The internationally acclaimed film Blood Lions™ – Bred for the Bullet, has partnered with the Born Free Foundation to bring you the London premiere of the documentary.

The controversial feature will be screened on the 27th November at 19h00 at the Royal Geographical Society in London. For a small contribution of only £20 you can witness this groundbreaking film.

“Blood Lions joins other films, such as Gorillas in the Mist, Echo of the Elephants, The Cove, and Blackfish, which have truly influenced the way we interact with wild animals,” says Born Free Foundation president, Will Travers.

Lions bred for slaughter in South Africa is big business. The Blood Lions™ story is a compelling call to action to have these practices stopped. The documentary follows presenter, researcher and safari operator Ian Michler, and American hunter, Rick Swazey, on their journey to uncover the realities about the multimillion dollar predator breeding and canned lion hunting industries in South Africa.

“Being able to screen Blood Lions™ at the Royal Geographical Society with the Born Free Foundation as a partner is a great honour,” said Ian Michler. “The film and its messages continue to receive global attention, and this opportunity allows us to extend the discussion on a personal basis to include the British people and media.”

The Blood Lions™ team are implementing campaigns of awareness and action aimed at the general public, both local and international government and provincial decision-makers, the scientific and conservation community, the tourism industry, the professional hunting bodies, and the volunteer agencies. The team are also establishing two projects to feed funding into support for a Wild Lion Range Expansion Project and the NSPCA in South Africa.

“We are proud to partner with the Born Free Foundation for the UK premiere of our feature documentary in London later this month,” said Pippa Hankinson, the producer and driving force behind Blood Lions™. “The support that the film has received from across the United Kingdom has been phenomenal, and it is already playing a significant part in our campaign to create global awareness around the captive lion breeding industry in South Africa and to end the terrible exploitation of these lions.”

Andrew Venter, CEO of Wildlands and executive producer said:  “Blood Lions™ exposes the cons of lion breeding and hunting in South Africa. Over 900 lions are hunted each year, with 99% bred for the bullet. They are hand-reared by paying volunteers that believe they are saving ‘Africa’s lions’. Four days after their release from a life in captivity, they are considered wild and can then be shot by hunters looking for a guaranteed kill; or slaughtered for the lion bone trade to China. We have to stop this barbaric and fraudulent practise, and we believe that Blood Lions™ will help us do this. Creating awareness through this film across the world is an absolute honour, and Wildlands is very proud to be a part of this movement.”

Will Travers concludes by saying: “South Africa’s failure to address the canned hunting industry has emboldened those who make a living out of the death of lions bred, raised and slaughtered on a ‘no kill, no fee’ basis. The canned hunting industry is unnatural, unethical and unacceptable. It delivers compromised animal welfare and zero education. It undermines conservation and creates a moral vacuum now inhabited by the greed and grotesque self-importance of those who derive pleasure in the taking of life.Blood Lions™ lays bare the truth behind the canned hunting industry that, far from contributing to the future survival of the species, may in fact accelerate its extinction in the wild, leaving behind a trail littered with the rotting corpses of its helpless victims.”

To reserve your seats to view this groundbreaking film, please visit www.bornfree.org.uk/bloodlions. The screening at the Royal Geographical Society is located at: 1 Kensington Gore, London SW7 2AR (Exhibition Road entrance).