Delivered by email to: knaicker@environment.gov.za and bcreecy@environment.gov.za
28th September 2021
Dear Honourable Minister Creecy and Dr Naicker,
Keep South Africa’s Iconic Species Wild
There are many reasons why Blood Lions and our partners around the world are in support of the Minister’s recent announcement to end the predator breeding industry in South Africa and the subsequent draft Policy Position document on the conservation and ecologically sustainable use of elephant, lion, leopard and rhinoceros.
The reputational and marketing damage to Brand SA and our proud conservation and ecotourism heritage that comes with failing to act is one of the most important issues. By ending the commercial captive lion breeding and keeping practices, the Minister and government will be sending a compelling message to the world that South Africa indeed supports sound conservation, and our tourism products are ethical, responsible and authentic.
After the release of the Blood Lions documentary in 2015, the campaign launched the Born to Live Wild Tourism Pledge. Every one of the 200 logos below, of which half are internationally recognised South African tour operators, representing 2,738 members worldwide, commit:
- To not knowingly book or otherwise support any captive lion breeder or tourist facility that contributes to the cycle of breeding, exploitation and senseless killing of predators. This includes all petting and walking with lions activities.
- To continue our support and promotion of the formal conservation community in their endeavours to secure the survival of Africa’s predators in the wild. Without wild lions and the rest of the predator guild extant in functioning ecosystems, there will be no African tourism industry – a calamitous situation for many economies.
- To continue in our own endeavours towards wildlife conservation and economic development wherever we operate across the world.
- To continue supporting an ethical and responsible interaction with wilderness and wild animals in their natural habitat.
- To continue promoting Africa as an authentic, wild and rewarding tourism destination.
This means, the signatories of our Born To Live Wild pledge have committed to keeping South Africa’s iconic species wild and do not support any facility that contributes to the cycle of captive breeding, canned hunting and the wider commercial exploitation of wild animal species.
This pledge places every one of these operators, as well as their subsidiary companies and guests, as firm supporters of the High-Level Panel recommendations, the Minister’s announcement to end predator breeding, and the subsequent draft Policy Position on the conservation and ecologically sustainable use of elephant, lion, leopard and rhinoceros.
We would like to draw attention to the following statistics provided in the State of the Wildlife Economy in Africa report, compiled by the African Leadership University School of Wildlife Conservation (2021). According to their study, the total contribution of travel and tourism in 2019 was US$24.6 billion or approximately 7% of the total South African economy creating 1.4 million jobs (i.e. 9.1% of total employment). In contrast, the direct contributions to SA’s economy in 2015 from trophy hunting were a mere US$153 million and the wider wildlife ranching sector contributed a further US$438 million.
Clearly, the risks in continuing the commercial captive predator industry, with all its spin-off activities such as canned hunting, tourism interactive activities, and lion bone export trade, are substantial.
Warm regards,
Dr Louise de Waal
On behalf of Blood Lions and our Born to Live Wild signatories