Blood Lions Press Release: 01 November, 2019

Yesterday, 31 October, the Southern Africa Tourism Services Association (SATSA) launched their Animal Interaction Guidelines following a 12-month study into Animal Interactions in the tourism industry and the impact that these experiences have had on the image of South Africa.

SATSA believes that visitors to Southern Africa can still connect with the wilderness, where nature and ecosystems can be enjoyed in their original and natural state. They took this opportunity to find a “home-grown” approach to the growing presence of captive animal attractions in the tourism industry in a time of rising global disapproval of these exploitative practices.

“South Africa in the past has been known for its good ‘best-practice’ principles in conservation and [the animal interaction] industry is definitely tarnishing that,” said Keira Powers, SATSA Animal Interaction Committee Chairperson at Conservation Lab 2019.

Blood Lions Official Statement:
“Blood Lions commends SATSA on their thorough and comprehensive study of wildlife interactive tourism in South Africa. They have drawn a very clear ‘line in the sand’ as to what is not acceptable in terms of human activities with wildlife. This includes cub petting; walking with lions; training of animals to ‘perform’ or behave unnaturally; attractions which cause animals fear or discomfort; and activities that put animals or humans in any kind of danger.

What also stands out in their guidelines is that our current “understanding of animal sentience and knowledge of animal behaviour has advanced significantly over time.” This has enabled a greater understanding of how the misuse of animals is detrimental to the animals’ welfare, and damages the respect that humans have for these animals.

SATSA has developed a comprehensive Tool to assist the international travel industry, visitors and volunteers to make ethical and morally informed decisions around which types of tourism facilities they should or should not support in Southern Africa.

We appreciate that SATSA does not have the directive to regulate or legislate this industry, but they have now ‘set the stage’ to position Brand South Africa positively, and clearly expect the authorities (such as SA Tourism, TBCSA and NDT as well as environmental and agricultural departments) to rise to the challenge and stand united in taking these guidelines forward.”

Click here to view the full Guide by SATSA:
Evaluating Captive Wildlife Attractions & Activities

Click here to view the Statement from ‘The Coalition to Stop Captive Breeding and Keeping of Lions and other Big Cats for Commercial Purposes’ (The Coalition):
SATSA releases a solid set of home-grown captive wildlife interaction guidelines

We recently relaunched our #YouthForLions Ambassador Programme and are proud to introduce our new Youth Ambassadors.

These driven young individuals are set to play an extremely important role with the youth around the world by spreading awareness amongst their schools and communities. Each one of them has something unique to offer, but their passion for wildlife conservation and education is the commonality that has drawn them to our campaign.

Stephanie Klarmann:

Steph is a teacher, with her Masters in Psychology and has been a part of the campaign since 2017. She has organised a screening of the Blood Lions® film at Sagan Academy, the school that she teaches at, and continues to show the film to her students while encouraging discussion around the topics of captive breeding, canned hunting and wildlife conservation.

“My first love has always been about protecting animals, whether that meant being involved in welfare or advocacy issues, I knew where I wanted to be. When the issue of breeding lions for canned hunting became public, I was driven by the injustice and cruelty to be a part of something that would bring change. I truly believe in our ability to bring about positive change through education and advocacy, by being a voice for our wildlife. As a wildlife photographer, my greatest hope is that I can showcase Africa’s beautiful wildlife and demonstrate to others why keeping them wild and free is the only way to genuinely experience animals like big cats and elephants. South Africa’s youth can provide an especially powerful voice above those who choose to exploit wildlife. 

As a high school educator, I like to work closely with students and encourage their participation to pledge against supporting captive facilities. I hope that as a #YouthForLions Ambassador I can continue to spread this message to our youth on a greater platform. Education is vital to bringing about change, and I believe young people are more than capable of creating positive transformation when given the opportunity to understand the difference between exploitation and genuine conservation.”

Santhani Rungan:

Santhani is a student at Eden Schools, Durban, and a member of the Durban Youth Council. She has organised #YouthForLions talks at the Durban Youth Council and Eden College, and she arranged for our team to attend the Eden Schools Eco Fest.

“Standing up for what you believe in is something very close to my heart and this related to all facets of life. Especially standing up for those who cannot stand up for themselves. South Africa’s wildlife makes up an important aspect of our cultural heritage. By being careless and not taking care of our animals, we are destroying an integral part of our community. The majestic creatures that we share our space in Africa with are voiceless and for that they are suffering. Is it up to us to do something about it. 

I want to be a #YouthForLions Ambassador because the fight against wildlife crime is never-ending. If we don’t use our voices to speak up for those who cannot fight for themselves, who will? Spreading awareness to our youth is vital as we are the changemakers, the ones who have to take care of the planet and its creatures. Lions are beautiful creatures and if we don’t act, these big cats will continue to suffer at the hands of unkind humans. There is no better time to make a change than the present.”

Ben Wallace:

Ben is a British photojournalist, documentary filmmaker and adventurer with a passion for wildlife and southern Africa. He is a qualified ranger and previously worked as an ecologist and researcher at a game reserve in South Africa.

“I believe that the greatest way to inspire change is to inform and to educate others, and using social media is the best way to maximise this reach, and to maximise the difference that you make. As someone who was fairly knowledgeable on the subject, attending the YouthForLions ‘LIVE WILD’ Workshop and watching the Blood Lions® documentary was completely eye-opening for me. To see these beautiful and magnificent wild animals, the kings of wildlife reduced to a cage, habituated to people, and subjected to a system of breeding and slaughter similar to that of battery farming, is truly heart-breaking.

As young people, it is not necessarily because of our own doing that there are ongoing environmental problems which our planet faces, but it is up to us to be the driving force to inspire change, to make a difference, and to create the future that we want for ourselves, for our planet, and for the wildlife that we share it with. It’s a privilege for me to be a #YouthForLions Ambassador. I will take on this role with great pride and even greater responsibility to help this incredible team to expose the captive lion breeding industry, and to ultimately put an end to this cruel practice once and for all.”

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world” – Nelson Mandela.

Quéanne Southwood:

Quéanne is a Durban-based performer who lives for wildlife, conservation and travelling. Her mother, Janine, has worked in the tourism industry for many years and was one of our presenters at the YouthForLions ‘LIVE WILD’ Workshop.

“My love and passion for wildlife started as a young child and its something I had hoped would stay with me and grow into something bigger, as I grew older. As perseverance would have it, now, at the age of 20, I am so honoured to be a #YouthForLions Ambassador for their campaign which aims to educate and bring an end to canned hunting and the exploitative breeding of lions and other predators on farms across South Africa. I owe it to my mom for instilling in me, at a young age, an understanding and respect for our wildlife. Due to my mother’s role in the tourism industry, I have travelled throughout South Africa and was taught to love these beautiful creatures. It is in my blood to protect and do whatever I can to ensure Africa’s wildlife thrives. If you are not filled with overflowing love, compassion and goodwill for all creatures living in nature, You will never know true happiness.

From the words of Mufasa, “Everything you see exists together in a delicate balance.” As humans, we need to understand that balance and respect, from the tiny elephant shrew to the King of the jungle, our lions. This is the circle of life and it’s our job to protect it. As a professional singer and performing artist, it is a privilege to now be able to combine my two biggest passions, music and wildlife, to make a significant difference in saving our lions.”

“If they breathe, they live, if they live, they feel. If they feel they love, if they love, they are aware and if they are aware, they have a soul” – Anthony Douglas Williams.

Ian Swain II:

Ian currently serves as Vice President for Swain Destinations. He lives his passion every day by using travel as a vehicle to enrich and expand the worldviews of travellers from around the world. Blessed with the opportunity to travel the world from an early age, Ian has witnessed both the positive and negative impact that humans have on wildlife.

“Working within the Travel Industry, I have been introduced to the diversity of our world and seen first-hand how this industry can directly contribute to the conservation and sustainability of wildlife and wilderness. I believe one of the most effective ways to accomplish this is to show people our world – to bring them face to face with not only the beauty, but also the challenges. Exposing people to these dire challenges is one thing, but to bring them face to face with them develops the emotional connection. I know through responsible and sustainable travel, we can add value through awareness, conservation and action. That is what I strive to do.

I remember the first time I saw a pride of lions roaming free across African plains; a story that I still tell 15 years later. That moment left an indelible mark on my heart and planted the seeds of purpose. The purpose being that we must be the champions for our wildlife, who deserve our respect and protection. It is no longer enough to simply inspire. It is no longer enough to accept half-measures and moral victories. Now is the time for fully committed action that protects this planet and the wildlife that make it so special.”

An open letter signed by over 300 South African youths was sent to the Presidency as well as the Departments of Environment, Forest and Fisheries; Basic Education and Higher Education calling for an end to the captive breeding and commercial exploitation of wildlife across South Africa.

The 16th of June in South Africa serves to commemorate a day in 1979 when South African youth banded together and changed the course of our history. This Youth Day, the Blood Lions ‘YouthForLions’ team called upon the youth of South African to stand together once more and speak up against the injustices of captive predator breeding.

South Africa currently has approximately 3 times more lions in captivity than in the wild, and these animals are exploited at every phase of their lives despite claims made by the breeders. Young people from around the world travel to our country to visit these facilities believing that they are contributing to conservation when, in fact, their money is simply contributing to what is most often unethical breeding and fraudulent use of the animals.

This Youth Day initiative follows a decision made by the Department of Environmental Affairs in March 2019 to allow the captive lion breeding industry to continue with regulations in place, despite the recommendations and resolutions made by the Portfolio Committee of Environmental Affairs (PCEA) towards the end of 2018 to put an end to the practice. The PCEA confirmed that “there was an overwhelming consensus to the need to bring an end to the controversial aspects of the captive lion breeding industry in South Africa” and that the industry is, in fact, a blemish on South Africa’s conservation reputation and tourism image. Leading global conservation and scientific authorities have stated time and time again that the captive predator breeding industry has no conservation value, and goes against internationally accepted ethical and welfare protocols.

The 324 youth who signed the open letter agree that trying to regulate an industry that has been thriving for over a decade under ineffective governance is unfortunately not the answer.

“I truly believe that we are vastly more powerful and influential as a collective. I have been completely blown away by the support for this Open Letter and am immensely proud to have been a part of it. I implore the President and his Ministers to listen to the voices of the youth and hear their message” – Cath Jakins, Blood Lions ‘YouthForLions’ Coordinator.

In the week leading up to Youth Day, YouthForLions Coordinator, Cath, visited three schools in Eshowe, northern KwaZulu-Natal, where she presented on the captive lion breeding industry and the exploitative wildlife interactive tourism industry.

Cath presented to Grade 4 to 7 students at John Wesley School and Holy Childhood School and Grade 4 to 12 students at Gratton School. The reception at all 3 schools was fantastic with approximately 150 students volunteering to sign the YouthForLions pledge and add their names to the Open Letter.

THANK YOU to John Wesley School, Gratton School and Holy Childhood Convent School in Eshowe for hosting YouthForLions and for all your support for the Youth Day Open Letter initiative. We will definitely see you next year!

Read the Open Letter with all 324 signatures HERE.

For more information or if you have any questions, contact the Blood Lions ‘YouthForLions’ team on youth@bloodlions.org.

Written by Cath Jakins
Published on 20 June, 2019

During the months of April and May, I had the privilege of attending two internationally recognised travel and trade shows in South Africa with the Blood Lions team: World Travel Market (WTM) Africa in Cape Town and Africa’s Travel Indaba in Durban. Neither of these travel shows are open to the public like normal exhibitions, instead attendees are international buyers, travel operators and media personnel from around the world

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Our aim at these shows was to engage with the tourism industry and garner support for our Blood Lions ‘Born To Live Wild’ tourism campaign. The campaign is based on a pledge which has been signed by over 160 tourism operators around the world who do not support the captive breeding, canned hunting and commercial exploitation of wild animal species.

By signing the pledge, tourism operators are committing to “not knowingly book or support any breeder or operator that contributes to the cycle of breeding, exploitation and senseless killing of predators. This includes all petting and ‘walking with lion’ facilities.” Those who sign the pledge also commit to securing the survival of Africa’s predators in the wild by supporting and promoting “Africa as an authentic, wild and ethical tourism destination.”

My colleagues and I met with over 50 international and local buyers and tourism operators at both WTM and Indaba. Only about 30% of those we met with knew about Blood Lions or the interactive wildlife tourism industry. I was, and still am, shocked by this level of ignorance and naivety from the tourism industry.

I normally start my discussions with people by asking if they know anything about Blood Lions and the negative effects of interactive wildlife activities, like cub petting and ‘walking with lion’ attractions. Almost every person I spoke to at these travel shows knew what I meant when I said ‘interactive tourism’ or ‘cub petting’, and they could even name a few places that offered these activities; but majority of those I spoke to were shocked at the information I was giving them. I showed people our animated Life Cycle of a Captive Bred Lion clip and watched their faces turn from shock to dismay as the realisation kicked in.

With the term ‘Responsible Tourism’ becoming a buzz-word in the global tourism industry, it amazed me how few tourism operators knew the truth behind what is really going on in South Africa.

What is ‘interactive tourism’ you ask?

Well, when you Google the term ‘interactive tourism’, the top search result conveniently is an article off the Blood Lions website from 2017 titled “Interactive tourism and voluntourism”. Although this is great for Blood Lions exposure, that particular article doesn’t give a concise definition of what ‘interactive tourism’ actually is.

The ‘interactive wildlife tourism’ that I am referring to is any tourist attraction that allows you (the tourist) to encounter and physically interact with a ‘wild’ animal being held in captivity. The interactive wildlife tourism industry includes everything from lion cub petting to elephant-back riding and ‘walking with lion’ activities. In May of this year, National Geographic released an article titled “Suffering unseen: The dark truth behind wildlife tourism” reporting the results of an investigation into the ‘dismal lives’ lead by captive animals used for wildlife tourism encounters. According to the article by Natasha Daly and Kirsten Luce, “Wildlife tourism isn’t new, but social media is setting the industry ablaze, turning encounters with exotic animals into photo-driven bucket-list toppers”.

With tell-all articles like this out there and ‘responsible tourism’ becoming more common, it really surprises me how few people in the tourism industry are fully aware of the impact that these interactive activities have on the animals involved. The reality is that, by interacting with ‘wild’ animals in captivity, tourists and volunteers are contributing to the never-ending cycle of cruelty and abuse. The same animals that are used for interactions may well have been bred under intensive agricultural conditions and, if they are not shot in a hunt, could end up as part of the lion bone trade.

But there are good places to visit, right?

Well, yes, you do get bona vide sanctuaries that offer their (normally rescued) animals a home for life and DO NOT breed, trade or allow human interaction with their animals. We simply urge people to educate themselves and to ask the right questions before considering visiting a facility:

• Do they offer any activities based on animal and human interaction?
• If it claims to be a sanctuary, do they offer life-long care for their animals?
• Are they trading in animals?
• Where did all the animals come from and where do some of them go?
• Who is their recognised predator ecologist or scientist?
• Have any of their animals been released into the wild? And if so, where and when?

Our suggestion to tourists coming to Africa is to rather visit one of our many incredible National Parks and true wilderness areas to see wild lions in their natural habitat.

In addition to asking the right questions and being a responsible tourist, we call on the travel and tourism industry to join the Blood Lions ‘Born to Live Wild’ campaign by signing the Born to Live Wild pledge. By signing the pledge and adding their logos to the webpage, travel operators pledge against the exploitation of our wildlife and commit to supporting and promoting the formal conservation community in their endeavours to secure the survival of Africa’s predators in the wild.

Visit the Blood Lions ‘Born to Live Wild’ webpage: https://www.bloodlions.org/born-to-live-wild/

‘Sign’ the Born to Live Wild pledge by emailing your tourism company logo to info@bloodlions.org.

Since the film premiered in July 2015, the Blood Lions® Campaign team – together with the wonderful support of key partners around the world – have made great strides in their efforts to raise global awareness around captive lion breeding and “canned” (captive) hunting, as well as the associated tourism activities.

Below is a brief outline of our key milestones for 2018 – another significant year for change and awareness with the help of many partners and organisations in tourism, conservation and welfare.

Digital Media 2018

• The Website: over 200 000 visitors
• Blood Lions Facebook: over 54 000 followers; reach over 3.3 million in 2018
• Blood Lions Twitter: over 7 300 followers; reach over 1.9 million in 2018
• YouthForLions Facebook: over 4800 followers, reach over 366 000 in 2018
• YouthForLions Twitter: over 710 followers, reach over 707 000 in 2018
• Five international tweet storms with involving millions of supporters worldwide
• Online support since 2015 from top international influencers and celebrities: Ellen de Generes (48m followers), Miley Cyrus (19.4m), Ian Somerhalder, (6.21m), Nikki Reed (.8m), Shannon Elizabeth (.6m), Emily VanCamp (.5m), Ricky Gervais (12 m), Marc Abraham (46.8k)

Media Coverage:

• R53 673 762.16 pro bono media coverage globally to date and climbing daily.

Distribution:

• International Distributors
  • PBS International, USA and IFD, South Africa
• Blood Lions®DVD and VOD
  • DVD: Amazon in the USA, Takealot in South Africa,  iTunes in the United Kingdom;
  • VOD: available globally on Wildlife Conservation Channel; globally (excluding SA) on Ecostreamz; and in SA on Showmax
• Blood Lions® TV airings (54min TV edits): still ongoing in 180 countries/territories around the world through the Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, MSNBC, TV Ontario, RTK, N-Tv, Planéte.
• Blood Lions® “curated” screenings:Over 150 screenings in Australia, Belgium, Canada, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Finland, Germany, Holland, India, Indonesia, Israel, Kenya, Namibia, Nepal, New Zealand, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom, United States of America, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
• Blood Lions® promotional clips: 9 short info clips produced for the campaign, featuring different aspects of the captive lion breeding and canned hunting industry.
• Blood Lions® short promotional “teasers”: 9 info teasers produced this year for social media events
• 30,000 Blood Lions® DVDs distributed throughout South Africa:leading retailer Woolworths distributed largest number of DVD’s ever ordered in SA through their Bags4Good “Born to Live Wild” campaign.

2018 “Milestones”

• 2018 total media coverage for the year: Over R13 673 000.00 in pro bono media
• TV Airings: In addition to ongoing international airings of the TV edit of Blood Lions®, South African station SABC3 aired the full version of the film to coincide with World Lion Day on 10^th
• VOD: Contracts were signed with Ecostreamz in the USA for global viewing (excl. SA), and Showmax for viewing in South Africa.
• Promotional videos: Nine short clips were produced for release to coincide with key campaign initiatives
• TV interviews:Blood Lions presented on Kyknet TV on the captive breeding industry
• Radio interviews:Cape Talk Radio, RGS, Algoa FM on various topics in the industry.
• Thirteen school/university Blood Lions® Screenings and “Youth For Lions” presentations
• Fourteen curated Blood Lions® Screenings, presentations and talks were hosted over the year. Various TV, radio, magazine and newspaper interviews and articles were also conducted during the year
• Partnership activations and events:
  • British Illustrator and author Patrick George created effective graphics for “YouthForLions”
  • Richard Peirce’s “Cuddle Me, Kill Me” Book included Blood Lions contributions
  • Humane Society International (HSI) Tourism alert and Poll
  • Humane Society International (HSI) / Blood Lions airline magazine advertisements:
    • Mango Airlines Magazine and article on cub petting and lion walking
    • SAA’s Sawubona Magazine Advertisements

• South African Media Launch of Born Free Foundation’s ‘Cash before Conservation’ Report: An Overview of the Breeding of Lions for Hunting and Bone Trade.
• Blood Lions broke the news on the slaughter of over 100 lions in the Freestate province which gained international attention and national action. Read Article Here
• EWT Joint open letter to Department of Environmental Affairs on predator attacks.
• Membership of a newly formed coalition of conservation leaders created to “stop the captive breeding and keeping of lions and other big cats for commercial purposes”.
• Bellevue Café, Kloof, KZN: Coffee campaign and fundraiser to raise awareness around captive lion breeding industry.
• Thompsons Africa: multiple screening of Blood Lions to Thompsons Africa staff, followed by signing of the Blood Lions “Born To Live Wild” Tourism Pledge committing not to endorse or sell exploitative wildlife interactions: Read Here
• SA Institute of International Affairs: contribution towards report by Dr. Ross Harvey “The Economics of Captive Predator Breeding in SA”
• SPOTS in the Netherlands, in partnership with TUI and ANVR, held multiple screenings of the Blood Lions® at Stenden University, Saxion University and Wageningen University, which formed part of an extended “Responsible Tourism and Voluntourism” initiative
• WESSA : Envirokidz Magazine insert on cub petting
• Participated in the “Cape Town Unites For Animals” March
• Trek for Big Cats “Everest Base Camp” raising awareness around the plight of big cats
• Jackson Hole Wild, USA: Mobile film Library partnering with African Parks to hold screenings of films in rural areas across Africa

• Live Facebook feeds / videos
  • Karl Ammann, Swiss filmmaker and environmental journalist: speaking about the tiger bone trade in South East Asia and his upcoming film. Watch it here.
  • Pippa Hankinson, Blood Lions: speaking about the Portfolio Committee for the Environment’s Report as adopted by Parliament, which followed the colloquium on captive lion breeding in South Africa. Watch it here.
  • Andrew Venter, CEO WildTrust: discussing the lion bone trade. Watch it here.
• Trade Fairs and Conferences attended
  • Indaba, Durban South Africa
  • We Are Africa: Conservation Lab, Cape Town South Africa
  • South African Youth Travel Conference (SAYTC), Western Cape
  • Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Environment, Cape Town: two day colloquium entitled “Captive Lion Breeding For Hunting In South Africa: Harming Or Promoting The Conservation Image Of The Country?”
  • Symposium of Contemporary Conservation Practice
• Youth For Lions Online Campaign:
  • YFL Blog: launched December 2018 as a way to share educational content regarding the captive lion breeding industry, as well as to keep our followers up to date with news from the campaign and activities that the YouthForLions team are involved in.
  • 2018 #YouthForLions On-Line Campaigns (Initiatives):
    • #AprilAwareness– Campaign looking at the six questions you should be asking before visiting wildlife facilities.
    • #JumpIntoActionInJune– Raised awareness around the actions our followers could take against the cub petting industry, canned lion hunting and lion bone trade. Each week an action was highlighted that enabled our followers to help make a difference in the conservation and protection of lions.
    • #SeptemberSchoolsChallenge– We challenged our followers, their friends and schools to sign our PLEDGE and SAY NO to animal interaction and facilities involved in the captive breeding and canned hunting industry.  We asked them to send in their pictures and join the global movement against the canned hunting industry in South Africa.

Written by the Blood Lions team
Published on 5 March, 2019

The Blood Lions ‘YouthForLions’ team hosted a youth workshop for over 120 high school and university students at the UKZN Howard College Theatre on Saturday, 2 March 2019.

The one day event highlighted and discussed activities associated with the captive lion breeding industry in South Africa, and other pressing conservation and tourism topics, such as Responsible Tourism, ethical volunteering programmes, and the harm that interacting with wild animals causes.

This was followed by a screening of the award winning Blood Lions® film, which follows acclaimed environmental journalist and safari operator Ian Michler, and Rick Swazey, an American hunter, on their journey to uncover the realities about the multimillion-dollar lion breeding and canned hunting industry in South Africa.

The Blood Lions ‘YouthForLions’ campaign is a global movement aimed at informing and engaging the worlds youth around the realities of tourist activities that exploit lion, such as cub petting and walking with lions; and the contribution these activities have on the canned hunting industry in South Africa.

Students who attended the Workshop were inspired by presentations from YouthForLions Coordinator Cath Jakins; Wildlife ACT’s Mark Gerrard and Zama Ncube; Thompsons Africa’s Janine Southwood; Youth 4 African Wildlife’s Fortunate Phaka; Project Rhino and Rhino Art’s Grant Fowlds; as well as Nunu Jobe(Trails Guide and Youth Mentor), Melumsi Matiwane (Rhino Art Educator), and Ben Wallace(Videographer).

The students left the Howard College Theatre with a much deeper understanding of the captive breeding industry, as well as the terms “Responsible Tourism” and “Ethical wildlife volunteering”. They were also exposed to possible career paths and opportunities in the conservation field.

“It is vital to see such a huge group of youth here posing such relevant questions to the speakers. This event is a great initiative to work towards developing our future leaders in the conservation space” – Mark Gerrard, Wildlife ACT Director.

Following the presentations and the Blood Lions® film, students were broken into groups and were given the task of creating a unique #YouthForLions campaign to create awareness on the critical conservation issues they had learnt about during the Workshop. The Blood Lions ‘YouthForLions’ team were thoroughly impressed by the wide variety of campaign ideas brought forward by the 11 groups of students and had an extremely difficult decision to make. The group with the most captivating and original campaign idea won themselves a 2-day trip to the iconic Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Game Reserve where they will have the opportunity to track and monitor wild lions and other priority species with conservation NGO, Wildlife ACT.

Here is what some of the students had to say about their time at the LIVE WILD Workshop:

“On Saturday 2 March I was privileged to be invited to the YouthForLions LIVE WILD workshop held at UKZN Howard College. Every single person took atleast one thing away from this workshop. Personally, I learnt how these wild cats are portrayed as these cute, touchable animals and how much money people pay to volunteer to help them. I also learnt how that money is just used to breed more lions and increase the breeding centres to uncontrollable sizes with inhumane conditions. I would just like to thank the YouthForLions team for everything that they do for the conversation of this amazing species and I just hope that the breeders wake up to the fact that what they are doing is wrong.” – Makaira Kerkhoff: Grade 11, Glenwood Boys’ High School.

“My brother and I attended the YouthForLions workshop at UKZN Howard College. It was a day full of fun, with interesting and interactive talks given by a number of big organisations that catered for everyone’s interests and potential career opportunities. The Blood Lions® movie gave everyone emotions revolving around anger, sadness and even guilt to those that have petted or walked with lions. Personally, I was angry and disappointed that people could be so heartless towards nature and its animals. It showed how lions are affected by inbreeding and how the owners became so defensive when asked questions relating to their lions lives and how they are treated.” – Odin Kerkhoff: Grade 9, Glenwood Boys’ High School.

“YouthForLions was an incredible experience for me and I could not be happier that I attended such an amazing workshop. I have a strong passion for animals and the environment and YouthForLions brought those two things together. Not only did they educate me on multiple issues, but they also gave me the confidence to do what I want to achieve later in my life. #YouthForLions is a great way to make younger people and communities more conscious of the reality of the industry and how this issue is growing which later could lead to disastrous results. I hope this workshop continues to grow in size and numbers, and that we’ll soon start seeing it on a bigger scale for everyone to experience.” – Kyra Foster: Grade 12, Northlands Girls’ High School.

“The Blood Lions workshop was an amazing experience and all the presentations were excellent and a very effective way to educate and involve people about conservation issues. I learnt that daily interactions between lions and people must be avoided because these lions are supposed to be released back to the wild. The information about this issue was unknown to me and many of the youth at the Workshop. YouthForLions plays an important role in wildlife conservation. I learnt a lot about canned hunting and I’m looking forward to attend the next workshops.” – Siboniso Mthiyane: UNISA Graduate.