#MythBusting

#Myth
Busting

As part of our #CancelCaptivity campaign, Blood Lions launched this Myth Busting social media campaign to draw attention to the misinformation or ‘myths’ commonly linked to the captive lion industry. This campaign debunked eight myths using scientific research and well-known knowledge shared by lion conservationists and ecologists.

Click on the posts below to learn more about these Myths and the evidence against them.

Blood Lions Cancel Captivity #cancelcaptivityBlood Lions Youth For Lions Lion bone trade Tiger bones Predators in captivity Canned hunting Animal welfare Panthera leo Lions in captivity Cub petting Walking with lions Petting lion cubs Predator park Lion farm Lion park Commercial captive lion industry Tiger cub petting Captive predators Ban canned hunting Tigers in captivity Cheetahs in captivity Cute lion cubs Hand-feeding lion cubs Volunteer with lions Hand raise lion cubs Illegal wildlife trade Illegal lion bone trade Born To Live Wild Lion bone quota South Africa #CancelCaptivity #ThinkBeforeYouGo

MYTH: Breeding lions in captivity will save the species in the wild

A common myth linked to the captive lion breeding industry is that it has the ability to supplement and save the wild species. This is not the case. The IUCN
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Blood Lions Cancel Captivity #cancelcaptivityBlood Lions Youth For Lions Lion bone trade Tiger bones Predators in captivity Canned hunting Animal welfare Panthera leo Lions in captivity Cub petting Walking with lions Petting lion cubs Predator park Lion farm Lion park Commercial captive lion industry Tiger cub petting Captive predators Ban canned hunting Tigers in captivity Cheetahs in captivity Cute lion cubs Hand-feeding lion cubs Volunteer with lions Hand raise lion cubs Illegal wildlife trade Illegal lion bone trade Born To Live Wild Lion bone quota South Africa #CancelCaptivity #ThinkBeforeYouGo

MYTH: Captive-bred lions can be released into the wild

This is one of the most common myths linked to the captive lion breeding industry. As much as a wild animal is never fully tame, captive-bred lions are human-imprinted and
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Blood Lions Cancel Captivity #cancelcaptivityBlood Lions Youth For Lions Lion bone trade Tiger bones Predators in captivity Canned hunting Animal welfare Panthera leo Lions in captivity Cub petting Walking with lions Petting lion cubs Predator park Lion farm Lion park Commercial captive lion industry Tiger cub petting Captive predators Ban canned hunting Tigers in captivity Cheetahs in captivity Cute lion cubs Hand-feeding lion cubs Volunteer with lions Hand raise lion cubs Illegal wildlife trade Illegal lion bone trade Born To Live Wild Lion bone quota South Africa #CancelCaptivity #ThinkBeforeYouGo

MYTH: Captive-bred lions are genetically pure

The genetics of captive-bred lions are often compromised. The prevailing view amongst carnivore specialists and conservationists is that captive-bred lions do not contribute to the conservation of the species, especially
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Blood Lions Cancel Captivity #cancelcaptivityBlood Lions Youth For Lions Lion bone trade Tiger bones Predators in captivity Canned hunting Animal welfare Panthera leo Lions in captivity Cub petting Walking with lions Petting lion cubs Predator park Lion farm Lion park Commercial captive lion industry Tiger cub petting Captive predators Ban canned hunting Tigers in captivity Cheetahs in captivity Cute lion cubs Hand-feeding lion cubs Volunteer with lions Hand raise lion cubs Illegal wildlife trade Illegal lion bone trade Born To Live Wild Lion bone quota South Africa #CancelCaptivity #ThinkBeforeYouGo

MYTH: Captive bred lions are as wild as the lions in reserves

Although the wild instinct of captive-bred lions may well remain, they are human-habituated animals and are ill-equipped to survive in wild areas. Captive bred lions have never learned to hunt
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Blood Lions Youth For Lions Lion bone trade Tiger bones Predators in captivity Canned hunting Animal welfare Panthera leo Lions in captivity Cub petting Walking with lions Petting lion cubs Predator park Lion farm Lion park Commercial captive lion industry Tiger cub petting Captive predators Ban canned hunting Tigers in captivity Cheetahs in captivity Cute lion cubs Hand-feeding lion cubs Volunteer with lions Hand raise lion cubs Illegal wildlife trade Illegal lion bone trade Born To Live Wild Lion bone quota South Africa #CancelCaptivity #ThinkBeforeYouGo

MYTH: Interacting with captive cheetahs is perfectly safe

In the last 15 years, we have recorded 52 incidents of captive cheetahs, lions and tigers attacking a total of 58 people, of which 18 people died as a consequence
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Cancel Captivity Myth Blood Lions Blood Lions Youth For Lions Lion bone trade Tiger bones Predators in captivity Canned hunting Animal welfare Panthera leo Lions in captivity Cub petting Walking with lions Petting lion cubs Predator park Lion farm Lion park Commercial captive lion industry Tiger cub petting Captive predators Ban canned hunting Tigers in captivity Cheetahs in captivity Cute lion cubs Hand-feeding lion cubs Volunteer with lions Hand raise lion cubs Illegal wildlife trade Illegal lion bone trade Born To Live Wild Lion bone quota South Africa #CancelCaptivity #ThinkBeforeYouGo

MYTH: Cub petting is okay because the cubs are orphans

This is another extremely common myth linked to the captive lion industry, but is very often not the case. Many captive wildlife facilities will claim that their cubs were orphaned,
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Blood Lions #cancelcaptivity Myths Blood Lions Youth For Lions Lion bone trade Tiger bones Predators in captivity Canned hunting Animal welfare Panthera leo Lions in captivity Cub petting Walking with lions Petting lion cubs Predator park Lion farm Lion park Commercial captive lion industry Tiger cub petting Captive predators Ban canned hunting Tigers in captivity Cheetahs in captivity Cute lion cubs Hand-feeding lion cubs Volunteer with lions Hand raise lion cubs Illegal wildlife trade Illegal lion bone trade Born To Live Wild Lion bone quota South Africa #CancelCaptivity #ThinkBeforeYouGo

MYTH: Interacting with ‘ambassador animals’ helps conserve the species in the wild

Education should never take preference over the welfare of an animal. There is no doubt that raising awareness around species conservation issues and educating the public on these topics is
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Cancel Captivity Blood Lions Blood Lions Youth For Lions Lion bone trade Tiger bones Predators in captivity Canned hunting Animal welfare Panthera leo Lions in captivity Cub petting Walking with lions Petting lion cubs Predator park Lion farm Lion park Commercial captive lion industry Tiger cub petting Captive predators Ban canned hunting Tigers in captivity Cheetahs in captivity Cute lion cubs Hand-feeding lion cubs Volunteer with lions Hand raise lion cubs Illegal wildlife trade Illegal lion bone trade Born To Live Wild Lion bone quota South Africa #CancelCaptivity #ThinkBeforeYouGo

MYTH: Paying to interact with lions is acceptable as the money goes to conservation

There is no evidence that money raised through interactive captive wildlife activities is donated to the conservation of the species in the wild. Furthermore, not one credible conservation organisation would
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