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?
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.
On World Lion Day, the international community celebrates our iconic lions and raises awareness on the plight of these majestic animals in the wild, as well as their captive counterparts.
World Lion Day 2021 holds a more positive connotation as we are celebrating the beginning of the end of the commercial captive lion industry in South Africa. Here, over the last couple of decades, a commercial captive lion industry was allowed to grow to a size of 400+ facilities holding anything between 8,000 and 12,000 lions, along with hundreds of other indigenous and exotic big cat species.
However, following the High-Level Panel majority recommendations to halt and reverse the domestication of our iconic lions, Minister Barbara Creecy announced 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.
Since that announcement, the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment took further steps and gazetted a draft Policy Position document for public participation on the conservation and ecologically sustainable use of elephant, lion, leopard and rhinoceros. We are now awaiting the final Policy Position paper to be published and the implementation process to be started.
Nevertheless, we need to be vigilant and keep the conversation going, to drive the necessary change that is now within our reach; a South Africa where lions are no longer exploited for commercial gain.
This year, we have more hope than ever for our lions.
A young female volunteer from Belgium, assisting at a captive wildlife facility in South Africa, was left traumatised after an attack by a captive cheetah last month. Amandine Lequime was filming outside of the cheetah’s enclosure, while her colleague was on feeding duty. As soon as her colleague opened the enclosure gate, one of the cheetahs approached Lequime swiftly, jumped on her back aiming for her throat.
“I lost my balance and fell to the ground, where the cheetah continued to bite and claw my arms and legs until the facility manager succeeded in getting the cheetah away from me. I ended up in hospital for treatment of several deep bite marks and cuts that caused muscle damage and required stitches”, Lequime says.
Subsequently, she found out that the same cheetah had attacked the facility manager two years ago, causing serious neck and leg injuries.
“The manager told us volunteers to balance the meat tray on our heads while walking into the cheetah enclosures, so the cheetahs can’t knock the tray out of our hands”, Lequime continues.
“Although the facility pleaded with me to keep the incident quiet, I don’t want other volunteers to go through similar frightening experiences. People need to understand that to be close to wild animals is appealing, but not safe.”
Blood Lions Statement:
This is not a stand-alone story, as many paying volunteers and tourists have been attacked by captive big cats in South Africa over the last decade or so. We can only hope that Amandine will be one of the last victims.
Most of the 60-odd facilities in South Africa that offer volunteering opportunities with large carnivores will use direct, hands-on interaction as their main draw card. However, this comes with a huge health and safety risk. We are aware of 50+ incidents involving captive lions, tigers and cheetahs that have been reported in the media – knowing that many more go unreported. A third of the reported victims weren’t as lucky as Amandine and sadly lost their lives during the attacks or as a result of their injuries.
As is the case at many so-called “sanctuaries”, the big cat enclosures at the facility where Amandine Lequime volunteered are designed incorrectly, lacking the required management enclosures separating predators from people. This poor layout forces inexperienced international volunteers (and staff alike) to be in the same space as the predators while performing their feeding and cleaning duties.
It is important to note that captive wildlife often display high stress levels adding further complications to an already volatile and unnatural situation.
This latest incident highlights the importance of the High-Level Panel’s recommendations for “an immediate halt to tourist interactions with captive lions, including so-called volun-tourism, cub petting etc.” It also emphasises the need to extend the captive lion recommendations to all other captive big cats (including all exotic species such as tigers) and reinforces the need to immediately apply the SATSA Animal Interaction Guidelines throughout our tourism sector
Minister Creecy of the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) has now released a draft Policy Position Gazette on the conservation and ecologically sustainable use of elephant, lion, leopard and rhinoceros. This document is based on the recent High-Level Panel report and its recommendations and is now open for public comment for the next 30 days.
In terms of captive lions, the draft policy position provides a solid foundation for South Africa to move away from exploitative wildlife practices. Amongst others, it recognises that:
the domestication of our iconic lion threatens South Africa’s reputation as a conservation leader.
the commodification of lions can damage our tourism brand.
the trade in lion derivatives poses major risks to wild lion populations.
the captive lion breeding industry is not in the wider public’s interest.
Significantly, it acknowledges that we have a social and moral responsibility to act humanely, prevent suffering and ensure quality of life for those animals involved in the wildlife sector and suggests adopting the One Welfare approach. These are hugely positive first steps in shifting towards a more ethical and responsible South Africa.
Blood Lions fully supports the species management policy interventions for captive lions outlined in this draft policy position document, including but not limited to:
Immediately halt domestication and exploitation of lion, and close captive lion facilities.
Prevent live export ex situ of the iconic species (i.e. into captivity).
Increased wildness, naturalness, and wellbeing of fauna.
Adopt One Welfare approach.
We encourage all our supporters to comment on this draft Policy Position document through the appropriate channels and in particular your comments of support on the intended closure of the captive lion industry.
EVERY comment counts, including those of full support!
Youth Day (16 June) in South Africa is a day to pay tribute to the youth and recognise the power they have to initiate change. This year, the youth from Youth For Lions are celebrating the recent announcement made by Minister Creecy of the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment on their decision to end the captive lion breeding industry in South Africa. The youth have shared messages of praise and support for the government, and are encouraging other young people around the world to do the same.
In the newly released report, the High-Level Panel (HLP) recommended that South Africa should no longer breed captive lions, keep lions in captivity, or use captive lions or their derivatives commercially. Minister Creecy and the South African Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) have taken the courageous decision to put processes in place to halt:
The sale of captive lion derivatives, including the appropriate disposal of existing lion bone stockpiles and lion bone from euthanised lions.
The hunting of captive bred lions.
Tourist interactions with captive lions, including, so-called voluntourism, cub petting, etc.
Produced by Youth For Lions, a short video was created by the South African youth to showcase what they thought about this milestone in the campaign:
“The Minister and the Government are listening now more than ever before to the public discourse around these issues, and we need them to know that this decision, as contentious as it may seem, is an extremely positive step in the right direction. Blood Lions and Youth For Lions have offered the Minister our full support in developing and implementing a responsible phase-out plan in order to ensure that the commercial predator breeding industry is successfully closed down in South Africa, once and for all,” says Cath Jakins, Youth For Lions Campaign Coordinator.
By implementing a ban on the use of captive lions and their derivatives, in conjunction with an immediate breeding ban and end to all activities involving captive bred lions, DFFE will effectively take the lead towards building a more ethical and responsible South Africa that the younger generation can be proud of.
“The recent decision made by government to halt the captive lion breeding in South Africa has motivated me to keep on striving for what is right so that we can end the suffering of lions in captivity.” Makaira Kerkhof, Youth For Lions Ambassador.
“This decision is likely to receive backlash, but like so many other instances of exploitation and injustice, we as South Africans are no strangers to pushing against this and we can now proudly say that this is one of the most beautiful countries to live in. This decision is another step towards dismantling old exploitive ways that no longer deserve a place in South Africa.” Stephanie-Emmy Klarmann, Youth For Lions Ambassador.
Youth For Lions is a young, vibrant sub-campaign of Blood Lions®, an international multi-award winning feature film documentary and campaign which sheds light on the South African predator breeding, canned hunting and lion bone trade industries. In 2019 and 2020, Youth For Lions sent Open Letters signed by 324 and 622 people respectively to Minister Creecy and other government Ministers, imploring them to end the commercial captive predator breeding industry. The youth also contributed over 600 artworks to the Blood Lions #800Lions campaign, which landed up on billboards across the country. In addition, over 2,500 young people from around the world have signed the Youth Pledge committing to not supporting animal interaction and captive facilities that exploit wildlife.
Youth For Lions are calling on South African youth to be a part of the solution and send messages of support to Minister Creecy and the Department via our Kudoboard.“We have been lobbying the government to make changes to their policies for years, so now that they have started listening and responding with positive action, we need to take the opportunity to thank them. It is going to be a tough road ahead, but we as the youth stand in full support of this decision” says Jakins.
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.
Youth For Lions is a sub-campaign of Blood Lions® aimed at engaging the worlds youth around how cub petting, walking with predators and volunteering at predator farms is enabling and contributing to the wider captive predator breeding industry in South Africa.
Written by Martin Aveling and published with permission.
Pastel pencil drawing of a lion cub in a tin can by wildlife artist, Martin Aveling.
‘The Artwork That Brought An End To The Captive Lion Industry’
WOAH… hello there, Ego! Let’s rephrase that…
An artwork that, alongside many others, helped campaigners successfully communicate a long-held view that an industry of captive bred lions is not conducive to the health of wild lion populations, nor is it popular amongst the public at large.
There, that’s more like it.
At the beginning of May 2021, the South African government conceded that canned hunting does not contribute to conservation, and announced that measures would be put in place to end the captive lion breeding industry in the country. This came less than a year after the organisation, Blood Lions, launched their ‘800 Voices for 800 Lions’ campaign, where they used art in a further attempt to appeal to policy makers on a human level, and thus played a part in changing the course of history for lions in South Africa.
What Blood Lions did in identifying the value of art as a tool for communication was shrewd and must be applauded, and indeed imitated.
Let it be made abundantly clear that the true heroes in this story are the campaigners. Blood Lions were amongst those who gathered scientific evidence, scrutinised the detail, alerted the public and did not relent until they were granted an audience with policy makers. Although they requested a meeting with the Minister for Environment, Forestry and Fisheries, Barbara Creecy, they were not granted an audience with her but were given the opportunity to present to the High-Level Panel. At this point Blood Lions knew that they had to make an impression, and so not only did they present their scientific research to the High-Level Panel, they also turned to art to lend a helping hand. ‘#800Lions’ seemed to be the final nail in the coffin, capitalising on many years of tireless campaigning since the release of the ‘Blood Lions’ documentary film in 2015.
Effective wildlife artivism makes the experience of addressing difficult subjects more palatable, but without compromising on sincerity. Preaching can, at times, be quite off-putting, even to those who are mostly converted to the cause. Passion can sometimes be misconstrued as anger, and a person using words can come across unhinged and confrontational. That is unless those words have been cleverly crafted into a word poem, or put onto canvas with paint. If listening feels difficult, then art is the reward for doing so.
In wildlife conservation, art can be so much more than just a tool for fundraising, but rather act as PR to help conservation activists plead the case to the masses and politicians alike. It is a powerful medium, and with great power comes great responsibility. As the artist, one must always be reminded of ego. After all, I just came along and drew a pretty picture, which is what I love to do anyway. It is through true partnership and by drawing on the expertise of all parties that the best outcome is achieved. Artists have an ability to see the big picture and translate that into smaller ones. We must be allowed to take the lead on creating, however when it comes to the real conservation work, we should defer to the experts and be guided by their knowledge.
When I drew this piece last year, I included an expiry date on the can to represent the age at which this lion cub could expect to lose its life in a canned hunt. Having a real date on the can would also allow us to revisit when the time comes and assess the state of the industry of captive bred lions. Never in my wildest dreams did I expect that just one year into the countdown there would be an announcement that the industry is due to be shut down.
Kudos to you, Blood Lions. This news has made my year.
More information:
Download and read the High-Level Panel Report HERE.
Minister Barbara Creecy and the South African Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) have courageously taken the crucial and long-awaited step towards changing the status quo of the commercial captive lion breeding industry in South Africa.
Minister Creecy announced on Sunday, 2 May 2021, that South Africa would no longer breed captive lions, keep lions in captivity, or use captive lions or their derivatives commercially. She has instructed her Department to put processes in place to halt:
The sale of captive lion derivatives, including the appropriate disposal of existing lion bone stockpiles and lion bone from euthanised lions.
The hunting of captive bred lions.
Tourist interactions with captive lions, including, so-called voluntourism, cub petting, etc.
“The [High-Level] Panel identified that the captive lion breeding industry poses risks to the sustainability of wild lion conservation resulting from the negative impact on ecotourism, which funds lion conservation and conservation more broadly, the negative impact on the authentic wild hunting industry, and the risk that trade in lion parts poses to stimulating poaching and illegal trade”, said Minister Creecy in her announcement.
“In terms of captive lion and captive rhino breeding, where there were majority and minority recommendations, and having applied my mind, we will be adopting the majority recommendations on these issues”, the Minister said, which were supported by 62.5% of the High-Level Panel (HLP). The Department will be initiating processes to implement these majority recommendations (see Appendix 1).
In implementing the majority recommendations, the HLP proposes (full text in Appendix 1 below):
Development of minimum standards for the welfare and well-being of captive lions.
Development of minimum standards for health and safety in the workplace for workers at captive lion, including mitigating the risks of zoonotic disease transmission.
A policy decision to prohibit trade in lion bones and derivatives.
An immediate moratorium on issuing of permits for hunting of captive bred lions.
Immediate amendment of permit conditions to exclude activities, such as tourist interactions.
Immediate amendment of permit conditions to prohibit breeding and require the sterilisation of lions to prevent further breeding.
No issuing of new captivity permits.
Enhancement of mechanisms to prevent and avoid stimulating illegal trade in lion derivatives from captive facilities.
Establishment of an independent committee to formulate a process for the ethical and humane euthanasia of captive lions and disposal of their carcasses.
Blood Lions Position Statement
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. This announcement by Minister Barbara Creecy is highly significant and we commend the Minister in her decisive leadership to bringing an end to the commercial captive lion breeding industry. The Blood Lions team welcome the chance to play a role in assisting her, the various Departments and entities in the phasing out process to come.
We do however recognise that there may be grey areas in the HLP recommendations and proposed implementations (details in Appendix 1 below). We urge the Minister and her Department to be cognisant of such potential loopholes that could be utilised by the commercial captive lion breeding industry in continuing the various spin-off activities.
Given the considerable scale of farming and trade of captive lions in our country, the recommendations that came out of the HLP consultations concur with the views held amongst the global conservation community, welfare organisations, “ethical” hunting bodies and the general public, who all condemn the industry.
By implementing a ban on the use of captive lions and their derivatives, in conjunction with an immediate breeding ban and end to all activities involving captive bred lions, DFFE will effectively take the lead towards a more ethical and responsible South Africa. These are the first steps in shifting away from commodifying our wildlife, while moving towards a true “ecologically sustainable…use of natural resources”, as described in Section 24 in the Bill of Rights of our Constitution.
Opposing this brutal industry has been a long journey and Blood Lions’ ultimate goal has always been to end the captive lion breeding industry. After many setbacks, we sense an important change in attitude and we applaud the Minister, her department and the HLP.
Blood Lions congratulates the Minister on these bold steps and offer our full support in developing and implementing a responsible phase-out plan in order to ensure that the commercial predator breeding industry is successfully closed down in South Africa, once and for all.
Captive lion breeding industry status based on recent Blood Lions research
Captive facilities: The official statistic in 2019 was 366 facilities, but research indicates an estimated 450+ facilities, including 97 captive hunting facilities, 133 facilities open to public & offering interaction, 61 offering volunteering opportunities, and only 10 sanctuaries.
Number of captive lions: The official statistic in 2019 was 7,979 lions in captivity, but research-based estimates are between 10,000-12,000 lions.
Tourism interactions: Tourism activities that use captive lions for commercial gain include bottle feeding cubs, cub petting, ‘pay to walk’ with lions, selfie opportunities and volunteering.
Hunting Trophies: South Africa exported 8,855 lion trophies under CITES between 2008-17 with the vast majority from the captive lion population. The top importing countries are USA, Spain, Russia, China and Canada.
Lion bones: South Africa exported 6,634 lion skeletons under CITES between 2008-17 weighing a total of about 70 tonnes, all from the captive lion population. Top 3 importing countries are Lao People’s Democratic Republic (48%), Vietnam (44%) and Thailand (5%).
Live exports: South Africa exported 1,895 live lions under CITES between 2008-17 (95% captive bred) for zoos and breeders overseas with China, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, Pakistan and Vietnam as the top importing countries.
Zoonosis research: A peer-reviewed paper on African Lions and Zoonotic Diseases: Implications for Commercial Lion Farms in South Africa was adopted by the HLP. This joint World Animal Protection and Blood Lions research identified 63 pathogens associated with wild and captive lions and 23 human diseases that can potentially be transmitted from lions to people. The paper has also been developed into a popular science document “Unpacking the Sick 5”.
Animal welfare research: A research paper called “Welfare Challenges Relating to Commercial Captive Lion Breeding in South Africa” has been submitted to the Journal Animal Welfare and is awaiting publication. This review of scientific literature identifies some of the main challenges associated with caring for lions in captivity. It also highlights the apparent lack of scientific research involving commercial breeding facilities in South Africa, where animals are housed in large numbers, subjected to intense breeding practises and have regular contact with people.
Industry gap analysis: A research paper called “Ending Commercial Lion Farming in South Africa: A Gap Analysis Approach” has been submitted to the Journal Animals and is awaiting peer-review. Here we are using a “gap analysis” management tool to outline some of the key considerations necessary for a responsible and well-managed exit from the lion farming industry in South Africa.
SA Brand damage: Over the years, significant brand damage has most likely been inflicted on South Africa’s tourism and conservation reputations through negative media attention in media coverage involving this industry. To give an indication of the potential brand damage, from January to mid-November 2020, 397 pieces of national and international media coverage were published with the keywords canned hunting, captive lion breeding and/or lion bone trade. This generated an estimated circulation of 1 billion people and an advertising value equivalent of nearly ZAR 29 million.
More industry background can be found in the “Context” section in Appendix 1 below, excerpts taken from the HLP Recommendations report.
Appendix 1 – HLP Goals and Majority Recommendations for Captive Lions
Below are excerpts from the HLP report pp 328-330.
Context:
In respect of the breeding and keeping of captive lions in South Africa, the HLP recognises that –
The Parliamentary Portfolio Committee for Environment held a Colloquium on captive lion breeding for hunting in 2018, which resolved (reports No 167—2018) 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”.
Rewilding of captive lions is not feasible from conservation principles and captive breeding is currently not necessary for conservation purposes.
The commercial lion business involving intensive and selective breeding, handling, canned hunting and bone and other derivative trade presents a threat to South Africa’s reputation with associated political and economic risks including negative impacts on the broader photo-tourism market, and tourism to South Africa in general.
The captive lion industry threatens South Africa’s reputation as a leader in the conservation of wildlife, and as a country and destination with iconic wild lions, as the housing of wild or captive-bred lions is perceived as the domestication of this iconic species.
There is a Lion non-detriment finding (NDF) that suggests that trade in captive trophies and captive live specimens and lion bones does not impact negatively on wild populations.
The captive lion breeding and hunting industry presents a direct risk to the trophy hunting industry in terms of the hunting of wild lions and trophy hunting in general, and feeds the perception that we hunt farmed or semi-tame animals in SA.
The captive lion industry provides very little economic activity benefiting a few relative to the other components of the sector, including relatively few jobs.
The captive lion industry does not contribute meaningfully to transformation in South Africa.
The captive lion industry does not contribute to the conservation of wild lions.
The trade in lion derivatives poses major risks to wild lion populations in South Africa, including concerns raised by communities adjacent to Kruger National Park about increasing lion poaching in Kruger National Park, and, especially, wild populations in other countries with relatively low conservation funds to protect them.
The trade in lion derivatives poses major risks to stimulating illegal trade, including through the laundering of poached parts.
There are demonstrable (peer-reviewed) zoonotic risks associated with the intensive breeding and keeping of lions, which poses a high risk of an epidemic of existing or new zoonotic diseases, emerging in South Africa, and moving abroad; COVID-19 outbreaks have occurred in a number of animal species, including felids, with potential for mutation and back-infection to humans, and the World Organisation for Animal Health have listed lion as one of the species with a high susceptibility to infection.
The captive lion industry does not represent ecological sustainable use.
There is a presence of a large number of lions currently in captivity in many locations.
There are major concerns over work conditions and safety of workers on lion farms.
There are major concerns about the safety of tourists visiting these facilities and many attacks and fatalities have been reported.
Although some operators may implement acceptable standards of welfare, there are major welfare contraventions in the industry in general.
Investors in captive lion breeding, keeping, and use through hunting, interaction tourism, derivative sales etc. do so at their own risk, as with investment in any novel or developing industry.
An existing stockpile of lion bones is registered with the Department.
There are risks to employment, economy, and to the lions themselves associated with an immediate ban on trade with captive lions and derivatives.
Goal
Given the above context, the majority of the HLP has agreed the following goal in respect of captive lions –
South Africa does not captive breed lions, keep lions in captivity, or use captive lions or their derivatives commercially.
Recommendations
With a view to the achievement of the goal above, the majority of the HLP recommends the following –
Minister puts in place a process to halt and reverse the domestication of our iconic lions, through captive lion keeping, breeding, and commercial use, putting in place ethical and humane procedures for euthanasia of existing captive lions;
and
Minister puts in place policy decisions for an immediate halt to (1) the sale of captive lion derivatives, including the appropriate disposal of existing lion bone stockpiles and lion bone from euthanised lions, (2) the hunting of captive bred lions, and (3) tourist interactions with captive lions, including, so-called, ‘voluntourism’, cub petting, etc.
and
The Minister engages with other Departments and the SETAs (Sector Education and Training Authority)to identify mechanisms to protect employment of workers on captive lion facilities, including redeployment to other components of the wildlife sector, repurposing/retraining, and/or incorporation into the agricultural sector.
In implementing these recommendations, the majority of the HLP proposes –
That minimum standards for the welfare and well-being of captive lions for accredited zoos, rehabilitation centres, and sanctuaries are agreed through an independent process (role-players, regulatory authority) and included in permit conditions, for as long as facilities continue to hold captive lions.
That minimum standards for health and safety in the workplace for workers at captive lion facilities are finalised and implemented, including mitigating the risks of the transmission of a pathogen from the captive lions to humans (zoonotic spill over).
A policy decision to prohibit trade in lion derivatives implemented through, for example –
a zero quota as an interim measure, and
an immediate prohibition in terms of Section 57(2) of NEMBA because of the negative effect on wild lions in terms of poaching for body parts, and laundering of skeletons, and
in the longer term, an amendment to Section 57(2) to make it broader, i.e. broaden from negative impact on wild population, such as negative impact on conservation and sustainable use more broadly, and to consider also animal well-being and human health, including from zoonosis.
An immediate moratorium on the issuance of permits for hunting of captive bred lion. In the longer term, an Amendment of Regulation 24 and 26 of TOPS regulations to include lions as a listed large predator, and concerns raised by the HPL.
Immediately amending the conditions of permit holders to exclude activities such as tourist interactions. In the longer term, to use the new clause 9A in the revised NEMBA for well-being of animals.
That no permits should be issued for any new entrants into the field of captive lion keeping and breeding.
The immediate revision of permit stipulations to prohibit new breeding, and to require the sterilisation of lions to prevent further breeding, or immediate euthanasia.
The enhancement of mechanisms to prevent and avoid stimulating illegal trade in lion derivatives from captive facilities, including an audit of captive lions and the controlled disposal of skeletons.
That the Minister establishes an independent committee to formulate a process for the ethical and humane euthanasia of captive lions, and disposal of their carcasses, in consultation with captive lion breeders and keepers, and other stakeholders.
Today at a stakeholder’s feedback meeting in Pretoria, Minister Creecy of the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) took crucial and long-awaited steps towards changing the status quo of the commercial captive lion breeding industry in South Africa.
Minister Barbara Creecy announced that South Africa will no longer breed captive lions, keep lions in captivity, or use captive lions or their derivatives commercially. She has instructed her Department to put processes in place to halt the sale of captive lion derivatives (including the appropriate disposal of existing lion bone stockpiles and lion bone from euthanised lions); the hunting of captive bred lions; tourist interactions with captive lions (including, so-called voluntourism, cub petting, etc). (p. 329 HLP report).
“The [High-Level] Panel identified that the captive lion breeding industry poses risks to the sustainability of wild lion conservation resulting from the negative impact on ecotourism, which funds lion conservation and conservation more broadly, the negative impact on the authentic wild hunting industry, and the risk that trade in lion parts poses to stimulating poaching and illegal trade”, said Minister Creecy in her announcement today.
The Department will be initiating processes to implement these majority recommendations by the High-Level Panel (HLP), established by the Minister in October 2019, in order to mitigate these risks and shift away from this abhorrent industry.
“Blood Lions has campaigned against this cruel and unethical industry and its spin-off activities for many years, and we are extremely happy by the Minister’s decision to bring an end to the commercial captive lion breeding industry”, says Dr Louise de Waal (Director and Campaign Manager of Blood Lions). “We commend the Minister in her decisive leadership, and we would welcome the chance to play a role in assisting her, the various Departments and entities in the phasing out process to come.”
Currently, 8,000-12,000 lions and thousands of other big cats, including tigers and cheetahs, are bred and kept in captivity in more than 350 facilities in mostly the Free State, North West, Limpopo and Eastern Cape provinces. These predators are bred for commercial purposes, including interactive tourism, “canned” hunting, lion bone trade and live exports.
Blood Lions and the World Animal Protection together with many other stakeholders in the animal welfare and conservation sectors made a wealth of compelling science-based evidence available to the HLP in written and oral submissions in 2020. Reasons provided to phase out the commercial captive lion breeding industry in South Africa included among others the risk of zoonosis, animal welfare concerns, the unregulated nature of the industry, the fragmented policies pertaining this sector, as well as damage to South Africa’s tourism and conservation reputation and threats to the wild lion population from poaching.
“By working together, we can ensure that lions remain where they belong – in the wild. We stand ready to offer our expertise, working collaboratively with governments, NGOs and the tourism industry to find practical solutions”, says Edith Kabesiime (Wildlife Campaign Manager (Africa) for World Animal Protection)
By implementing a ban on the use of captive lions and their derivatives, in conjunction with a breeding ban and an immediate end to all activities involving captive bred lions, DFFE will effectively take the lead towards a greener and more responsible South Africa. These are the first steps in shifting away from commodifying our wildlife, while moving towards a true “ecologically sustainable…use of natural resources”, as described in Section 24 in the Bill of Rights of our Constitution.
“Opposing this brutal industry has been a long journey. Our ultimate objective has always been to end the captive lion breeding industry, and after so many setbacks, we sense an important change in attitude. We applaud the Minister, her department and the HLP. Going forward, we hope to be of assistance to them in closing down the industry”, say Ian Michler and Pippa Hankinson (Directors of Blood Lions).
Given the considerable scale of farming and trade of captive lions in our country, the recommendations that came out of the HLP consultations concur with the views held amongst the global conservation community, welfare organisations, hunting bodies and the general public, who all condemn the industry.
“The only effective way to safeguard both people and animals throughout this industry is to conduct a phased shift away from commercial captive predator breeding operations”, de Waal states. “These steps will not only ensure improved welfare conditions for captive lions and other big cats, health and safety of the public at large, but also the protection of wild lions and the safeguarding of Brand South Africa from reputational damage, as the Minister acknowledged in her statement this morning.”
“Thousands of farmed lions are born into a life of misery in South Africa every year in cruel commercial breeding facilities. This latest move by the Government of South Africa is courageous – taking the first steps in a commitment to long-lasting and meaningful change. This is a win for wildlife”, adds Kabesiime.
Blood Lions and World Animal Protection congratulate the Minister on these bold steps and offer their full support in developing and implementing a responsible phase-out plan in order to ensure that the commercial predator breeding industry is successfully closed down in South Africa, once and for all.
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 a global organisation with 14 offices around the world and for 55 years they have been protecting animals from needless suffering. From the frontlines of disaster zones to the boardrooms of large corporations, they are fighting to create better lives for all animals. www.worldanimalprotection.or.ke
