Month: August 2015

Cape Town – In the aftermath of the anger that followed the killing of Cecil, the lion from Zimbabwe, debate is intensifying over the practice of hunting captive-bred lions.

Ian Michler, maker of a documentary film called Blood Lions, has estimated that close to 1 000 lions bred in captivity in South Africa are fatally shot every year by trophy seekers.

The practice is an “extreme and a brutal form of trophy hunting”, Michler said in a telephone interview with the Associated Press news agency this week.

Those who oppose the practice and refer to the custom as “canned hunting” say lions that are bred in captivity are not afraid of people, making them easy targets for shooting in relatively confined areas.

While hunting operators in South Africa describe their industry as well-regulated, a key hunting association has called for a review of captive-bred lion hunting amid growing public criticism. In Zimbabwe, authorities have said two American hunters were involved in illegal lion killings in separate cases in the area of Hwange National Park in April and July.

The cases have put fresh scrutiny on hunting in Africa at a time when poaching has heavily reduced wildlife numbers, including threatened species such as lions, rhinos and elephants.

There has been some success in the conservation of wild lions.

Last month, however, Environment Minister Edna Molewa, held a meeting to discuss concern about alleged irregularities at what she called “the fringe” of the “legal, well-regulated” lion breeding and hunting industries.

It is time to review captive-bred lion hunting, Hermann Meyeridricks, president of the Professional Hunters’ Association of South Africa, said in a July 24 letter to association members.

“Broader society is no longer neutral on this question and the tide of public opinion is turning strongly against this form of hunting, however it is termed,” he wrote.

An adolescent lion lies listlessly in a cage, staring out from behind bars at a slew of eager, naive tourists. Just moments ago, this lion — let’s call him Leo — arrived back to his cage after walking with these tourists, having been poked and prodded with a stick to “perform” for the would-be safari-goers for pictures and entertainment. Leo will soon be forced from his cage for yet another round of walking, whilst people look on with amazement, disbelief that they are walking with a real-life lion evident on their faces. It’s called lion walking, and it is only one of many tourist activities in South Africa which directly exploit lions for profit.

You may be surprised to learn that the subtropical country of South Africa is home to more than 6,000 captive-bred lions, with approximately 160 lion ranches in operation for the sole purpose of turning Leo — your friendly neighborhood lion — into profit. Those numbers pertain just to South Africa alone. The most recent survey for wild lion populations across all of Africa puts the number at less than 30,000; a pretty big hit to take, if you consider that just a century ago, as many as 200,000 wild lions roamed the planes of Africa. With more captive-bred lions than wild existing in South Africa, one has to wonder just where exactly all of the country’s lions have gone; a popular question asked by many a conservationist and lion advocate. Exploitation appears to be the answer.

For those who have fallen for the conservation con, it may come as a surprise that activities such as lion walking and cub petting contribute absolutely nothing to conservation. In fact, the lions used in these activities are bred only for profit, and eventually sold into hunts once they surpass their ability to be useful, or safe, in the tourism industry. The breeding of lions is so lucrative, that over the span of its caged life time — a lion could rear well over $100,000 for a breeding facility. Sound unethical? Well, that’s because it is, and it all culminates to one end: canned hunting.

Canned hunting is the practice of hunting an animal in a confined space from which it cannot escape. It is one of South Africa’s most lucrative industries — in 2012 alone, it generated approximately R807 million in profits — and is perfectly legal in the country, despite what the South African government may protest. In a nutshell, hunters from around the globe (but more specifically, America) travel to South Africa and pay thousands of dollars to shoot a captive-bred lion for trophy — sometimes at a rate of $30,000 a pop, or more. How do they get away with doing this? Hunting and breeding propaganda would have you believe that canned and trophy hunting contributes to conservation because, as the hunter’s mentality stipulates, for every captive lion killed, a wild one is saved. This, of course, is wildly untrue and operates under the premise that hunters would be going out to shoot wild lions were they unable to shoot captive ones.

Canned hunting is so lucrative in South Africa not only due to the tourist industry — which offers hunters the opportunity to stay in five-star hunting lodges and bring home animal trophies — but also thanks to the lion-bone trade. The market in Asia for tiger and lion bone is of such high demand, that a lion breeder in South Africa can make up to R24000 for the skeleton of just one hunted lion; that’s approximately $1,900 U.S. dollars. Add those profits to the rough R300000 (approx. $24,000 U.S. dollars) a breeder can make from just one lion hunt alone, and you’ve got pretty heavy pockets. Everyday in South Africa, at least two to three captive-bred lions are killed in canned hunts. One is being hunted as you read this.

Ian Michler, a founding partner in Invent Africa Safaris and conservationist with Conservation Action Trust & Eden to Addo, says the significant profits made from canned hunts and lion breeding are not funding conservation but, rather, are lining operator’s pockets. “Despite the significant growth in canned hunts over the last 15 years, wild lion numbers continue to decline across Africa,” says Michler. “Canned hunting has simply opened up another cheaper market for hunters. And the breeders now have a variety of other revenue streams – cub petting, walking with lions, trading and the lion bone trade for example — that add significantly to their profits. When all these commercial opportunities are added in, the predator breeding and canned hunting operators are more than likely producing greater revenues than the average ‘fair chase’ hunting outfit, but none of this is going into any meaningful conservation project.”

Those other revenue streams Michler mentions dominate South African tourism as a few of the country’s most popular tourist activities, and it’s biggest scams. “The cub-petting, ‘walking with lions’ and volunteer market have become significant contributors to the scam,” Michler says, adding that these activities are “promoted by making fraudulent or incorrect conservation claims as almost all of these operators make little to no conservation contribution.” That you can travel to South Africa to help save a lion cub is undoubtedly an attractive idea — of which inspires thousands of volunteers and tourists to flock to SA each year to help “save lions.” But what happens behind the scenes of these activities exposes the cruel underbelly of lion exploitation. What you may think is a life-changing adventure overseas to help save a legendary species is quite literally the opposite. “Volunteers pay thousands of dollars to the [lion breeding] operators and in most cases all they end up doing is raising cubs that will be shot in a canned hunt or slaughtered for the lion bone trade,” says Michler. He states that, though these operators and facilities are not directly responsible for the decline in wild lion populations, they are confusing the conservation message, something of which many volunteers and tourists are victims.

When it comes to those cute, cuddly cubs and awe-inspiring lions you can pet and walk with in South Africa, few recognize the lack of ethics behind the industries. Cub petting, for example, entails the removal of cubs from their mother right after birth, at which point they are then thrust into the arms of starry-eyed volunteers or tourists who pay a few dollars to cuddle the frightened cub or get their picture taken with it as it cries for its mother. A female lion is forced to breed and deliver cubs at an alarming rate quite unnatural and unhealthy in comparison with her natural breeding cycle, were she living in the wild; but she is a captive lion, and therefore used solely for the purpose of factory breeding. Once these cubs are no longer safe for cuddling or handling by tourists, they will be used for lion walking, whereby one can pay to walk with a few adolescent lions as a guide goads them with treats and a stick. This type of cruel, highly unethical treatment of animals is quick to anger and move lion advocates to emotion, with cries of “Ban canned hunting!” being cheered around the globe. Few of us have yet to realize, however, that the banning of canned lion hunting in South Africa will not save the species.

Pieter Kat, a Doctor of Ecology and Founder of the registered charity LionAid, believes there must be a more effective public platform in South Africa through which the other, more lucrative aspects of lion breeding can be dealt. As he surmises, “There should be a challenge based on the contention that captive breeding of predators must be based on conservation grounds. Such breeding should only be conducted by registered zoos, for example, and not by private individuals. Private individuals should be perhaps able to own lions, but breeding should be under very strict scrutiny. There should [also] be a court challenge to re-instate lions as a Threatened or Protected Species in line with South Africa’s continental obligation to ensure the future conservation of a species in free-fall decline. South Africa should take an international view rather than a narrow national and non-constructive view.” Considering the substantial profits and revenue brought into the country by tourist activities like cub petting and canned hunting, could SA ever truly move away from the current model it encapsulates in order to help save its lions? Kat believes it is necessary. “South Africa should be made aware that international tourism will be diminished by their stance to promote trophy hunting and captive breeding of lions,” he says. “The profits to be made are minuscule in terms of what they stand to lose.”

With its hands dirtied by such cruel industries, why hasn’t South Africa stepped in to save its lions? In April 2015, the South African government released a draft of a Biodiversity Management Plan for Lions with the supposed aim of conserving its national lion population. The BMP — which contains a plethora of information and proposals for the conservation of lions based on collected data — has several shortcomings, most notably of which is its recommendation to downgrade the status of its lions on the IUCN Red List from “vulnerable” to “least concern.” According to LionAid’s thorough overview of the BMP, the management plan falls well short of any viable methods to actually help conserve lions. For instance, in regards to the government’s lack of involvement, “The proposal does not address the significant need of government oversight of the captive lion breeding industry;” there are also several issues relating to the data used throughout the management plan. The evidence for wild lion population numbers, for example, are long out of date — though the proposal mentions a new population survey will occur in 2015, LionAid’s overview surmises that such a survey will occur after the delisting of the lions’ IUCN status takes place.

What is of particular interest from the BMP is its lack of objectives for dealing with canned hunting and lion farms in South Africa, indicating that some of the more significant issues surrounding the country’s lions have effectively been ignored. In July 2015, Edna Molewa (South Africa’s Minister of Environmental Affairs) held a stakeholder engagement in which issues of captive lion breeding and canned hunting were discussed. South Africa’s Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) released a statement regarding the engagement; according to Molewa, the meeting was a reflection of the seriousness with which the SA government regards allegations of criminality “operating at the fringe of the legal, well-regulated breeding and hunting industries.” Molewa attempted to sweep the issue of canned hunting under the rug, stating that “South Africa is recognized worldwide for its conservation successes with regards to African lion, so much so that the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) just recently hailed our advances in protecting the species.” But captive-lion breeding cannot be considered a conservational success when the lions bred in captivity are used for profits generated from hunting and killing them. Molewa is known for consistently denying the existence of canned hunting in South Africa, stating on many occasions that it is “illegal” in SA, despite the plethora of evidence for the factual existence of canned hunting in her country.

Whilst the South African government sits atop its throne — denying canned hunting and protecting the interests of the pro-hunting and breeding associations — other countries are stepping in to ensure that Africa’s lions have a future. Greg Hunt, Minister of Environmental Affairs for Australia, made a groundbreaking move earlier this year by banning the import and export of lion trophies from Africa in Australia. Donalea Patman, Founder of the Australian non-profit For the Love of Wildlife, works alongside individuals like Hunt who aim to save iconic species by enforcing regulations which protect these creatures. “Australia’s ban, as a direct response to [the trophy] industry, is a statement about moral code and ethics,” says Patman. “It’s a global first and is visionary and courageous. What it says to the world is that farming wild animals that are humanized for someone to pay to kill is abhorrent.” Like many, Patman believes Africa’s wildlife is under siege, with countries like South Africa doing little — if nothing — to help. “South Africa has had ample opportunity to address the issue and yet, despite continued effort from conservation and animal advocate groups, it still goes on.”

The number of pro-hunting and breeding associations present in South Africa fighting for their “right” to kill wildlife only further indicates the work which needs to be done by the country in order to save their native species. While lion conservation groups work tirelessly to save lions and their habitat (human infringement is a serious issue for lion habitat in Africa), the same cannot be said for such pro-hunting lobbies, and the false messages they spread that hunting and other lion interactions aid conservation. “Very few, if any, of the breeders and canned hunters in South Africa are making a contribution on this level,” says Michler. “The breeders and canned hunters in South Africa need to be stopped because they are confusing these messages and priorities with their false claims [on conservation].”

Australia may be leading the world in efforts to ban lion trophies, but they are by no means the only group to make waves. “Blood Lions,” a feature film created by Michler and his team of wildlife professionals, is a hard-hitting documentary which will quite literally blow the lid off of the canned hunting industry. I spoke to Michler about the documentary, and what inspired its creation: “I have been one of many people and organizations calling for an end to these practices for decades, but with little success as the numbers of predators in captivity have continued to grow. I had long believed that the only way these industries would be truly exposed was through a hard-hitting documentary – not a soft touch film, but one that was bold in its aims. That only came about when Pippa Hankinson, one of the film’s Producers, decided she wanted to make such a film. Two years later, a team of dedicated and professional participants have produced what we believe can be a tool for real change.” “Blood Lions” had its very successful premier in Durban on July 22nd, 2015.

There are, of course, many solutions for saving Africa’s lion which conservationists and advocates alike work daily to achieve. But saving Africa’s lions isn’t as simple as a Biodiversity Management Plan — especially when countries like South Africa have pro-hunting and breeding interests to protect. Though we would all rejoice in seeing the canned lion hunting industry abolished, this move would not automatically save South Africa’s lions, causing many of us to recognize that the more lucrative industries that exploit this species are the root of the problem. Until the South African government is willing to cooperate and understand that hunting and breeding of captive lions has no place in lion conservation, it will continue to bleed every dollar possible from its wildlife, perhaps until nothing is left for future generations to come.

Woede oor Cecil kan bedryf groot skade berokken

Die woede oor die dood van die Zimbabwiese swartmaanhaarleeu Cecil, tesame met die uitreiking van ’n dokumentêre rolprent oor geblikte leeujag, is volgens kenners besig om te ontwikkel in ’n “perfekte storm” wat die Suider-Afrikaanse jagbedryf groot skade aanrig.

Sowat 2 miljoen mense het hierdie week binne 48 uur twee afsonderlike aanlyn petisies van Avaaz.org en Change.org onderteken waarin hulle eis dat die Amerikaanse owerheid en die Europese Unie die invoer van enige jagtrofeë na Amerika en Europa verbied.

Die petisie vra voorts dat Westerse state “onmiddellik moet optree om die afname in die leeubevolking oor Afrika heen te keer deur leeus as ’n bedreigde spesie te klassifiseer”.

Die petisies volg op die internasionale woede nadat ’n Amerikaanse tandarts, dr. Walter Palmer, een van die Hwange Nasionale Park se geliefste leeus, Cecil, met ’n kruisboog geskiet het. Cecil is na bewering met ’n karkas uit die Zimbabwiese wildtuin gelok voordat hy op ’n naburige wildplaas geskiet is.

Die plakkaat van die dokumentêre rolprent Blood Lions.

Suid-Afrika se jagbedryf het verder slae gekry met die bekendstelling van die dokumentêre rolprent Blood Lions, wat die fokus laat val op die teel van mak leeus vir sogenaamde “geblikte jag”. Die rolprent het onmiddellik internasionale aandag getrek en bekendes soos die Amerikaanse TV-ster Ellen DeGeneres en die Britse komediant Ricky Gervais het albei daaroor getwiet.

Volgens die dokumentêr word daar elke dag in Suid-Afrika tussen twee en drie mak leeus of leeus wat in hokke geteel is, gejag.

Luidens die dokumentêr word daar tans sowat 8 000 leeus in hokke of klein kampe aangehou “vir redes wat niks met bewaring te doen het nie”.

Die rolprent, wat die afgelope Woensdagaand aan plaaslike en internasionale joernaliste in Johannesburg vertoon is, bevat skokkende beeldmateriaal van mak leeus wat etlike meter van “jagters” af geskiet word.

In een toneel krul ’n jong leeu van die pyn nadat hy vyf keer geskiet word voordat hy uiteindelik sterf. In ’n ander toneel word ’n jong leeu gewys wat te swak of siek is om te loop.

Ian Michler, verteller in die rolprent, sê hul doel is om die waarheid oor die wrede en onetiese bedryf aan mense wêreldwyd oor te dra: dat leeus hier soos batteryhoenders vir die jagbedryf geteel word en dat die diere geen bewaringswaarde het nie omdat hulle nie in die natuur kan oorleef nie.

“Ons hoop op wêreldwye veroordeling van die bedryf en om genoeg druk op die owerheid te plaas om die teling en verhandeling van wilde diere in aanhouding vir jagdoeleindes te verbied,” sê hy.

Garry Kelly van South African Outfitters (Sampeo) sê in die rolprent professionele jagters is bekommerd oor die slegte naam wat die bedryf kry weens geblikte leeujag.

“Jag is ’n sport wat geskoei is op die vernuf om ’n dier te bekruip en die geduld om op die regte oomblik te wag. Geen van hierdie aspekte is teenwoordig wanneer geblikte leeus geskiet word nie,” sê hy.

Die Professionele Jagtersvereniging van Suid-Afrika (Phasa) het kort ná die uitreiking van die fliek gesê dat hulle hul ondersteuning van die kitsjagbedryf hersien het.

Twee van die land se grootste toeroperateurs het ook die afgelope week toere waarin toeriste plase besoek waar hulle leeuwelpies kan streel van hul toerprogramme verwyder nadat hulle die dokumentêr gesien het, sê dr. Andrew Venter, voorsitter van die Wildlands Trust, wat betrokke was by die verfilming van Blood Lions.

Almal stem egter nie saam oor die dokumentêr nie.

Willi Jacobs, eienaar van Ukutula Lodge buite Brits in Noordwes, sê sy onderneming word in die rolprent uitgebeeld as ’n instansie wat betrokke is by geblikte leeus, terwyl dit glad nie die geval is nie.

Volgens hom teel hy leeus uitsluitlik vir navorsingsdoeleindes vir verskeie instellings en universiteite.

“Ongelooflike baanbrekerswerk wat tot die beskerming van alle wilde diere in gevangenis gelei het, is al hier gedoen,” sê Jacobs.

Hy sê al die inligting is op sy webwerf ​www.ukutula.com beskikbaar, maar die vervaardigers het dit geïgnoreer.

Blood Lions, a new documentary film delivers a damning verdict on the rapidly growing South African industry that breeds, hunts and trades lions in captivity.

‘Blood Lions’, a hard-hitting, locally- produced movie which premiered at the Durban International Film Festival this week, presents a comprehensive behind-the-scenes investigation sure to shock anyone concerned about wildlife conservation and animal welfare.

The film follows South African conservationist Ian Michler as he visits some of the 200-odd facilities estimated to house approximately 6000 to 8000 captive-bred lions throughout the country.

 Most of the owners claim to be involved in conservation, research, education and tourism, but Michler reveals the true motivation behind the business: supplying lions for the lucrative hunting industry. “It’s just about the money,” he explains. “It’s about breeding wildlife as intensively as they can, as quickly as they can, to make as much money as they can!”

While government continues to insist that there is no such thing as canned hunting in South Africa, they are involved in little more than semantic chicanery [http://www. dailymaverick.co.za/article/2015-O6-O8-op- ed-playing-with-words-while-captive-lions- die, arguing that commercial hunting of captive-bred lions is acceptable even if the lions in question are simply mass produced under appalling conditions with no other purpose than to fall to the bullets of wealthy trophy hunters.

 ‘Blood Lions , exposes a number of additional revenue streams of the captive-lion industry: a booming trade in lion bones to practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine, well-meaning volunteers who pay thousands of rands to work on lion farms but are unaware that most of the cubs they help to raise are destined for the trophy hunting market and similarly uninformed tourists who visit facilities where they can pet and walk with lions.

The South African government has actively promoted this industrialisation of lion breeding, hunting and trading through laws and regulations [http://www.news24.com/ Columnists/AndreasSpath/NeW-government- plan-promotes-canned-lion-hunting- and-trade-20150518] that elevate market mechanisms and profits to a position of prime motivators in the name of conservation.

 ‘Blood Lions’ is a must-see film that does a sterling job of debunking the fairy tales peddled by the captive lion lobby and makes a strong call for a ban on captive breeding and trophy hunting to stop us from straying any further down this dangerous road

The producers of the feature film Blood Lions, Wildlands and Regulus Vision, are pleased to announce that they have secured both local and global distribution for the film, Blood Lions.

PBS International have picked up the global rights to the film, and will be distributing the film worldwide, outside of South Africa.

Indigenous Film Distribution will handle the South African rights.

Blood Lions follows acclaimed environmental journalist and safari operator Ian Michler, and Rick Swazey, an American hunter, on their journey to uncover the realities about the multimillion-dollar predator breeding and canned lion hunting industries in South Africa. It is a story that blows the lid off all the conservation claims made by the breeders and hunters in attempting to justify what they do.

Tom Koch, Vice President of PBS International: “Blood Lions is a rare program that reveals the dark and brutal side of trophy hunting in Africa.  Programs like this are equally rare and exceptional and should be seen by audiences around the globe.  We are proud to represent this film to the international community.”

Helen Kuun of Indigenous Film Distribution: “We are honoured to be able to showcase the film on the big screen to audiences around South Africa over the next few months. As part of the awareness campaign it is of great importance to create a way for audiences and media alike to interact with the film in a cinema environment. The DVD will be available next year.”

Andrew Venter, CEO of Wildlands and Executive Producer:  “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”. 4 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 believe that Blood Lions will help us do this.”

Pippa Hankinson of Regulus Vision:

“Blood Lions was produced to create global awareness. It a call to action – to encourage all who view it to make conscious choices. I believe we are all accountable. We are being challenged as to our roles and responsibilities regarding our relationship with and treatment of these magnificent creatures – indeed all animals – not only for us, but for future generations to come.”

“The Blood Lions campaign is starting to get significant traction. Since the launch, we have been overwhelmed by the global response across all sectors of society. This should serve as a clear indication to governments and the various authorities around the world that they need to come together to close down predator breeding facilities and canned hunting operations” says Ian Michler.

Interest in the film has exploded since its reception of a standing ovation at its World Premiere at the recent Durban International Film Festival (DIFF), on 22^nd July. The overwhelming response to the film and issues it raises on social media has been phenomenal, with the likes of Ricky Gervais and Ellen Degeneres tweeting the film and stories.

The killing of “Cecil the Lion” in Zimbabwe in an allegedly illegal hunt has brought the spotlight to South Africa’s practices of canned hunting, and a massive interest in the film, from both ordinary people and wildlife organizations, has enabled the producers to fast-track the distribution of the film.

The film will commence targeted and curated theatrical screenings across South Africa on the 14^th August, and will roll-out across the country thereafter. PBS have commenced the international sales of the film globally.

Following the illegal killing of an iconic lion, Cecil, outside the HwangeNational Park on Antoinette farm in Gwayi River Conservancy on the 1st of July 2015, it has become necessary that the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority further tightens hunting regulations in all areas outside the Parks Estate.
The Authority working with other law enforcement agencies has launched a crackdown to weed out any undesirable elements. To date our law enforcement agencies are following up on all found or reported cases and they have since arrested another culprit, Headman Sibanda, on allegations of breaching hunting regulations. He is currently assisting Police with investigations.
Further to that crackdown the following measures are going to be implemented immediately;
1. Hunting of lions, leopards and elephant in areas outside of HwangeNational Parks has been suspended with immediate effect. All such hunts will only be conducted if confirmed and authorized in writing by the Director-General of the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority, and only if accompanied by parks staff whose costs will be met by the landowner.

2. Bow hunting has been suspended with immediate effect and no such hunting will be conducted unless it has been confirmed and authorized in writing by the Director-General of the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority.

3. Members of the hunting fraternity are being reminded that it is illegal for quotas to be transferred from one hunting area to another. Any case of quota transfer is regarded as poaching. The Authority will not hesitate to arrest, prosecute, and ban for life any persons including professional hunters, clients and land ownerswho are caught on the wrong side of the law.

All players in the hunting industry are being reminded to familiarize themselves with the relevant statutes governing the wildlife industry. Further, the Authority would like to appeal to all members of the public that they should report any suspected illegal wildlife activities to the nearest offices of Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority, Zimbabwe Republic Police and other Government law enforcement agencies.

E. Chidziya
DIRECTOR-GENERAL

Duisende straks geteel vir jagters

JOHANNESBURG. – Twee tot drie geblikte, halfmak leeus word elke dag in sogenaamde “trofee- jagte” in Suid-Afrika doodgeskiet.

 Die leeus is gewoond aan mense en is so mak dat hulle as’t ware na die jagter aangestap kom om ge- skiet te word.

 Dit is die verhaal van tot 8 O00 geblikte leeus wat in die doku- mentére rolprent Blood Lions Weergegee word. Die rolprent is Woensdagaand in Gauteng uitgereik.

Pippa Hankinson, vervaardiger van die rolprent, sé Blood Lions is gemaak met die doel om die Waar- heid agter die “wrede, onetiese” bedryf in Suid-Afrika aan mense regoor die Wéreld oor te dra.

“Ek het vier jaar gelede ‘n pri- vate leeutelery in die Vrystaat be- soek. Om te sé ek was geskok, is om dit sagkens te stel.

“Die beeld van 😯 leeus wat in klein kampies aangehou word, het my diep ontstel. Hul stres was voelbaar en die resultaat van inte- ling duidelik sigbaar.

 “Ek het eers later uitgevind daar is sowat 8 O00 van hulle wat oral op plase regoor die land Woon.

 “Hu11e word geteel vir ‘n bedryf wat vir die eienaars en jagonder- nemings miljarde aan inkomste verseker.”

 Volgens Hankinson is baie min van die plase vir gewone mense toeganklik en daarom Weet bitter- min Suid-Afrikaners wat agter die hoe mure aangaan.

 Ian Michler, veldgids, spesialis- navorser en verteller in die rol- prent, het die begin van die bedryf in die 1990’s meegemaak. Die re- gering is destyds gevra om in te gryp en dit te stop. Dit het egter nie gebeur nie.

 Volgens Michler moet hierdie bedryf in die kiem gesmoor word en moet al hierdie plase toemaak. Die uiteinde sal wees dat tussen 7 O00 en 8 O00 leeus van kant ge- maak sal moet word.

 “Hulle het géén beWarings- waarde nie. En sal nooit weer in die natuur vrygelaat kan word nie,” sé hy.

 Prof. Pottie Potgieter, voorsit- ter van die Suid-Afrikaanse Roof- diertelersvereniging, stem nie saam nie en sé in die rolprent leeus wat in gevangenskap geteel is, red Wilde leeus van uitWissing. Mense jag eerder hierdie leeus as Wilde leeus.

Volgens Karen Trendler, spe- sialis-Wildverpleegster, is sy ui- ters bekommerd oor die welsyn van die diere.

Van die welpies word drie dae ng hul geboorte van die leeuwyfie Weggeneem sodat sy onmiddellik weer op hitte raak. “S6 raak sy ‘n teelmasjien.”

Die welpies word met die hand grootgemaak en veral oorsese jong mense kom na die land om die diertjies te kom help versorg. “Baie min van hulle besef aan- vanklik dat hulle bydra tot die groei van hierdie ‘wrede’ bedryf.”

 Van hulle kom dit wel agter en is gewoonlik erg ontnugter, sé Trendler.

 Volgens haar val geblikte leeus tussen die krake in departemente en wetgewing deur. Die departe- ment van omgewingsake hou vol hy bemoei hom net met die Wel- syn van Wilde leeus en het toe dié halfmakdiere oorgegee aan die de- partement van landbou, bosbou en visserye, wat ook nie presies Weet wat om met die diere aan te vang nie.

 “Intussen groei die bedryf feit- lik daagliks,” Waarsku Trendler.

 Derek Hanekom, minister van toerisme, met wie ook ‘n onder- houd in die rolprent gevoer word, sé dié bedryf kan Suid-Afrika se beeld erg benadeel. Sy departe- ment kan dit egter nie reguleer nie.

 Die rolprent is op aanvraag be- skikbaar, maar sal ook in uitge- soekte teaters vertoon word.

Een van die geblikte leeus wat geen vrees vir mense het nie en hier met die slot om die hek van sy kamp speel.

Between 6 000 and 8 000 lions are being held in cages or confined areas, unrelated to conservation. That number will continue to increase with the rise of predator hunt fee.

The documentary film ‘Blood Lions’ has further placed the spotlight on human practices that threaten the predator species.

Released last week at the Durban Film Festival, the film explores South Africa’s canned hunting and captive breeding industries.

CapeTalk presenter Kieno Kammies spoke with Nick Chevallier, Field Director and Cameraman of ‘Blood Lions’, about the various human practices threatening lions.

Theses lions are born into captivity. The land owners inter-breed them and they are realising that it is an increasingly lucrative trade. Its starts with the exploitation of the cubs. That’s were the cash cow begins. Other revenue streams include walking with lions, and hunting.

— Nick Chevallier, Field Director and Cameraman of ‘Blood Lions’

According to Chevallier, the documentary highlights and challenges the vague South African legislation, which allows practice of “canned lion hunting”.

He says lions have become a multi-million rand industry largely governed by private property holders.

In the past week Southern Africa’s lucrative trophy hunting industry received two devastating blows: the release of an explosive new documentary detailing the unsavoury practices of canned lion breeders and hunters, and the international condemnation around the killing of Zimbabwe’s most famous lion. Under growing domestic and international pressure, the industry is coming in for scathing criticism, not only from environmentalists but also increasingly from within its own ranks.

Blood Lions, a film that reveals the shocking realities behind the burgeoning business of breeding and hunting lions in captivity in South Africa, premiered to standing ovations at the Durban International Film Festival last week. It’s estimated that between 6,000 and 8,000 lions are being raised and kept in around 150 to 200 facilities for the sole purpose of providing targets for wealthy international hunters.

On these intensive breeding farms, lions are ‘produced’ battery-style before being released into relatively small camps often only days before being shot. The industry and the South African government refer to this as legal ‘captive-bred hunting’. Opponents call it ‘canned hunting’ and consider it deeply unethical with no conservation value.

In a worldwide media outcry it emerged last week that a dominant, black-maned, 13-year-old male lion nicknamed Cecil, who was exceptionally popular among visitors to Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park, was illegally shot by an American trophy hunter.

Walter Palmer, a dentist from Minnesota in the US, and professional hunter Theo Bronkhorst lured Cecil into the Gwaai concession adjoining the Hwange National Park by tying an animal carcass to the front of a vehicle. Palmer is then believed to have shot the lion, which was wearing a tracking GPS collar as part of a long-running research project, with a crossbow. It took the hunters approximately 40 hours to track the injured lion before they could finally kill it with a gunshot.

Palmer, who has since become the centre of intense public condemnation, claims he thought that he was conducting a legal hunt and that he was unaware of Cecil’s iconic and protected status. It is believed he paid between $45,000 and $50,000 for the hunt. No stranger to wildlife crime, the dentist, who has previously been cited for fishing without a licence and who in 2008 pled guilty to a federal charge of poaching a black bear in Wisconsin, is known to have killed a rhino and a leopard in earlier hunts.

Bronkhorst, whose hunting licence has been suspended, was charged with failing to prevent an illegal hunt at the Hwange Magistrates Court on Wednesday. After pleading not guilty, he was released on bail with a trial date set for 5 August. If found guilty he could be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison. Honest Ndlovu, the owner of the land where the hunt took place, faces similar charges.

Under mounting pressure over the killing of Cecil and the revelations in Blood Lions, cracks seem to be appearing in the traditionally united front presented by the trophy hunting lobby. Individual hunters have started to publicly express their disapproval of the captive lion breeding and shooting business, and in and unparalleled move, Professional Hunters’ Association of South Africa (Phasa) president Hermann Meyeridricks told the members of his organisation that its “position on lion hunting is no longer tenable”.

Meyeridricks suggests that Phasa has made “little demonstrable progress” in getting the government and predator breeders to “clean up” the industry and “to improve its standards and conditions to a generally acceptable level”. He also acknowledges that opposition to the hunting of bred lions is not restricted to “just a small if vociferous group of animal-rights activists” anymore, but that “the tide of public opinion is turning strongly against this form of hunting”.

Criticism has also come from the international hunting fraternity, including Europe’s Nordic Safari Club, which has removed all lion trophies hunted in South Africa from its official record books. Industry insiders allege that disreputable activities extend beyond lion hunting, suggesting that trapped caracals and leopards as well as crocodiles from breeding farms are being used in canned hunts.

According to Will Travers, the president of the Born Free Foundation, a well-known international conservation organisation: “Cecil’s tragic and meaningless destruction may just be the catalyst we need to take action to end lion trophy hunting and, instead, devote all our energies to conserving a species which, perhaps more than any other, represents the wild soul of Africa.”

Cecil’s killing has prompted calls to ban the importation of lion trophies to the US and Europe. Last year the US suspended imports of elephant trophies from Tanzania and Zimbabwe, declaring that trophy hunting of elephants was not sustainable or contributing to conservation in these countries and citing “questionable management practices, a lack of effective law enforcement and weak governance”. The European Union has banned the import of elephant trophies from Tanzania and Mozambique and recently tightened regulations prohibiting the import of lion trophies from several West African countries. Earlier this year the Australian government instituted a ban on imports of lion trophies from South Africa.

A number of major international airlines have barred hunting trophies from their flights, although South African Airways has now rescinded a similar ban.

The recent scandals are yet to elicit a response from environmental affairs minister Edna Molewa, who has been a staunch supporter of (some would argue an apologist for) South Africa’s captive lion breeders and hunters.

But clearly there are growing concerns in the government about the situation which is developing in the year before the country hosts the influential 17th Conference of Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora and at which the South African delegation may well present a very controversial proposal to legalise the international trade in rhino horns. Global outrage over trophy hunting controversies and a declining reputation of the local hunting lobby are sure to present severe hurdles to getting such a provision passed at the conference.

Earlier this month, Molewa invited various pro-hunting stakeholders to a meeting in order “to address widespread and mounting public concern” and to establish “a forum to investigate a number of issues related to the lion industry in South Africa”.

 

The debate centered on trophy hunting and the conservation of wildlife has been thrown into the spotlight following the killing of Cecil the lion.

The face of Cecil the lion was projected on the Empire State building over the weekend, one of many demonstrations sparked by the controversial trophy hunt by US Dentist Walter Palmer in Zimbabwe.

There are about 8000 lions bred in captivity in South Africa, and about 3000 wild lions in protected areas, in which hunting is prohibited.

In light of the ongoing efforts to raise awareness about the plight of endangered animals, CapeTalk and 702 presenter Africa Melane spoke with representatives both for and against trophy hunting practices.

Trophy hunting as conservation

According to Hermann Meyeridricks, Chairperson of the Professional Hunters’ Association of South Africa (PHASA), canned hunting can help conserve threatened species.

The evidence speaks for itself. Without trophy hunting we wouldn’t have the number of wildlife that we have in various areas today. — Hermann Meyeridricks, Chairperson of PHASA
Meyeridricks says that the majority of South Africa’s wildlife is found outside of national parks. He says there are more game in private ownership than in the national parks.

He says that trophy hunting also contributes to the gross domestic product (GDP) and other economic opportunities such as employment. In 2013 the industry was billed to the value of R10 billion.

Ethics and animal rights

Louise Joubert, Founder trustee of SanWild Wildlife Trust, argues that the practice is inhumane, unethical and degrading to South Africa’s conservation standards.

She says that the argument that trophy hunting contributes to conservation is a myth.

Trophy hunting is a big problem. At what cost does it contribute to the economy? The animals on hunting farms are conserved for one purpose only – and that is to be killed and slaughtered.— Louise Joubert, Founder trustee of SanWild Wildlife Trust.

According to Joubert, the breeding and hunting of wildlife is unnatural.