Geblikte jag dalk hokgeslaan\; Leeubedryf wil sy huis in orde kry

Die leeujagbedryf het vanjaar wêreldwyd opskrifte gehaal ná die Amerikaner, Walter James Palmer, tot groot omstredenheid Cecil die Leeu in Zimbabwe geskiet het.

Op eie bodem het die dokumentêr Blood Lions dieD tonge laat klap. Hierin word daar gewys hoe leeus in haglike omstandighede leef én mishandel word. Geblikte leeujag lok ook groot omstredenheid uit met meer as 1000 leeus wat jaarliks op hierdie wyse geskiet word.

Kenners is dit eens: Dit is tyd om die leeubedryf in orde te kry. Daarom het die South African Predator Breeding Association (SAPBA) vir Prof Melville Saayman en sy span by TREES (Tourism Research in Economic Environs and Society) by die Noordwes-Universiteit se Potchefstroomkampus genader om na die waarde van die leeubedryf in Suid-Afrika te kyk. Dié studie, wat meestal op die hoofteelareas van Noordwes en Vrystaat gefokus gaan wees, gaan ook kyk hoeveel leeus daar in die bedryf is, want syfers wissel tussen 4000 en 6000.

“? Verbod op jag in Zimbabwe en die gepaardgaande verlies van inkomste vir Zimbabwiërs beteken dat sowat 2.3 miljoen kinders nou van nodige hulpmiddele ontneem is. Dit beteken dat die onderwyssektor daaronder ly, dit beteken dat brood uit hul borde geneem word. Dit beteken dat 2.3 miljoen kinders slegter daartoe af is en hul klaar lae lewensgehalte nóg verswak het oor ? ondeurdagte besluit deur die regering,” sê Saayman.

“Ons sien klaar dat stropery toeneem en ons sien reeds dat werkloosheid toeneem. Dit is nie ? gesonde situasie nie.”
Volgens Saayman het die Blood Lions dokumentêr die bedryf se prentjie ietwat skeef getrek, maar ook daarin geslaag om die kollig op misdrywe, wat uitgewis moet word, te plaas.

“Blood Lions het ? slegte indruk oor die bedryf geskep en een van ons uitdagings gaan wees om dit reg te stel. Daar is ongewenste praktyke wat die hele bedryf skade aandoen. Dit kan egter slegs aan ? paar persone toegeskryf word, maar dit ly tog daartoe dat daar wanpersepsies oor die bedryf geskep word. Daar is een of twee vrot appels in die leeuhok.”
Saayman sê verder dat Suid-Afrika se leeupopulasie ver daarvan is om gevaarligte te laat flikker, maar meer kan gedoen word om leeus effektief te versprei asook beter te benut.

“Ons gaan ook kyk waarheen gaan die oorskot leeus heen want daar moet gekyk word wat sal die beste vir die mark wees. Sommige van die leeus moet terug parke toe gaan en sommiges moet aan nuwe gebiede voorgestel word om die genepoel te verbeter. Ons het ? gesonde getal leeus in die land en danksy ons teelprogramme sit ons nie met ? gevaarsituasie nie, maar ons moet kyk na wat met die oorskot leeus gebeur,” verduidelik hy.

“Daar is verskeie moontlikhede wat die oorskot leeus betref. Hulle kan ? opvoedkundige doel dien, hulle kan ? groot rol in ekotoerisme speel, soos om met leeus te stap en soos genoem kan hulle rondgeskuif word om die genepoel in die land te versterk. Dan kan ons ook natuurlik leeus na lande waar daar ? tekort is uitvoer. Dit sal wel behels dat hierdie lande die versekering moet gee dat daar na die leeus gekyk sal word. Ons het dit in die verlede gedoen, maar toe word die diere gestroop.”

Saayman het ook SAPBA se toewyding tot die verbetering van die bedryf asook hul wedywering vir ? beter toekoms vir leeus in die land geprys: “Cecil het die bedryf baie seer gemaak. Blood Lions het die bedryf seer gemaak. Deur die beroep vir hierdie studie wys dit wel dat die bedryf ernstig is om vrot kolle uit te wis en dit sal tot voordeel van die hele bedryf wees.”

Michaela Strachan on how a hunter threatened to kill her partner

Wildlife presenter Michaela Strachan has discussed how her partner, Nick Chevalier, faced terrifying death threats while investigating the cruel trophy hunting of lions in Africa.

Nick Chevalier found himself in a dangerous confrontation when hunting operators turned on his undercover film crew in South Africa earlier this year.

“I’ll f***ing kill you. I’ll kill you. I tell you. I’ll kill you,” screams the hunter in a scene caught on camera.

Michaela told how Nick, her partner of 12 years, played down the deadly stand-off. Only when she first watched the resulting documentary film, Blood Lions, did she realise the danger he had been in.

She said: “It was far more dramatic watching it than when Nick told me about it. I knew he was going into quite a dangerous situation. And South Africa can be violent. But when I first saw the film, my reaction was: ‘Oh my God, you didn’t tell me about that bit.’”

Nick and the team were trying to expose “canned” lion hunting – the farm breeding of Africa’s greatest cats to be sold on for slaughter.

Their shocking film, which premieres in Britain this week, claims an astonishing 6,000 lions are currently caged in South Africa, bred to be shot by trophy hunters. Up to 800 are thought to be killed annually, mostly by US hunters who want to put a lion’s head on a wall at home and boast about how they bravely shot it in the wild.

But the film shows cubs are bred on farms, in some instances removed from their mothers at two or three days old, then hand-reared by humans before being sold – some to the hunting industry.

The business is growing so fast that experts predict a staggering 20,000 so-called “canned lions” could be in existence by 2020.

The phenomenon was first exposed by TV investigator Roger Cook in 1998. “That’s when I came across canned hunting,” said Springwatch presenter Michaela, “and, like everyone, I thought it had gone underground. I was not aware it had grown and is widespread in South Africa. And a lot of people do not know that it is legal.”

Campaigners hope the film will capitalise on the world outcry after the killing of Cecil the Lion by Minnesota dentist Walter Palmer this year.

The documentary follows US hunter-turned-investigator Rick from home in Hawaii to Benkoe, a hunting lodge near Vryburg in north-west South Africa.

The lodge claims: “At Benkoe Safaris, lion hunting is a challenge. It is a fair playing field for both lion and hunter where the lion is out on the loose.”

Benkoe’s website shows a series of gory pictures of gun-toting hunters, thumbs-up, parading dead carcasses of lions, zebras and buffalos. It states: “With more than 500 successful lion hunts we have the experience and expertise to partner with you on the ultimate hunting challenge. A wide range of lions is available.”

Benkoe owner Ben Duminy denies accusations of so-called “canned hunting” on his land. He does admit lions are bred in captivity and the fact that he operates trophy hunts not in the wild but in “semi-open” territory.

Shocking scenes show how, with a few online clicks, Rick is offered the chance to shoot a lioness he has singled out from pictures for US$5,400, which is about £3,500. Lionesses cost a tenth of males, which are revered for their dark manes.

Rick then travels to Benkoe where alongside undercover “friend” Nick Chevalier – who is videoing the trip – they are taken on a safari drive. After Rick demonstrates his shooting ability on a target board, they return to the lodge for a final briefing.

The investigators are working on a strategy to leave without killing a lion when Duminy comes storming to the lodge, threatening to kill the duo unless they leave immediately.

Although it is common for hunters to have their kill filmed, it is believed Duminy was suspicious of the professional nature of the camera crew.

The confrontation is caught on camera in dramatic footage.

Rick says: “How would you feel if someone twice your size threatened to kill you? I trusted Mr Duminy about as far as I could throw him. I think he had every intention of causing us serious harm if we had not left when we did.”

The undercover crew sped off Benkoe’s land, but with enough footage for the documentary to work.

Some canned hunting operations similar to Benkoe’s are linked to cub petting – another way in which farm-reared lions are exploited, say animal welfare campaigners. This involves people paying to have their photograph taken with cute baby lions.

Visitors are assured they will be cared for and released into the wild once they grow too big to be cuddled. But the harsh reality, according to the Campaign Against Canned Hunting, is that these lions are reared just so they can later be shot by rich tourists.

In most cases, animals are taken from their mothers at birth, causing extreme stress to both mother and cub. Kept in captivity just to produce offspring, the mothers are forced to give birth to two or three litters a year. Volunteers, including UK gap-year students, are duped into helping at lion breeding centres, believing these are genuine conservation projects.

The cubs become withdrawn and often suffer health complications.

A spokesman for Campaign Against Canned Hunting said: “No true lion sanctuary allows breeding in captivity for captivity. So there will never be cubs to pose with at a genuine lion sanctuary.”

Michaela, 49, who will attend the UK premiere of Blood Lions this Friday, lives in Cape Town, South Africa, with Nick and their 10-year-old son Ollie.

“It is a shame they did not get the gun in front of the lion and then say that they are not going to do it,” she says. “But I don’t think the film has lost impact. It is a dramatic scene and shows the aggression of the people. The overwhelming public opinion is that it’s time for this to finish. Why do people still want a lion on their wall? It’s absurd. Pigs and cows are farmed for meat. To do it for sport is so unnecessary.”

Will Travers, President of The Born Free Foundation , said: “This powerful film exposes the hideous, barbaric practice of breeding lions for hunters to slaughter in fenced enclosures – so-called ‘canned hunting’. It’s an industry that, until now, few knew about and it’s endorsed by the South African government. Blood Lions will change all that. Canned hunting relies on people with more money than sense killing lions for ‘fun’ – lions that have no chance of escape. It must be stopped – now!”

Benkoe declined to comment.

We applaud France

SIR – In a game-changing decision, the French Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy has banned the import of African lion hunting trophies.

This ban follows the tidal wave of public opinion against trophy hunting that followed the killing of Cecil the Lion in Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park.

In a communication addressed to the Brigitte Bardot Foundation and dated November 12, Segolene Royal, the minister of ecology, has also expressed that her government would seek stricter regulations on the import of hunting trophies to the EU.

Furthermore, Royal declared that France will no longer issue re-export certificates for raw tusks and pieces of unworked ivory in an effort to combat ivory trafficking.

Teresa Telecky, director of wildlife at Humane Society International, said: “We applaud France for its decision to protect African lions by banning lion trophy imports. In the last five months, the public has become much more informed on the true nature of trophy hunting, that it does not contribute to conservation and is harmful to the survival of species in the wild.”

This news is followed by two other major announcements. First, Europe’s largest hunting fair – Jagd & Hund Dortmund – will cease all advertising and sale of canned hunts, in which trophy hunters pay to kill animals bred exclusively to be shot in a fenced in location.

And just a month after the world premiere of the film Blood Lions, which exposes South Africa’s canned hunting industry, it has been reported that the Professional Hunters Association of South Africa members have voted to “distance the association from captive-bred lion-hunting” until breeders “could prove the conservation value of this practice to both PHASA and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature”.

Leeubedryf wil sy huis in orde kry

Die leeujagbedryf het vanjaar wêreldwyd opskrifte gehaal ná die Amerikaner, Walter James Palmer, tot groot omstredenheid Cecil die Leeu in Zimbabwe geskiet het.

Op eie bodem het die dokumentêr Blood Lions die tonge laat klap. Hierin word daar gewys hoe leeus in haglike omstandighede leef én mishandel word. Geblikte leeujag lok ook groot omstredenheid uit met meer as 1000 leeus wat jaarliks op hierdie wyse geskiet word.

Kenners is dit eens: Dit is tyd om die leeubedryf in orde te kry. Daarom het die South African Predator Breeding Association (SAPBA) vir Prof Melville Saayman en sy span by TREES (Tourism Research in Economic Environs and Society) by die Noordwes-Universiteit se Potchefstroomkampus genader om na die waarde van die leeubedryf in Suid-Afrika te kyk. Dié studie, wat meestal op die hoofteelareas van Noordwes en Vrystaat gefokus gaan wees, gaan ook kyk hoeveel leeus daar in die bedryf is, want syfers wissel tussen 4000 en 6000.

“? Verbod op jag in Zimbabwe en die gepaardgaande verlies van inkomste vir Zimbabwiërs beteken dat sowat 2.3 miljoen kinders nou van nodige hulpmiddele ontneem is. Dit beteken dat die onderwyssektor daaronder ly, dit beteken dat brood uit hul borde geneem word. Dit beteken dat 2.3 miljoen kinders slegter daartoe af is en hul klaar lae lewensgehalte nóg verswak het oor ? ondeurdagte besluit deur die regering,” sê Saayman.

“Ons sien klaar dat stropery toeneem en ons sien reeds dat werkloosheid toeneem. Dit is nie ? gesonde situasie nie.”
Volgens Saayman het die Blood Lions dokumentêr die bedryf se prentjie ietwat skeef getrek, maar ook daarin geslaag om die kollig op misdrywe, wat uitgewis moet word, te plaas.

“Blood Lions het ? slegte indruk oor die bedryf geskep en een van ons uitdagings gaan wees om dit reg te stel. Daar is ongewenste praktyke wat die hele bedryf skade aandoen. Dit kan egter slegs aan ? paar persone toegeskryf word, maar dit ly tog daartoe dat daar wanpersepsies oor die bedryf geskep word. Daar is een of twee vrot appels in die leeuhok.”

Saayman sê verder dat Suid-Afrika se leeupopulasie ver daarvan is om gevaarligte te laat flikker, maar meer kan gedoen word om leeus effektief te versprei asook beter te benut.

“Ons gaan ook kyk waarheen gaan die oorskot leeus heen want daar moet gekyk word wat sal die beste vir die mark wees. Sommige van die leeus moet terug parke toe gaan en sommiges moet aan nuwe gebiede voorgestel word om die genepoel te verbeter. Ons het ? gesonde getal leeus in die land en danksy ons teelprogramme sit ons nie met ? gevaarsituasie nie, maar ons moet kyk na wat met die oorskot leeus gebeur,” verduidelik hy.

“Daar is verskeie moontlikhede wat die oorskot leeus betref. Hulle kan ? opvoedkundige doel dien, hulle kan ? groot rol in ekotoerisme speel, soos om met leeus te stap en soos genoem kan hulle rondgeskuif word om die genepoel in die land te versterk. Dan kan ons ook natuurlik leeus na lande waar daar ? tekort is uitvoer. Dit sal wel behels dat hierdie lande die versekering moet gee dat daar na die leeus gekyk sal word. Ons het dit in die verlede gedoen, maar toe word die diere gestroop.”

Saayman het ook SAPBA se toewyding tot die verbetering van die bedryf asook hul wedywering vir ? beter toekoms vir leeus in die land geprys: “Cecil het die bedryf baie seer gemaak. Blood Lions het die bedryf seer gemaak. Deur die beroep vir hierdie studie wys dit wel dat die bedryf ernstig is om vrot kolle uit te wis en dit sal tot voordeel van die hele bedryf wees.”

Phasa distances itself from captive-bred lion hunting

The majority of the Professional Hunters Association of South Africa (Phasa) members have voted to distance the association from captive-bred lion hunting until such time as the South African Predators Association (SAPA) could prove the conservation value of this practice to both Phasa and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

The lion-hunting industry caught global attention after Walter Palmer shot Cecil, a rare black-maned, collared lion in Zimbabwe. The documentary Blood Lions also showed audiences how lions live in terrible conditions and are abused.

The South African Predator Breeding Association (SAPBA) contacted Prof Melville Saayman and his team at Tourism Research in Economic Environs and Society at North-West University to investigate the value of the lion industry in South Africa.

This study, which will focus mainly on the main breeding areas of North West and the Free State, will also determine how many lions are part of the industry, as numbers vary between 4 000 and 6 000.

Saayman said South Africa’s lion population was far from showing problems but that more could be done to distribute the lions effectively and also to utilise them better. “We will also determine what must be done with the surplus of lions, because it has to be determined what the best will be for the market.”

He also praised SAPBA’s commitment to improving the industry and striving for a better future for lions in the country. “Cecil hurt the industry a lot. Blood Lions hurt the industry. The initiation of this study shows that the industry is serious about erasing the bad patches, and that will be to the benefit of the whole industry.”

Trophy hunting stronghold on Africa’s wildlife seeping across to SA

The world’s wealthiest hunting organization, Safari Club International (SCI) and professional hunting groups, met behind closed doors with the South African Department of Environment (DEA) and representatives of other African nations last week to discuss policies for managing wildlife.

According to a media statement from the DEA, the 14th African Wildlife Consultative Forum, that was held in Limpopo from 9 to 12 November, is an annual SCI-sponsored initiative which “provides an important platform for African countries to enhance existing co-operation between governments, including hunting industries of participating countries”.

It goes on to say, the “AWCF is further a platform for sharing experiences in wildlife management and hunting in particular and will include preparations for the upcoming CITES CoP 17 meeting in South Africa next year”.

In other words, the meeting is about the SCI persuading African governments, individually and through CITES to adopt policies incorporating the conservation ‘benefits’ of trophy hunting.

SCI already heavily influences government policies to a number of African nations.

In 2013 Zambia issued a ban on hunting lions and leopards because of declining populations due to over-harvesting by trophy hunters. Zambian Tourism and Arts Minister, Jean Kapata at the time cited that “big cat numbers were too low to have a sustainable hunting industry.”

However, after intense pressure from the SCI, Zambia reversed the ban. Zambia’s Green Party president Peter Sinkamba told The Times of Zambia: “Much as we are aware that the PF [Patriotic Front] government is facing serious budget deficit challenges, it is extremely outrageous to resort to unleashing safari hunters on to limited populations of big cat species, regardless of the fact that safari hunting is allegedly most profitable.”

A similar scenario occurred in Namibia. In 2010 the country issued a hunting moratorium on big cats and placed the hunting industry under review.

It was reported that in some areas whole populations of leopard and cheetah were being wiped out. Hunting operators were running leopard and cheetah hunts with dogs, as well as canned hunts – in some cases canned hunts with dogs.

But the moratorium only remained in place for one hunting season. In 2011 Namibia in partnership with SCI launched a census “to manage the sustainability of the leopard population.”  A questionnaire was distributed to 1 500 farmers to assess the distribution and relative abundance of leopards throughout Namibia. There were only 400 replies. These, however, were extrapolated which produced a flawed national estimate of leopards of over 14 000.

Nambia has a CITES trophy hunted export quota of 250 leopards per year, a questionable figure, according to experts of the International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN), because it is based on “insufficient ecological information and lack of scientific data”.

Unsurprisingly the pro-hunting census-takers recommended the quota “remain at the current level.”

The USA will not allow imports of trophies of cheetahs as it has deemed that cheetah hunting is not conducive to the conservation of the species. Namibia together with SCI has repeatedly petitioned the USA to lift the ban but the country has declined each request.

It is little wonder then that journalists and conservationists, who were not invited to the forum in Polokwane, are concerned that South Africa will succumb to the cash-waving advocates of trophy hunting despite the DEA insisting that “claims of excessive interference by American hunters in South African government policy are not true.”

Ban Animal Trading South Africa (a registered NPO fighting for the rights of animals) demanded that the minutes be made public, something the DEA have since done but the link is simply a summary of the proceedings and lacks any meaningful detail.

Ian Michler, who produced the film Blood Lions, has stated, “Given the non-transparent nature of the conference, it’s hard not to infer a conspiracy between hunters and governments in proposals that will be presented to CITES in the public’s name.”

It is expected that CITES will deliberate on issues such as ivory and rhino horn trade and revision of trophy hunted export quotas at the next Conference of the Parties in Johannesburg in 2016.

Karen Trendler of the NGO Working Wild says “it is of grave concern that issues of this nature and importance are discussed at closed meetings with what appears to be predominantly pro-hunting representation.”

The common-held mantra that trophy hunting benefits conservation has come under fire recently, especially following the death of Cecil the lion.

Many leading wildlife experts like National Geographic Explorer in Residence Dereck Joubert and Kenya’s conservation doyen, Richard Leakey, agree that trophy hunting is not good for conservation because it fuels corruption at the highest government levels, causes the loss of healthy animals that are still key for reproduction and social cohesion but, most importantly, contributes to the decline of Africa’s wildlife populations already in a free-fall from rampant poaching.

It’s time politicians and legislators realise it too.

Hunters hold African wildlife to ransom

Cape Town – The worlds  wealthiest hunting organisation, Safari Club International (SCI) and  professional hunting groups, met behind closed doors with the South African Department of Environment (DEA) and representatives of other African nations  last week to discuss policies for managing wildlife.

According to a media statement from the DEA, the 14th African Wildlife Consultative Forum, that was held in Limpopo from 9 to 12 November, is an annual SCI-sponsored initiative which “provides an important platform for African countries to enhance existing co-operation between governments, including hunting industries of participating countries.” The statement continues: “The AWCF is further a platform for sharing experiences in wildlife management and hunting in particular and will “include preparations for the upcoming CITES CoP 17 meeting in South Africa next year.”

In other words, the meeting is about the SCI persuading African governments, individually and through CITES to adopt policies incorporating the conservation ‘benefits’ of trophy hunting.

SCI already heavily influences government policies to a number of African nations. In 2013 Zambia issued a ban on hunting lions and leopards because of declining populations due to over-harvesting by trophy hunters. Zambian Tourism and Arts Minister, Jean Kapata at the time cited that “big cat numbers were too low to have a sustainable hunting industry.”

However, after intense pressure from the SCI, Zambia reversed the ban. Zambia’s Green Party president Peter Sinkamba told The Times of Zambia: “Much as we are aware that the PF [Patriotic Front] government is facing serious budget deficit challenges, it is extremely outrageous to resort to unleashing safari hunters on to limited populations of big cat species, regardless of the fact that safari hunting is allegedly most profitable.”

A similar scenario occurred in Namibia. In 2010 the country issued a hunting moratorium on big cats and placed the hunting industry under review.

It was reported that in some areas whole populations of leopard and cheetah were being wiped out. Hunting operators were running leopard and cheetah hunts with dogs, as well as canned hunts – in some cases canned hunts with dogs.

But the moratorium only remained in place for one hunting season. In 2011 Namibia in partnership with SCI launched a census “to manage the sustainability of the leopard population.”  A questionnaire was distributed to 1 500 farmers to assess the distribution and relative abundance of leopards throughout Namibia. There were only 400 replies. These, however, were extrapolated which produced a flawed national estimate of leopards of over 14 000.

Nambia has a CITES trophy hunted export quota of 250 leopards per year, a questionable figure, according to experts of the International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN), because it is based on “insufficient ecological information and lack of scientific data”.

Unsurprisingly the pro-hunting census-takers recommended the quota “remain at the current level.”

The USA will not allow imports of trophies of cheetahs as it has deemed that cheetah hunting is not conducive to the conservation of the species. Namibia together with SCI has repeatedly petitionedthe USA to lift the ban but the country has declined each request.

It is little wonder then that journalists and conservationists, who were not invited to the forum in Polokwane, are concerned that South Africa will succumb to the cash-waving advocates of trophy hunting despite the DEA insisting that “claims of excessive interference by American hunters in South African government policy are not true.”

Ban Animal Trading South Africa (a registered NPO fighting for the rights of animals) demanded that the minutes be made public, something the DEA have since done but the link is simply a summary of the proceedings and lacks any meaningful detail.

Ian Michler, who produced the film Blood Lions, has stated: “Given the non-transparent nature of the conference, it’s hard not to infer a conspiracy between hunters and governments in proposals that will be presented to CITES in the public’s name.”

It is expected that CITES will deliberate on issues such as ivory and rhino horn trade and revision of trophy hunted export quotas at the next Conference of the Parties in Johannesburg in 2016.

Karen Trendler of the NGO Working Wild says “it is of grave concern that issues of this nature and importance are discussed at closed meetings with what appears to be predominantly pro-hunting representation.”

The common-held mantra that trophy hunting benefits conservation has come under fire recently, especially following the death of Cecil the lion.

Many leading wildlife experts like National Geographic Explorer in Residence Dereck Joubert and Kenya’s conservation doyen, Richard Leakey, agree that trophy hunting is not good for conservation because it fuels corruption at the highest government levels, causes the loss of healthy animals that are still key for reproduction and social cohesion but, most importantly, contributes to the decline of Africa’s wildlife populations already in a free-fall from rampant poaching.

It’s time politicians and legislators realise it too.

SA HUNTERS DISOWN CANNED HUNTS

JOHANNESBURG — South Africa’s trophy hunting industry said yesterday it “distanced” itself from hunts of half-tame lions in confined spaces, disowning a practice which has sparked worldwide outrage.

The Professional Hunters’ Association of South Africa (Phasa) said the majority of its members had voted to “distance the association from captive-bred lionhunting” until lion breeders “could prove the conservation value of this practice’.

South Africa is one of the continent’s main markets for trophy hunting, with foreign — mainly U.S. — hunters spending about R1 billion and exporting more than 40 000 trophies in 2013, according to Phasa.

Nearly all of the approximately 800 lions hunted in 2013 had been bred in captivity. Animal rights activists say most of the hunts are so-called canned hunts, carried out in a small space where the animal cannot escape.

The hunting of half-tame lions has come under increasing criticism with the recent release of the documentary Blood Lions and the killing of the GPS-collared lion Cecil in neighbouring Zimbabwe in July.

Activists say breeding lions does not help to preserve the species, because lions raised in captive conditions cannot fend for themselves and cannot be released into the wild

Canned hunting move widely welcomed

ANIMAL activists and conservation organisations have declared “a victory for lions” after several groundbreaking decisions that could lead to the collapse of South Africa’s captive breeding and canned hunting industries.

This week, the Professional Hunters’ Association (Phasa) voted to distance itself from captive-bred lion hunting until the SA Predators’ Association (Sapa) could prove the conservation value of the practice.

While tension was reported at Phasa’s annual meeting this week, the vote had been carried, insiders said.

It is estimated that more than 1 000 lions were hunted in South Africa last year, and that there are between 6 000 and 8 000 lions alive in the captive predator industry.

Campaign Against Canned Hunting director Linda Park said she was happy.

“This dreadful industry, which has nothing to do with conservation, has been a blight on the landscape of the country and has certainly done much to tarnish South Africa’s image in the eyes of the world,” Park said.

Filmmaker Andrew Venter – who made a documentary titled Blood Lions – hailed the development and international pressure to ban canned hunting safaris as milestones.

SA’s trophy hunting industry disowns half-tame lion hunting

Johannesburg – South Africa’s trophy hunting industry said Thursday it “distanced” itself from hunts of half-tame lions in confined spaces, disowning a practice which has sparked worldwide outrage.

The Professional Hunters’ Association of South Africa (PHASA) said the majority of its members had voted to “distance the association from captive-bred lion-hunting” until lion breeders “could prove the conservation value of this practice.”

South Africa is one of the continent’s main markets for trophy hunting, with foreign – mainly US – hunters spending about 1 billion rand (70 million dollars) and exporting more than 40 000 trophies in 2013, according to PHASA.

Nearly all of the approximately 800 lions hunted in 2013 had been bred in captivity. Animal rights activists say most of the hunts are so-called canned hunts, carried out in a small space where the animal cannot escape.

The hunting of half-tame lions has come under increasing criticism with the recent release of the documentary Blood Lions and the killing of the GPS-collared lion Cecil in neighbouring Zimbabwe in July.

Activists say breeding lions does not help to preserve the species, because lions raised in captive conditions cannot fend for themselves and cannot be released into the wild.