This is an excerpt from an article written by Selene Brophy and published online by Traveller24 on 16 August, 2016
Cape Town – Lion cub petting is believed to be one of the many pitfalls of South Africa’s notorious canned lion hunting industry – an industry that has come under much scrutiny in the run up to CITES CoP17, set to be held in Johannesburg at the end of September.
In June of this year the controversial Lion Park, which totes itself as the most visited tourist attraction in Gauteng, announced that it would not only be opening its gates in new and improved premises but that it would also be looking to offer a more “authentic safari experience” by doing away with its petting zoo at the new 600 hectare location in the Magaliesberg Mountains.
Operation manager at the time Scott Simpson told Traveller24 that at the new, much larger park, organisers will aim to move away from the “petting zoo experience, to a more authentic safari experience in the Cradle of Humankind”.