Month: June 2016

Fair Trade Tourism has finalised an extensive review of criteria for tourism businesses with volunteer offerings, which are effective from June 1 2016.

Since the organisation’s initial review of its standard to include additional criteria on volunteering in 2009 there has been a significant upsurge in both the supply and demand for volunteer products in Africa, many focused on so-called conservation or orphanage programmes.

This upsurge brought with it concerns from various organisations regarding malpractices, which were especially evident in programmes dealing with vulnerable children and captive wildlife.

The launch of the hard-hitting documentary “Blood Lions” earlier this year and its accompanying global campaign against predator-breeding centres and interactions exposed the fraudulent practices around volunteer experiences with captive lions and other predators.

Although not an advocacy organisation, Fair Trade Tourism took the decision to work with prominent NGOs and tourism industry stakeholders to revise and implement new criteria focussed on “voluntourism” involving vulnerable people and wildlife interaction.

These criteria are now available for viewing on our website here.

“Our new criteria were not introduced to advocate for animal welfare or take an ethical position against volunteering with vulnerable people,” says Fair Trade Tourism MD Nivashnee Naidoo. “However, as an organisation that represents global best-practice in responsible tourism, it is our role and our interest to promote ethical, authentic and transparently marketed volunteer experiences,” she adds.

“Responsible voluntourism programmes should at the very least benefit host communities and have positive social, economic and environmental impacts. Sadly, at present many voluntourism experiences are actually detrimental to the people or animals they proclaim to be helping. Young travellers should strive instead to seek far more meaningful cultural and wildlife engagements than is currently the case.”

Fair Trade Tourism’s new criteria were informed by a range of expert sources including, amongst others, Better Volunteering, Tourism Watch, UNICEF, Endangered Wildlife Trust and Wildlife Act. A number of Southern African volunteer organisations also gave their input.

“We would like to thank all who aided in the consultation process leading up to the formulation of the new criteria,” says Naidoo.

The new Fair Trade Tourism criteria do not allow for any physical interaction by tourists or volunteers with a range of captive animals, including all large and medium sized carnivores, big cats, elephants, rhinos, large apes, hippos, ostrich, crocodiles and venomous snakes.

They also do not allow for tourists or volunteers to interact with any child or vulnerable person unless this takes place under continuous, qualified adult supervision.

“Given the growing body of evidence from orphanages that interaction with casual visitors can be deeply psychologically damaging to these children, Fair Trade Tourism will not certify any volunteer experience based on full-time work inside orphanages,” adds Naidoo.

Volunteer organisations and wildlife sanctuaries who strive for best-practice in their operations are invited to apply for certification from June 1 2016.

For more information visit www.fairtrade.travel

Let’s put an end to cub petting and canned hunting!

A canned hunt is a trophy hunt in which an animal is kept in a confined area, such as in a fenced-in area, increasing the likelihood of the hunter obtaining a kill. According to one dictionary, a canned hunt is a “hunt for animals that have been raised on game ranches until they are mature enough to be killed for trophy collections.

The documentary Blood Lions™ has been shown worldwide and has opened the eye of those who originally were not aware this horrific industry existed.

Now is the time to stop petting cubs, cubs that are bred for the bullet and will ultimately become a trophy on a wall.

Here’s the link to the #LionsBetrayed #BanCannedHunting event page:

https://www.facebook.com/events/16995…

Please share and invite everyone you know.
Thank you!!

#LionsBetrayed #BanCubPetting #BanCannedHunting

ShockWildlifeTruths: Captive bred lions will forever be victims of the hunting industry

Cape Town – South African has had over two decades to stem the controversial issue of canned lion hunting but instead the industry has thrived – that is until the controversial documentary Blood Lions put the issue back into the spotlight – setting in motions a few small victories in SA.

It’s been almost 20 years since the highly controversial and shocking Cook report exposed the cruelty associated with South Africa’s canned lion hunting industry.

The report, a British current affairs television programme aired in 1998 also featured in the globally-acclaimed Blood Lions documentary, featured footage of a lioness being shot several times within a small enclosed area, right next to a fence which separated the animal from her cubs. Conservationists and the general public were up in arms.

But, despite its obvious revelations, captive lion breeding was able to thrive and develop into a billion rand industry over the past decade in South Africa, while the ethical and conservationist red alerts have been shoved to the background.

This while associations meant for lion protection have continued to run parallel with canned breeding associations.

Now, South Africa’s ethical hunting authority PHASA, the Professional Hunter’s Association of South Africa, have distanced themselves from canned hunting and breeding completely.

In November last year, at the 38th annual general PHASA meeting held in Polokwane, the majority of PHASA members 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).

Any PHASA member is now prohibited to take part in canned lion hunts.

The move was considered a victory on South African soil but was seen as a rather intentionally delayed response – 20 years after the initial Cook Report.

One cannot help to think that PHASA’s move was a direct result of the US’s largest airline, Delta Airlines’ move to ban of the importation of lion trophies – an announcement made in August 2015.

The US ban had the first major impact on the lion hunting and breeding industry in SA. And in January this year, the US Government as a whole banned the import of all lion trophies from Africa, unless it could be proven that the specific hunt makes a positive contribution to the overall conservation of lions in the wild.

Since the announcement, the local industry is facing total collapse as 70% of the lion hunting clientele hail from the US.

According to Pieter Potgieter from the South African Predator Association (SAPA), a group regulating the canned breeding and hunting industry in SA, the lion hunting industry’s cashflow has been affected tremendously.

Because of the ban, “the lion farmers now have no income”, Potgieter told Carte Blanche. And still, they need to feed their lion stocks on a daily basis… an expensive practice for no remuneration.

“This forces the lion farmers to make all sorts of other plans,” Potgieter says… plans which include offering cheap lion hunting packages for locals, and the euthanasia of older animals.

Despite the victory for the future of lion hunting in South Africa, the existing captive bred lions remain victims to the canned breeding industry.

They cannot be released into the wild, and no US hunters are able to pay the big bucks to have its head mounted in their surgeries in Minnesota.
Want to help? If you’d like to make a positive contribution towards the conservation and well-being of lions, you can: 

– Support Emoya Big Cat Sanctuary. This haven was opened by Savannah Heuser in 2012 and it has no breeding policy, nor is it open to the public.

– Canned hunting and exploitation of captive lions has gained unparalleled support and awareness through Blood Lions documentary – bringing to the world’s attention to the horrors of predator breeding and activities using lions and other species.

As a result, Blood Lions says tourism industry leaders have collaborated to initiate a worldwide ‘Born to Live Wild’ pledge against the predator breeding and canned hunting industry –  presenting a united front that includes the most significant tourism organisations and travel companies around the world.

Travel and Tourism operators who want to join the Born to Live Wild” pledge can click here. Public citizens can join the movement by watching Blood Lions, and pledging your support to their work.

Geblikte leeujag en leeuplase skend Suid-Afrika se naam in die buiteland. Daarom het Derek Hanekom die Suid-Afrikaanse Toerisme-agentskap (SA Toerisme) opdrag gegee om gen advertensies te ondersteun of te plaas wat reklame aan die bedryf gee nie.

Derek Hanekom, minister van toerisme, se onom-wonde: Ons moet wegbe-weeg van ‘n myngesen-treerde ekonomie na ‘n toerisme-ekonomie. “Dit gaan ‘n tydjie neem om ons mense daarvan te oortuig dat baie meer, beter en volhoubare werk deur toerisme geskep word as deur mynbou.”

Hanekom trap versigtig as hy praat oor omstrede onderwerpe waaroor hy geen beheer het nie: 5005 geblikte leeujag wat deur die departement van landbou, bosbou en visserye gereguleer word. Dan het hy ook glad nie ooghare vir trofeejag nie. Hieroor kan hy ook nie veel se nie, omdat dit binne Edna Molewa, minister van omgewingsake, se portefeulje val. “Nee,” se hy en keer terug na die onderwerp van geblikte leeujag. “Dit lyk dan so lekker om ‘n wollerige leeuwelpie vas te hou. Wie sal dit dan nou nie wil doen nie? Maar ek se jou, dit is ‘n doodskoot vir daardie leeu.”

Hy is bewus van honderde vry-willigers wat in die verlede na Suid-Afrika gestroom het om op leeuplase te kom help, maar se-dert die dokumentere rolprent Blood Lions in teaters oor die we-reld heen vertoon is, het mense se oe “hopelik” oopgegaan, se hy.

“Trofeejag is ook nie goed vir Suid-Afrika se beeld nie.”

Toeriste wat na Suid-Afrika kom, wil lewendige wild sien. Hulle wil op safari gaan, gholf speel en aan bergfietswedrenne deelneem. Hulle is ook gaande oor Suid-Afrikaanse kos en wyn.

Hy verwys na ‘n ander soort besoeker wat deesdae hierheen kom om ‘n “mediese toer” te on-derneem. “Ons noem dit mediese toerisme. Mans en vroue kom na Suid-Afrika vir kosmetiese chi-rurgie.” En met die rand wat nou so swak is, is kosmetiese chirur-gie vir die Britte en Amerikaners baie bekostigbaar, se hy.

Oor die konflik tussen Suid-Afrika se natuurlike en kulturele erfenis en mynbou is Hanekom baie bekommerd. “Kyk wat het by iSimangaliso gebeur,” se hy.

As aktiviste en die regering nie die beoogde titaanmynbedrywig-hede summier gestop het nie, sou iSimangaliso nooit in 1999 we-relderfenisstatus gekry het nie.

Die gesprek beweeg na Mapun-gubwe, nog een van Suid-Afrika se ikoniese Werelderfenisgebiede waar die departemente van om gewingsake en minerale bronne mynbou in die buffergebied toe-gelaat het. Die Verenigde Nasies se konvensie vir onderwys, kul-tuur en wetenskap (Unesco) het gedreig om Mapungubwe van sy Werelderfenisstatus te stroop. ‘n Heelwat kleiner buffergebied is toe rondom Mapungubwe gepro-klameer. Hanekom erken hierdie aspek en die stryd om die behoud van Mapungubwe se status is nooit binne die departement van toerisme bespreek nie.

Dit het hom beslis aan die clink gesit. Hy voeg by Suid-Afrika het meer aktiviste nodig om bedrei-gings vir werelderfenisgebiede en ander natuurreservate onder sy aandag, asook onder die van sy departement, te bring.

Mynbou in opvangsgebiede, soos die van die Olifantsrivier in Mpumalanga, is ook verkeerd en skaad die Suid-Afrikaanse land-skap en die land se water.

Hy noem ook dat toerisme na Suid-Afrika aan die einde van 2014 ‘n geweldige afname gewys het weens die ebola-krisis in Wes-Afrika, weens die xenofobie-se aanvalle in Suid-Afrika en die debakel rondom visums.

Cape Town – Canned hunting and exploitation of captive lions has gained unparalleled support and awareness through Blood Lions documentary – bringing to the world’s attention to the horrors of predator breeding and activities using lions and other species.

As a result, Blood Lions says tourism industry leaders have collaborated to initiate a worldwide Born to Live Wild” pledge against the predator breeding and canned hunting industry –  presenting a united front that includes the most significant tourism organisations and travel companies around the world.

Blood Lions says it is proud to be able to launch the “Born to Live Wild” pledge, which has become a central part of what the overall campaign is trying to achieve.

It announced that as a follow on from the initial pledge ‘document’, a new page has been added to the website, where an official “Born to Live Wild” logo can be downloaded and all partners, who have already committed to actively being part of the solution.

Those who have joined the pledge include National Geographic, African Bush Camps, Thompsons Africa, Singita, & Beyond, Asilia Africa and Sanctuary Retreats.

Fair Trade Tourism recently took the decision to work with prominent NGOs and tourism industry stakeholders to revise and implement new criteria focussed on “voluntourism” involving vulnerable people and wildlife interaction – finalising an extensive review of criteria for tourism businesses with volunteer offerings, which came into effect from June 1 2016.

Travel and Tourism operators who want to join the Born to Live Wild” pledge can click here and subscribe to the vital actions from the international travel and tourism industries, as set out below:

1. To not knowingly book or otherwise support any breeder or operator that contributes to the cycle of breeding, exploitation and senseless killing of predators. This includes all petting and ‘walking with lion’ facilities.

2. To continue our support and promotion of the formal conservation community in their endeavours to secure the survival of Africa’s predators in the wild. Without wild lions and the rest of the predator guild extant in functioning ecosystems, there will be no African tourism industry; a calamitous situation for many economies.

3. To continue in our own endeavours towards wildlife conservation and economic development wherever we operate across Africa.

4. To continue supporting an ethical and responsible interaction with Africa’s wilderness and wild animals.

5. To continue promoting Africa as an authentic, wild and rewarding tourism destination.

“As a conservation organisation that works with so many volunteers it is great to see a firm stance being taken by the Tourism sector to put a stop to not only the abuse and exploitation of wildlife, but of volunteers and tourists to Africa. We applaud all of those that are willing to stand up and be counted, ensuring that tourism income and volunteer efforts are directed to true conservation efforts,” said Dr Simon Morgan, Director of WildlifeACT Fund, and a key driver around this campaign.

“Lions and other predators are wild species and we wish to continue promoting Africa as an authentic, wild and rewarding tourism destination,” said Ian Michler, Consultant and Lead Character for Blood Lions.

“Since the release of our first pledge statement at the Conservation Lab, the response from the global tourism industry has been overwhelming – they want to be involved with bringing an end to predator breeding, canned hunting and the exploitation of lions and other predators in commercial activities.

“We cannot claim to be responsible operators if we continue to support unethical activities, and we cannot claim to be selling authentic wildlife experiences or supporting conservation if we are sending visitors to captive lion facilities across southern Africa.”

“The ‘Born to Live Wild’ pledge is a clear indication of the commitment to advocate responsible tourism by opposing exploitative wildlife interactions, and to endorse South Africa as an authentic wildlife destination. Fair Trade Tourism’s recent revision/implementation of their volunteer criteria to promote responsible and ethical volunteer programmes has been very well received,*” said Producer and driver behind the film, Pippa Hankinson.

Blood Lions has brought the horrors of predator breeding, canned hunting and a variety of other exploitative activities using lions and other species to the world’s attention in a way that has not been achieved before. While so many others have been involved in different ways over the last decade and more, and their contributions have been and will continue to be meaningful and significant, the films powerful visual narrative as well as the global campaign have provided a compelling call to action to have these practices stopped.

With support from the wider conservation community and the global tourism industry as well as millions of concerned citizens, the Blood Lions campaign is now owned by everyone that supports an end to the breeding, canned hunting and commercial exploitation.

For those not yet committed, we ask that you consider doing so. By committing to the pledge you will also be making a clear statement that:

a) lions and other predators are wild species and we wish to continue promoting Africa as an authentic, wild and rewarding tourism destination and,
b) we wish to continue our support and promotion of the formal conservation community in their endeavours to secure the survival of Africa’s predators in the wild.

This pledge has become a central part of what we are all trying to achieve, and this page recognizes those safari and tourism operators that have committed to actively becoming involved in being part of the solution. Blood Lions and those that have already signed up ask that you join in good faith. The industry will be its own watchdog. I invite all tourism operators to join us in committing to these pledges.

Fair Trade Tourism has finalised an extensive review of criteria for tourism businesses with volunteer offerings, which are effective from June 1 2016.

Since the organisation’s initial review of its standard to include additional criteria on volunteering in 2009 there has been a significant upsurge in both the supply and demand for volunteer products in Africa, many focused on so-called conservation or orphanage programmes.

This upsurge brought with it concerns from various organisations regarding malpractices, which were especially evident in programmes dealing with vulnerable children and captive wildlife.

The launch of the hard-hitting documentary “Blood Lions” earlier this year and its accompanying global campaign against predator-breeding centres and interactions exposed the fraudulent practices around volunteer experiences with captive lions and other predators.

Although not an advocacy organisation, Fair Trade Tourism took the decision to work with prominent NGOs and tourism industry stakeholders to revise and implement new criteria focussed on “voluntourism” involving vulnerable people and wildlife interaction.

“Our new criteria were not introduced to advocate for animal welfare or take an ethical position against volunteering with vulnerable people,” says Fair Trade Tourism MD Nivashnee Naidoo. “However, as an organisation that represents global best-practice in responsible tourism, it is our role and our interest to promote ethical, authentic and transparently marketed volunteer experiences,” she adds.

“Responsible voluntourism programmes should at the very least benefit host communities and have positive social, economic and environmental impacts. Sadly, at present many voluntourism experiences are actually detrimental to the people or animals they proclaim to be helping. Young travellers should strive instead to seek far more meaningful cultural and wildlife engagements than is currently the case.”

Fair Trade Tourism’s new criteria were informed by a range of expert sources including, amongst others, Better Volunteering, Tourism Watch, UNICEF, Endangered Wildlife Trust and Wildlife Act. A number of Southern African volunteer organisations also gave their input.

“We would like to thank all who aided in the consultation process leading up to the formulation of the new criteria,” says Naidoo.

The new Fair Trade Tourism criteria do not allow for any physical interaction by tourists or volunteers with a range of captive animals, including all large and medium sized carnivores, big cats, elephants, rhinos, large apes, hippos, ostrich, crocodiles and venomous snakes.

They also do not allow for tourists or volunteers to interact with any child or vulnerable person unless this takes place under continuous, qualified adult supervision.

“Given the growing body of evidence from orphanages that interaction with casual visitors can be deeply psychologically damaging to these children, Fair Trade Tourism will not certify any volunteer experience based on full-time work inside orphanages,” adds Naidoo.

Volunteer organisations and wildlife sanctuaries who strive for best-practice in their operations are invited to apply for certification from June 1 2016.