approved report of the Ministerial Task Team on voluntary exit options and the policy position on the conservation of elephants, lions, leopards, and rhinoceroses in South Africa. However, we urge the Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment (DFFE) to publish a detailed implementation plan with time-bound goals,” the coalition of NGOs say.
“There is hope to end this cruel and rampant industry and we commend the Cabinet for their commitment. This move will ensure that these majestic animals are no longer bred to suffer for profit. However, we urge the government to ensure the well-being of other predators by extending the ban to all captive big cats and prohibit their ownership as pets and playthings.”
Together, Blood Lions, FOUR PAWS South Africa, Humane Society International/Africa, and Voice4Lions continue to raise vital awareness amongst the public that we are all capable of pushing for meaningful change and ending the exploitation of one of South Africa’s most iconic species.
The public can make their voices heard by signing theBig Cats SA petitionto help urge the DFFE to introduce legislation that prohibits keeping tigers, lions, other big cat species and predators as pets. This legislation should include banning public contact with all big cat species and predators, not just lions, including keeping such species for promotional, educational or entertainment purposes, and interactive experiences like cub petting and walking with big cats. Sign hsi.org/bigcatssa.
Remember, our actions and choices have far-reaching consequences. Let us all work together on World Lion Day to end harmful captive breeding industries and to stop killing them softly.
Ministerial report supports the ultimate closure of the captive lion industry in South Africa
After extensive stakeholder engagement, a panel of experts developed a set of voluntary exit options from the captive lion industry, while acknowledging that voluntary exit should only be the first step in the longer-term government objectives of ultimately closing the commercial captive lion industry in South Africa.
Today, the Ministerial Task Team (MTT) final report was made public by Minister Creecy of the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) after the MTT recommendations were approved by Cabinet at the end of March 2024. Subsequent to the Cabinet approved High-Level Panel recommendations in 2021 to close the commercial captive lion breeding industry, the Minister appointed a panel of experts in December 2022 to propose voluntary exit options for South Africa’s captive lion industry with win-win solutions.
A national audit of the captive lion industry undertaken by the MTT showed that South Africa has an estimated 7,838 lions in 342 facilities, plus at least 2,315 other captive carnivores with 626 tigers and numerous cheetahs, caracals and servals (although this is based on incomplete data). This industry has been allowed to grow to this extent since the early 1990’s with a patchwork of national and provincial legislation and regulations.
A number of potential voluntary exit options were developed for lion owners to opt out from the commercial captive lion industry, using SWOT analysis to assess their feasibility and looking at for example practicability and closure time frame. This process led to eight viable ways to exit the industry on a voluntary basis (see text box below) while for example rejecting the rewilding of captive and captive-bred lions as an exit option based on its plethora of weaknesses and threats. The report states that “there is no conservation requirement to rewild captive and/or captive-bred lions because there is a surplus of metapopulation lions in South Africa”.
The unintended consequences resulting from the voluntary exit options have also been identified. One particularly worrying outcome is the indisputable potential shift of commercial trade towards other indigenous and non-indigenous predators, like tigers, cheetahs and leopards, a trend that Blood Lions and World Animal Protection already identified in their research on the industry. The large number of other carnivores currently held in the commercial captive predator industry (see above data) shows that this unintended consequence is indeed already a reality.
The MTT report outlines how these voluntary exit options can be used as building blocks to create a variety of exit strategies to suit a wide range of individual circumstances. The entire process was underpinned by socio-economic impacts, particularly on vulnerable workers, while prioritising the well-being of the captive lions involved in the voluntary exit.
The report estimates the number of employees in the captive lion industry nationally to be between 1,568 and 2,069 people. However, only two provinces were able to provide employment data (North West and Limpopo), hence this is most likely an overestimate, as these two provinces together with the Free State are the main provinces involved in the captive lion industry.
Two mandatory prerequisites preceding any voluntary exit option, or combination of, are a quality-of-life assessment to identify any compromised lions and the subsequent humane euthanasia of such animals, as well as the sterilisation of all lions to halt the growth of the captive lion population. Furthermore, contractual arrangements need to be put in place to prevent the purchasing of new lions and re-entry into the industry.
It is encouraging to see that even the less attractive options, such as trade out, come with strict conditions like a phase-out period of preferably no longer than two years, and activities such as cub petting and international trade in live lions are prohibited. Animal welfare needs to be guaranteed during the phase-out period by implementing the robust protocols and the best practice guidelines for the keeping of African lions in controlled environments developed by the panel. The MTT recognises animal sentience and has used Mellor’s Five Domains Model for animal welfare as a guiding principle to develop euthanasia, transport, carcass disposal and population control protocols.
The regulatory provincial audit confirmed many of the High-Level Panel’s findings, such as the concurrent provincial and national legislation that leads to a complex regulatory landscape contributing to inconsistencies and challenges in managing the captive lion industry. Enforcement and compliance remain a challenge with non-compliance issues primarily revolving around expired permits or failure to adhere to permit conditions. Inconsistencies in TOPS permit issuance, inadequate record-keeping, and concerns related to animal welfare and carcass disposal were some of the other common findings, whereas enforcement actions are still grievously lacking.
The fiscal imbalance in the industry is an interesting new perspective. The MTT estimates that compliance inspection cost to be around ZAR 7,000 per facility, excluding travel and other indirect expenses related to inspections. When comparing the revenue generated from permit issuance to the actual expenses incurred for compliance services, it shows a huge shortfall. The MTT argues that the insufficient permit costs shift expenses associated with monitoring and compliance of the industry to the already constrained conservation budgets in the provincial departments.
The national audit also identified lion bone stockpile estimates of 2,888 whole carcasses, 275 skeletons (no skull), 636 skulls, 765 kg of bones and 292 whole skins. One of the recommendations outlined in the report deals with this large quantity of lion bones and parts and suggests that the government buys up all stockpiles for mass-incineration. The panel states they have raised funding and support for this initiative, as there is no government financial support available. This would not only prevent the illegal export of lion bones but would also send a strong and positive message to the world about South Africa’s commitment to ending the captive lion industry.
Dr Neil D’Cruze, Head of Wildlife Research at World Animal Protection said: “World Animal Protection has been calling for a mandatory end to lion farming due to the cruelty and criminality involved and, in this regard the report makes some great strides forward. In particular, this recommendation for the mass-incineration of lion bone stockpiles is of great relief given concerns that a reintroduction of lion bone exports would risk stimulating demand among Asian consumers and act as a cover for illegally sourced lion parts. However, the opportunity for lion farmers to legally provide canned hunts and trade lion bones domestically during the phase out window underscores the need for urgent action.
Dr Louise de Waal, Director at Blood Lions said: The release of the MTT report and the publication of the Policy Position Paper are important steps towards the closure of the captive lion industry. However, both documents urgently need to be implemented with actual timelines for a staged approach to put an end to these unethical and cruel practices. With the upcoming elections, we are hugely concerned that a change in Minister will impede these processes, so we need to continue to put pressure on the DFFE to follow through on their promise to stop the domestication and exploitation of our iconic species.
Voluntary Exit Options:
The following voluntary exit options were identified by the MTT that can be used as building blocks to create a variety of voluntary exit strategies to suit a wide range of circumstances:
Mandatory Prerequisites:
A. Humane euthanasia of compromised lions
B. Population control preferably by surgical sterilisation
Most Viable Voluntary Exit Options Involving Live Captive and/or Captive-bred Lions in Order of Priority:
1) Humane euthanasia of all lions and permanent exit from the industry
2) Phase out through trade opportunities for a period of 24 months
3) Surrender of lions to lion safe havens
Less Viable Voluntary Exit Options Involving Live Captive and/or Captive-bred Lions:
4) Surrender of lions to authorities
5) Repurposing of an existing facility to a lion safe haven
6) Repurposing of an existing facility for biodiversity conservation and sustainable use
Viable Voluntary Exit Options Involving Lion Bone Stockpiles:
7) Lion bone stockpiles surrendered to authorities
8) Lion bone stockpiles for trade out (domestic) for a period of 24 months
Please note:
For all exit options, no tactile animal interaction is allowed, including but not limited to cub petting, walking with lions and using lions as photo props.
Trade in exit option 2 can include captive hunting and the domestic trade in live lions and/or lion skeletons, parts and derivatives. The international trade in lion skeletons and live lions is excluded from this voluntary exit option. Furthermore, animal welfare and well-being need to be guaranteed during the phase-out period.
Exit option 6, even though this is the only voluntary exit option with biodiversity conservation benefits, this option comes among others at substantial costs involved with dismantling existing infrastructure, creating an adequate predator perimeter fence, the need for land acquisition and ecosystem restoration, the lack of suitable habitat and the time to achieve the objective is long-term.
Exit option 8, trade in lion skeletons, parts and derivatives can only include legal local trade, as there is currently no CITES export quota for the international trade in such products.
History of the commercial captive lion industry in South Africa
The commercial captive lion industry in South Africa started in the 1990s and has been allowed to grow unimpeded.
In 2015, the award-winning Blood Lions Documentary premiered that blows the lid off misleading claims made by the predator breeding and canned hunting industries in South Africa.
Lions and many other indigenous and exotic large felids are bred in captivity for commercial purposes, such as cub petting, walking with lions, voluntourism, “canned” or captive hunting and for their bones, parts and derivatives for the domestic and international traditional medicinal use, predominantly for their bones in Chinese Traditional Medicine until 2019.
In August 2018, the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee for Environmental Affairs convened a Colloquium on “Captive lion breeding for hunting in South Africa; harming or promoting the conservation image of the country”. The recommendations of the Colloquium were adopted by the national assembly on December 6, 2018, including that “the Department of Environmental Affairs should as a matter of urgency initiate a policy and legislative review of captive breeding of lions for hunting and lion bone trade with a view to putting an end to this practice”.
In August 2019, a High Court judge ruled that the setting of the bone quota in 2017 and 2018 of 800 per year was “unlawful and constitutionally invalid” and that consideration should have been given to welfare issues relating to lions in captivity when determining such quota. Since this ruling, the DFFE has deferred the setting of a CITES lion bone export quota.
In 2019, the Minister of DFFE appointed a High-Level Panel (HLP) of experts to review policies, legislation, and practices on matters of elephant, lion, leopard and rhinoceros management, breeding, hunting, trade and handling. The majority recommendations in terms of captive lions included that South Africa would not breed lions in captivity, keep lions in captivity, or use captive lions or their derivatives commercially.
These recommendations were adopted by Cabinet and on May 2, 2021, Minister Creecy announced that the Department will be adopting the majority recommendations on these issues.
It has been almost eight years since the launch of the Blood Lions film which exposed the harsh realities behind the captive lion breeding industry and its unregulated proliferation in South Africa. With the public launch of the film in June 2023, now we are no longer restricted by distribution agreements, we reflect on the journey thus far to take stock of the overall progress that has been achieved collectively. Along the way, we have seen big positive strides and steps backwards, but overall the progress has been substantial. At times we would all like to see things move along quicker, as the wheels of government legislation are slow to turn; however, we also have much progress to celebrate and draw on for continued motivation to fight for the end of this horrendous industry.
The Blood Lions film has served as an important catalyst for change in the captive lion industry. The dark reality of captive breeding, interactive tourism, hunting, and the lion bone trade has been viewed by hundreds of thousands of people across the world, from school students through to government officials. The film has been selected for screenings at numerous film festivals, including the Durban International Film Festival, Lens Politika in Helsinki, and Joshua International in California. In addition to this, curated screenings have been presented across the world to various tourism and travel organisations and national governments. Outside of the South African departments of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, countries such as Botswana, Finland, Australia, Sweden, and EU parliaments have all participated in screenings of the film to spark important and necessary discussions about how international policy makers may demonstrate their disapproval of the industry.
The online campaign that followed the launch of the film has grown from strength to strength with thousands of supporters across various social media platforms. August 2016 saw the launch of Youth For Lions, an exciting sub-campaign especially aimed at educating and involving young people to empower their voices on issues of welfare and conservation.
The Blood Lions team has also strengthened its lobbying efforts to include scientific peer-reviewed research. This has become an invaluable aspect of our work to verify how the industry operates and to refute the unsubstantiated claims made by its proponents. Five scientific papers have now been published by members of the Blood Lions team in collaboration with researchers from the World Animal Protection, covering topics such as zoonosis, traditional medicine, welfare, and the lack of regulation seen on a provincial and national level.
Prior to the premier of Blood Lions in 2015, the captive lion industry, although still largely unknown by the public, was growing substantially. The Cook Report – Making a Killing – was released in 1997 and served as a vital exposé of the breeding and canned hunting of lions in South Africa. Despite early warnings, the industry was allowed to expand. In 2005, an offshoot of the industry was discovered and an investigation confirmed that lion bones were used as a substitute in tiger bone wine. Not long after in 2008, the first CITES lion bone export permits were issued with 60 skeletons legally exported from South Africa’s Free State province. Thereafter, controversy grew surrounding the hunting of captive-bred lions and the issue began to gain significant momentum. The 2015 premier of the Blood Lions film and the subsequent global awareness campaign have been instrumental in bringing the captive lion industry back into the public and government spaces for scrutiny and awareness on an even greater scale.
We also applaud the many tourism organisations, airlines, and governments that have taken a stand against the commercial exploitation of lions and other predators in captivity by refusing to carry and/or import hunting trophies or withdrawing support of exploitative interactive activities like cub petting and walking with lions. Below we look at the overall and collective progress that has been achieved since the film’s launch. We want to thank every individual and organisation who have tirelessly lobbied in public and government spaces to raise awareness and affect policy change.
We look forward to all that 2023 holds as we await the outcomes of the Ministerial Task Team working to devise effective solutions to phase out the industry, by starting with voluntary exit strategies.
The Blood Lions team remains strong in their determination to raise awareness and lobby for policy change in the commercial captive predator industry. Through all the setbacks and progress, we will continue to expose the realities of this industry to promote the genuine conservation of one of Africa’s most iconic species. We await further open engagement with South Africa’s government to find a way forward that fulfills the High-Level Panel goal that “South Africa does not captive breed lions, keep lions in captivity, or use captive lions or their derivatives commercially”.
When the Blood Lions campaign was launched following the premier of the film in 2015, taking on the captive predator industry seemed a near impossible task. Today, we are at the cusp of seeing the closing down process begin, and all those that have held the vision and participated in the process can take credit.
Over the past month or so, some significant and welcome steps have been taken by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment (DFFE) to end the captive lion industry. The gazetted draft White Paper on the Conservation and Sustainable use of South Africa’s Biodiversity provides an overarching policy context for biodiversity legislation, regulation and implementation in South Africa.
“The White Paper is a substantial document. There are shortcomings, even contradictions, but in the main it heralds significant progress on many of the issues that have needed attention in our welfare and wildlife management legislation. The authors and Ministry need to be commended”, says Ian Michler, Blood Lions Director.
It is a progressive though ambitious document recognising the intrinsic value of wildlife and biodiversity, recognising the importance of well-being of individual animals in the definition of sustainable use and purposing the adoption of One Health and One Welfare approaches. This document maps out a new vision for people and wildlife and many of its clauses should have direct impacts on those involved in breeding predators, canned hunting and the exploitation of wildlife in tourism facilities. The draft White Paper is open for public comment until 10th September 2022.
After her announcement in May 2021, when Minister Creecy stated that South Africa will no longer breed captive lions, keep lions in captivity, or use captive lions or their derivatives commercially, she is now in the process of appointing a Ministerial Task Team. This panel of experts will be required to identify voluntary exit options and pathways for lion breeders from the captive lion industry, and oversee the implementation and monitoring of these.
“After decades of opposition and a strong mandate from a High-Level Panel in 2020, we welcome the Government’s announcement that it will begin the process of closing down the captive lion industry. A voluntary exit route laid out and monitored by a ‘task team’ of experts seems to be a sensible way to start”, says Michler.
For this Task Team, who will take the first steps towards ending the captive lion industry, Creecy is looking for people with specific expertise and experience in areas such as animal welfare, veterinary care, disease risk, traditional practices associated with lions, and labour law and trade unions with particular reference to business closure and retrenchment.
This team of experts will be established as soon as possible and their work is due to be completed by end March 2023. Nominations for this panel are now open until 26th August.
Michler says, “Minister Creecy’s recent announcement to start the process of ending the captive lion industry is the right thing to do. It’s a brutal industry with no conservation merit or scientific benefit, and the tourism and trade components are entirely exploitative of animals in a manner that undermines Brand South Africa. She has received widespread support from the conservation and ethical tourism sectors, as well as those involved in predator research.”
Draft White Paper submissions:
Email: whitepaper@dffe.gov.za by Saturday 10 September 2022
Blood Lions is an award-winning documentary feature film and global campaign that works to bring an end to predator breeding and “canned” hunting industries in South Africa. www.bloodlions.org
Powerful message released on World Lion Day: What would our children say if they knew the truth?
10 August 2022
Today is World Lion Day (10 August) – a day to celebrate one of Africa’s most iconic species and to raise awareness on conservation issues globally. Lions are recognised worldwide for their importance not only from a nature conservation and ecological perspective, but also symbolically, culturally and in terms of tourism.
The significance and dignity of wild lions in South Africa have been replaced by the commodification of captive lions at every stage of their lives. Currently, 8,000-10,000 lions and thousands of other big cats, including tigers and cheetahs, are bred and kept in captivity in approximately 350 facilities in South Africa. These predators are bred for commercialpurposes, including cub petting, voluntourism, “canned” hunting, the lion bone trade and live exports.
In honour of World Lion Day, a short video clip was produced by Blood Lions to highlight one stage in the exploitative cycle, namely the cub petting, where thousands of tourists and volunteers pay to play with, bottle feed and hand-raise captive-bred predator cubs. These unsuspecting tourists and volunteers are made to believe that their money will contribute to the conservation of wild lions and that the cubs they interact with will be returned to the wild.
Despite the announcement in May 2021 by Minister Barbara Creecy of the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) that South Africa will no longer breed captive lions, keep lions in captivity, or use captive lions or their derivatives commercially, the captive lion industry is still thriving.
This legislative process is ongoing and in June 2021, a draft Policy Position paper was gazetted for public participation on the conservation and ecologically sustainable use of elephant, lion, leopard and rhinoceros. Last month, a Draft White Paper was released for public comment on the Conservation and Sustainable use of South Africa’s Biodiversity. Although both documents have the potential to make a positive impact on reversing the domestication and commercialisation of our wildlife, it will take significant time to amend and promulgate national legislation based on these documents.
“In the meantime, the commercial captive lion breeding industry is allowed to continue. You can however be part of creating change”, says Dr Louise de Waal (Campaign Manager, Blood Lions). “What would our children say if they knew the truth? YOU can stop supporting the exploitation of wild animals and help us to #CancelCaptivity.”
Should you find yourself at a facility with captive predators and any of the following Red Flags are raised, we recommend not supporting that facility:
If you are allowed to touch, hold or feed any cubs or adult predators.
If the place always has cubs for people to play with.
If there are always cubs, but hardly any adult predators living there.
If you know that they are breeding predators.
If you know that they are buying or selling predators from/to other places and/or people.
Blood Lions is an award-winning documentary feature film and global campaign that works to bring an end to predator breeding and “canned” hunting industries in South Africa. www.bloodlions.org
In a joint scientific study published earlier this month, Blood Lions and World Animal Protection identified a major research gap that exposes the lack of welfare studies that focus on captive lions housed on commercial farms in South Africa.
“With a substantial captive lion industry of more than 350 commercial facilities holding anything between 8,000-10,000 lions and the complete absence of scientific welfare studies in that industry, we are in the dark in terms of the extent and nature of the welfare issues we are dealing with. The many atrocities found by the National Council of Societies for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NSPCA) on commercial lion farms during welfare inspections show that we are not dealing with theoretical challenges, but rather a very real and highly problematic situation”, says Dr Louise de Waal (Director, Blood Lions).
The aim of the study was to identify the welfare challenges lions in the commercial captive predator industry in South Africa face on a day-to-day basis. The researchers reviewed more than 90 peer-reviewed scientific papers and found a wide range of physical and psychological conditions associated with keeping lions in captivity globally.
Some of the welfare challenges identified included a wide range of diseases, injuries, malnutrition and obesity, lack of (clean) water, and abnormal behaviours like excessive pacing and self-mutilation, which were all associated with the keeping of captive lions in facilities such as zoos, wildlife parks and sanctuaries across the globe. However, not one study focussed specifically on the welfare of lions exploited by commercial facilities in South Africa.
“It is under such commercial conditions that lions are most likely to face the biggest welfare atrocities compared to any other captive environment, as the emphasis is on intensive breeding practices that are consumer-driven and income-generation focused and generally don’t adequately address animal welfare and well-being. The lack of welfare studies from commercial lion farms is a major research gap that needs to be addressed urgently”, de Waal said.
The lack of income for captive wildlife facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with the absence of national welfare norms and standards for the captive breeding, keeping and trade of lions and other big cats in South Africa, has put the existing big cats in captivity at even more risk of serious welfare issues. In addition, the NSPCA, which is solely mandated with the enforcement of animal welfare in South Africa, is forced to operate without financial support from the national government.
Subsequent to the publication of a High-Level Panel report recommending the closure of South Africa’s commercial captive lion industry, Minister Barbara Creecy of the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) announced on 2nd May 2021 that South Africa would no longer breed and keep captive lions or use captive lions or their derivatives commercially. A draft Policy Position on the conservation and ecologically sustainable use of elephant, lion, leopard and rhinoceros was gazetted for public comment in June that same year.
A full year on from this announcement and the status of the commercial lion industry remains the same, however the uncertainty of its future is most likely exacerbating the welfare concerns for the captive lions involved. Although the Minister did once again decide to set a zero CITES export quota for trade in lion parts and derivatives including lion bones, as has been the case for the past three years, the breeding, canned hunting, and live trade of captive-bred lions is still legal as are all interactive tourism encounters with cubs and sub-adult big cats.
“We urge the Minister to keep the pressure on the progress of the upcoming legislative changes, as in the meantime the welfare of thousands of lions and other big cats hangs in the balance. We appeal to the Minister to urgently carry out a comprehensive national audit of the current commercial captive lion industry, including the welfare conditions of the big cats involved, in order to minimise unintended negative welfare impacts during the planned phase out of the industry in South Africa”, says Edith Kabesiime (Wildlife Campaigns Manager, World Animal Protection).
The Blood Lions and World Animal Protection research team identified 170 different physical and psychological conditions associated with the keeping of lions in captivity that were categorised according to a globally accepted animal welfare model, namely Mellor’s Five Domains Model. The welfare conditions identified fall into the following domains:
72% in the Health Domain (e.g., disease and injury)
11% in the Behaviour Domain (e.g., negative behaviours)
10% in the Mental Domain (e.g., fear, anxiety & frustration)
4% in the Nutrition Domain (e.g., malnutrition or food and water deprivation)
3% in the Environment Domain (e.g., environmental challenges or discomfort arising from the animals’ surroundings)
Blood Lions is an award-winning documentary feature film and global campaign that works to bring an end to predator breeding and “canned” hunting industries in South Africa. www.bloodlions.org
World Animal Protection is the global voice for animal welfare, with more than 70 years’ experience campaigning for a world where animals live free from cruelty and suffering. We collaborate with local communities, the private sector, civil society and governments to change animals’ lives for the better. Our goal is to change the way the world works to end animal cruelty and suffering for both wild and farmed animals. Through our global food system strategy, we will end factory farming and create a humane and sustainable food system, that puts animals first. By transforming the broken systems that fuel exploitation and commodification, we will give wild animals the right to a wild life. Our work to protect animals will play a vital role in solving the climate emergency, the public health crisis and the devastation of natural habitats. www.worldanimalprotection.org
A brand new “Luxury Eco Lodge and Licenced Zoo” on the Western slopes of Kilimanjaro in Tanzania was brought to Blood Lions attention this week. At a time when South Africa is working so hard to prohibit captive wildlife interactions, other African countries are allowing the establishment of new facilities openly promoting unethical and inauthentic wildlife encounters.
This newly built luxury lodge advertises a “safari experience [to] live and play ethically and sustainably amongst lions, cheetahs, giraffes and elephants”. Where you can have “close-up and real-life encounters” with their “orphaned animals” that are part of their “animal sanctuary”.
It is not completely clear as to how many wild animal species are already on the property, but from photo evidence on their socials they seem to have habituated giraffes, zebras, Vervet and Colobus monkeys, ostriches, eland and three lion cubs that were ”rejected by their mother”.
Let’s look at some of the 🚩RED flags🚩:
Any animal sanctuary that allows human-wildlife interaction other than for veterinary purposes is not a sanctuary.
Lion cubs are very rarely rejected by their mothers, the most likely scenario is that they were prematurely removed from their mother to be hand-reared and habituated for commercial gain.
The SATSA guidelines on “Evaluating Captive Wildlife Attractions & Activities” state that “the interests of animals should not be subordinate to the benefits humans derive from their existence”. Meaning, if a captive wildlife facility clearly prioritises human interest(s), which can be financial, gratification, entertainment, or information, over the animal’s wellbeing, it can immediately be considered unethical.
Therefore, the SATSA guidelines put any facility that offers interaction with captive wildlife firmly in the ‘Avoid’ category. #ThinkBeforeYouGo
It is clear from the marketing language used that the owners/ operators have no understanding of ecology, conservation, or ethical and authentic tourism experiences.
The South African model has shown that where interactive captive wildlife activities exist, other commercial activities, such as canned hunting and the trade in live animals and their body parts, are likely to arise.
Any country that is privileged enough to have such diversity in wildlife in an array of incredible natural habitats, should not be issuing permits to establish zoos and captive wildlife facilities. The authorities also need to understand that this one facility can attract massive negative attention from around the world. The tourism industry, government agencies and the public can make a firm stand and say NO to captive wildlife interactions. Many organisations in the tourism industry have already done so through the Blood Lions Born to Live Wild campaign.
YOU can make a difference by following the actions below:
If you are a tourism operator, you can join our Born to Live Wild Tourism Campaign and Pledge against tourism attractions that contribute to the cycle of captive breeding, canned hunting and commercial exploitation of wild animal species.
If you are a young person who would like to be part of the change, you can sign our Youth Pledge and SAY NO to animal interactions and captive facilities that exploit wildlife. We use this pledge to support our campaign when we lobby the government for change.
If you are a member of the public who would like to make a difference, you can email Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA) and list your objections to these newly established, unethical captive wildlife facilities.
There are some heated debates about the value of captive wildlife facilities and zoos. Many are firmly situated in the belief that animals in small enclosures and cages do not educate visitors or serve an important conservation purpose. There are others, however, who argue that seeing animals in captivity educates visitors and encourages them to care. I personally can’t help but wonder what the public is learning when they witness an animal standing against a fence or sleeping in an unnaturally small space. Even more importantly, does this type of education result in pro-conservation behaviour?
I want you to consider for a moment the last time you may have viewed an animal in a cage or enclosure. What was the animal doing? What was it eating? Was the animal alone or in a natural social group? How much space was provided for them to roam? Did the enclosure provide any enrichment for the animal? The reality in many captive facilities is that the animals were likely to be pacing or lying down. They may be fed a diet comprising unnatural supplements to mimic the nutrients they would normally receive in the wild. Their natural social groupings have been artificially created, while some may be entirely alone.
With the latest scientific findings in the IPBES report (2019), we know with certainty that we need to protect biodiversity now more than ever. Education is therefore an important start to understanding how and why conservation of the natural world and its wildlife is so vital. However, we need to question the real value of a captive facility or zoo, where the animals remain in cages and enclosures much smaller than their natural habitats. We also need to question if these facilities live up to their promise of educating visitors about the importance of wildlife and conservation.
In South Africa, several zoos have faced serious welfare criticisms. Two years ago, the Johannesburg Zoo faced an outcry for keeping a lone elephant despite knowing that elephants depend heavily on herd structures in the wild (HSI, 2019). The Pretoria Zoo has been similarly criticized for its treatment towards a lone elephant despite calls to have him relocated to a suitable sanctuary (The Daily Maverick, 2021). In both cases, rather than acting on the animals’ welfare and wellbeing, decisions revolved around keeping more elephants in small enclosures, unlike the vast plains they would naturally roam, to attract paying visitors. The Bloemfontein Zoo was eventually closed due to a serious lack of funds resulting in animals living in substandard conditions with little food or veterinary care (The Citizen, 2020).
If zoos and captive facilities were truly educational and based on the premise of conservation, why do they present such severe welfare concerns?
There is a growing industry in South Africa where indigenous and exotic big cats are kept in captivity with many predator parks also claiming to have educational and conservation value. Conservationists agree that captive big cats do not contribute meaningfully to conservation. Afterall, they simply can’t. Releasing habituated big cats into the wild could potentially cause human-wildlife conflict, are unlikely to be able to hunt successfully, and often their genetics have been compromised by inbreeding. At best, these captive-bred cats are destined for a life in captivity, while many others will end up in the bone trade and/or canned hunting industries.
If captive facilities and zoos were genuinely educational, we could reasonably assume that all visitors would be motivated to protect wildlife. Do visitors who learn something new feel motivated to change their behaviour to actively protect wildlife and biodiversity? Many facilities operate on the premise that it fosters a connection that inspires protection despite lacking evidence to support such claims (Spooner, et al., 2021). Wilson and Phillips (2021) acknowledge that captive facilities do claim to pursue education, research, and conservation as important objectives; however, entertainment for paying visitors is also a significant objective. Interactive practices, like cub petting or ambassador animal interactions, are driven by tourist demands for recreational activities alone (Moorhouse, D’Cruze, & MacDonald, 2016), and thus do not contribute to conservation, education, or the animal’s welfare interests.
In fact, research by Whitehouse-Ted, et al. (2021) demonstrated that interactions with ambassador animals were associated with the lowest knowledge-change scores in visitors compared to those who attended guided tours without interaction. Marc Bekoff (2014, 2015), a renowned Professor emeritus of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of Colorado, Boulder, is critical of the educational claims made by captive facilities. The evidence is sorely lacking that these types of facilities have a lasting impact on their visitors, particularly in terms of changing their behaviour to be environmentally friendly and pro-conservation.
Aside from the quick gratification of seeing a beautiful big cat in person, what purpose do these facilities really serve? Since there is a lack of evidence to prove the educational and conservation value of animal interactions, the continued justification for engaging in these activities is problematic and unconvincing (Spooner, et al., 2021). Empirical research is required to better understand the ethics and impact on animal welfare and to evaluate the educational outcomes of such facilities and activities. Rather, imagine the thrill of witnessing a lion walking through the open veld of a national park or observing cubs playing with siblings whilst learning to hunt. There is simply no substitute that can be justified.
I believe strongly that we need to practice more compassion in our choices and become more conscious of our decisions regarding captive wildlife. Are we acting in ways that serve our own interests or the interests of the animals?
IPBES (2019): Summary for policymakers of the global assessment report on biodiversity and ecosystem services of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. S. Díaz, J. Settele, E. S. Brondízio E.S., H. T. Ngo, M. Guèze, J. Agard, A. Arneth, P. Balvanera, K. A. Brauman, S. H. M. Butchart, K. M. A. Chan, L. A. Garibaldi, K. Ichii, J. Liu, S. M. Subramanian, G. F. Midgley, P. Miloslavich, Z. Molnár, D. Obura, A. Pfaff, S. Polasky, A. Purvis, J. Razzaque, B. Reyers, R. Roy Chowdhury, Y. J. Shin, I. J. Visseren-Hamakers, K. J. Willis, and C. N. Zayas (eds.). IPBES secretariat, Bonn, Germany. https://ipbes.net/sites/default/files/inline/files/ipbes_global_assessment_report_summary_for_policymakers.pdf
Moorhouse, T., D’Cruze, N.C., & MacDonald, D.W. (2016). unethical use of wildlife in tourism: what’s the problem, who is responsible, and what can be done? Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 25(4), 505-516. doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2016.1223087
Spooner, S.L., Farnworth, M.J., Ward, S.J., & Whitehouse-Ted, K.M. (2021). Conservation education: are zoo animals effective ambassadors and is there any cost to their welfare? Journal of Zoological and Botanical Gardens, 2, 41-65. doi: https://www.mdpi.com/2673-5636/2/1/4
Whitehouse-Ted, K.M., Lozano-Martinez, J., Reeves, J., Page, M., Martin, J.H., & Prozesky, H. (2021). Assessing the visitor and animal outcomes of a zoo encounter and guided tour program with ambassador cheetahs. Anthrozoos, 1-16. doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/08927936.2021.1986263
Wilson, A. & Phillips, C.J.C. (2021). Identification and evaluation of African lion (Panthera leo) cub welfare in wildlife-interaction tourism. Animals, 11(9), 2748. doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11092748
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.
These progressive and ambitious goals proposed by the Minister and DFFE are supported by many organisations, including Blood Lions, Humane Society International – Africa, World Animal Protection, Born Free Foundation, and FOUR PAWS South Africa. These five animal welfare organisations commend the Minister for such a progressive conservation policy and urge her to finalise the policy in order to implement the proposed changes.
These shifts in policy will not only signify a New Deal for people and wildlife, but also position South Africa as a global conservation leader and destination of choice for nature-based tourism, a key future driver of our economy and rural socio-economic development.
The draft Policy Position on the conservation and ecologically sustainable use of elephant, lion, leopard and rhinoceros was developed after a year-long consultation process by the High-Level Panel, established by the Minister, and their recommendations in a 600-page Ministerial report.
The finalisation of the draft Policy Position document is vital to put the necessary processes in place to achieve this new vision and goals in the interest of South Africa, all of her people and its wildlife.
Dr Louise de Waal, Campaign Manager & Director, Blood Lions “The Blood Lions film and global campaign was launched in 2015 and has worked tirelessly to end this cruel and unethical industry and its spin-off activities. We commend the Minister in her decisive leadership to bringing an end to the commercial captive lion breeding industry. However, the welfare of the predators involved in this exploitative industry hangs in the balance and thus swift and adequate action from DFFE and the Minister is required to start implementing a responsible phase out process. In this process, we hope that the Minister will afford all other indigenous and exotic big cats the same fate as she promised for our captive lions.”
Dr Audrey Delsink, Wildlife Director, HSI-Africa “Tens of thousands of people locally and internationally support our call on Minister Creecy to act now. With One Welfare and wellbeing at the core of this transformative environmental policy, an end to intensive management and the exploitative use of animals may materialise. We urge the Minister to act swiftly to prevent further unnecessary cruelty during the implementation process, particularly for captive bred lions, who cannot remain in limbo during this interim stage towards reform. We stand ready to support the minister and her department during this critical process.”
Fiona Miles, Director, FOUR PAWS South Africa “FOUR PAWS in South Africa is in full support of the Government’s decision to undertake the progressive resolutions set out within its Draft Policy Paper on the management of five of the country’s iconic wildlife species. We believe the decision to end the captive lion breeding industry is truly pivotal and will change the future of the tens of thousands of lions that are currently being exploited. It is estimated up to 12,000 lions currently suffer across the country, where they are used for tourism purposes, such as bottle feeding, cub petting, walk with activities, trophy hunting and finally, their bones used in international wildlife trade markets. The end of this industry is something FOUR PAWS has been campaigning towards for 15 years and we are at Minister Creecy and her Department’s disposal, to ensure the decisions are implemented efficiently and effectively. We urge the Government to take the necessary action swiftly, in order to prevent further suffering.”
Edith Kabesiime, Wildlife Campaign Manager, World Animal Protection Africa “World Animal Protection and Blood Lions together with many other stakeholders in the animal welfare and conservation sectors made a wealth of compelling science-based evidence available to the High-Level Panel in written and oral submissions in 2020. World Animal Protection continues to applaud Minister Barbara Creecy for her leadership and the bold steps so far taken, as part of the process to close down the commercial captive lion breeding industry. We would like to assure the Minister and DFFE that World Animal Protection remains committed and is ready to offer expertise to find practical solutions on how to phase out this industry completely. We should not allow the few individuals profiting from this cruel industry to win. Wild animals have a right to a wild life.”
Dr Mark Jones, Head of Policy, Born Free Foundation “Since our inception we have sought to highlight the devastating consequences of the exploitation of wild animals for trade, hunting and other destructive purposes. We have also advocated for many years for an end to the commercial lion breeding industry in South Africa, which currently exploits thousands of lions and other captive-bred predators for tourism activities such as cub petting and walking with lions, canned hunting, and the sale of bones and other products into international markets. The progressive reforms proposed by Minister Creecy have the potential to transform South Africa’s relationship with wild animals, and place it at the forefront of regional and international wildlife protection efforts for the good of all. It is vital that they are implemented in full and without delay. We stand ready to work with the South African authorities and other stakeholders to ensure that the reforms are successfully implemented and the objectives achieved, with full regard for animal welfare, and for the benefit of wildlife and wider biodiversity, as well as for the people of South Africa.”
The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) have reopened public participation regarding the draft Policy Position on the conservation and ecologically sustainable use of elephant, lion, leopard and rhinoceros.
Blood Lions, FOUR PAWS, World Animal Protection, Born Free Foundation and Humane Society International – Africa have jointly created a petition asking the public to urge the South African Government to follow through on its plans to further the protection of its iconic species.
Following the High-Level Panel recommendations and Minister Creecy’s announcement on 2 May 2021 that South Africa would no longer breed captive lions, keep lions in captivity, or use captive lions or their derivatives commercially, the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) gazetted a draft Policy Position on the conservation and ecologically sustainable use of elephant, lion, leopard and rhinoceros.
The public comment period on the draft Policy Position has been extended to 14 October 2021 and we are calling on members of the public to submit their comments or simply sign the petition in support of the Minister and DFFE’s transformational policy shift.
Minister Barbara Creecy and her Department are implementing a New Deal for South Africa’s people and wildlife and your support is required to ensure vibrant, inclusive transformation of the wildlife sector, rural socio-economic development and the safeguarding of our iconic species.
The Minister is unfortunately receiving significant opposition from a minority of industry players currently benefiting from exploitative and unethical industries which she is seeking to phase out and ultimately end. It is therefore imperative that we unequivocally support the Minister and DFFE in this transformational shift and encourage the urgent completion of the consultation process and finalisation of the draft Policy Position on the conservation and ecologically sustainable use of elephant, lion, leopard and rhinoceros.