This is an excerpt from an article written by Corne van Zyl and published online by The South African on 26 August, 2021
The NSPCA uncovered shocking conditions at a lion breeding farm in the Free State in including more than a dozen dead lions in a freezer.
The National Council of SPCAs (NSPCA) recently uncovered shocking conditions at a lion breeding farm in the Free State, including 13 lion carcasses discovered in a locked freezer container. The lion carcasses were stored together with the lion food supply.
THERE IS SPECULATION THAT THE LIONS DID NOT DIE OF NATURAL CAUSES
“Due to existing animal welfare concerns found at the lion breeding farm, the NSPCA’s concern over the lion carcasses is not only based on how these lions were kept while alive but also, how they died.”
The NSPCA said it has reasonable cause to believe the deaths were not natural.
“Due to their suspicions, 7 of the 13 carcasses were seized in terms of our warrant conditions and were sent for full post-mortem analysis and report.”
NSPCA said a joint inspection initiated by the NSPCA with the Environmental Management Inspectors from DESTEA was carried out earlier this month on a lion breeding farm in the Free State Province.
“The inspection carried out matched that of an old familiar scene NSPCA Inspectors are familiar with regarding lion farming.”
Blood Lions, which has campaigned to end ‘canned hunting’ and exploitative breeding of lions, said these findings are harrowing and a strong reminder that the process to end this sinister industry in South Africa needs to keep pushing forward.