Month: August 2016

Today is World Lion Day. And on this day people from all over the world celebrate the mighty creature by creating ongoing conservation awareness with pledges, plights and petitions – all necessary, all needed.

Initially, before I started with this blog post I thought that I was going to write a bit more on canned lion hunting, on predator petting (or any interaction) and on how lions are bred purely the human pleasure of killing (as ridiculous as that may sound).

But I’m not.

Because when I woke up this morning to the images, articles and pleas on social media one thought came to mind: I am scared shitless of lions.

I am scared shitless of lions because I respectfully fear lions.

And I wondered, what has happened to respectfully fearing lions? How did we get to a place where people are not scared shitless of lions anymore?

How did we get to the now where lions are exploited, abused and paraded for entertainment? How did you get to the now where lions are portrayed as cute cuddly pets? How did we get to the now where petting a predator trumps fearing a predator? How did we get to the now where humans can have such a negative demeaning power over an animal much stronger, an animal they’ve once called king?

Lions – and all wild animals – deserve our respect and they deserve our fear. They deserve to be respectfully feared today, on World Lion Day, and tomorrow.

This is my hope, my wish, my African dream:

May we never stop fearing lions, may we never take away their power, may the deep rumbling echoing roar continue to give us chills, and may the sight of a lion in the wild be met with gratitude wrapped up in serendipitous honour and excitement.

I am scared shitless of lions.

But I am also scared shitless FOR lions.

Cape Town – Today is World Lion Day.

Admittedly, South Africa has 99 problem and then some – with the extinction of some of its most iconic species but one of them.

As the world celebrates the majestic lion, it is the most opportune time to once again remind ourselves that these animals are facing a number of conservation threats  ranging from poaching to habitat encroachment. As a result the issue of canned lion hunting and trophy hunting in general has never received as much attention as it does now.

What the past year, since the release of Blood Lions at the Durban International Film Festival in 2015  has demonstrated is that small steps can add up to make a massive difference.

The revolutionary documentary has garnered global acclaim and support from top international influencers and celebrities and will be screened on DStv on channel 121 at 21:00 on Wednesday, 10 August 22016 in honour of World Lion Day.

The documentary together with the cynical killing of Cecil the Lion on 1 July 2015  has caused international outrage at the unethical practices of South Africa’s lion breeding industry – causing the world’s largest airline Emirates to ban trophy hunting outright, while some of Africa’s largest safari and eco-tourism operators have come together to call for an end to these activities altogether.

Locally a number of alleged violations within the industry have surfaced, even causing the Professional Hunters Association of South Africa (PHASA) to condemned “rogue lion breeders for tarnishing South Africa’s wildlife image”.

If the statistics are to be believed, South Africa has some 2 000 wild lions as opposed to  its 7 000 canned lions.

So what does the future hold for the estimated 7 000 captive-bred lions, owned by farmers who now face the reality of a declining revenue stream as the US, SA’s largest market also refuses to allow the import of Lion Hunting Trophies and local organisations distance themselves from the practise.

Is the reality of animal cruelty a certain future for these lions, as the number of incidents showing the deplorable practices involved in the predator breeding and canned hunting industries grow – continuing to diminish SA’s reputation as a desirable wildlife destination?

It also raises the need for a more targeted approach to help these lions. One only needs to think of organisations such as the Emoya Big Cat Sanctuary, which does not allow public interactions with its lions at all and was instrumental in assisting British charity Animal Defenders International (ADI) in rescuing 33 abused circus lions. But 7 000 appears to be an insurmountable task in comparison. Are you able to help, we’d like to hear from you?

Following an historic agreement between 28 African lion Range States, more than 180 countries are expected to debate whether to move lions from their current listing on Appendix II to Appendix I – which would prohibit the trade in lions, except under exceptional circumstances.

Whether or not the SA government will head these calls to address predator breeding and canned hunting or the endangered status of the African lion at CITES COP117 conference to be held in Johannesburg from 24 September to 5 October at the Sandton Convention Centre remains to be seen?

An ex-volunteer has come forward to share new information from Jan Walter Slippers’ farm in Limpopo Province where animal exploitation and neglect was recently revealed.

“One of the workers kept coming every few days, saying he needed chicken, so I presumed he needed it for Layla, their ‘house lion’ and I walked up to their house (they were away again). The worker said if I was quiet he would show me what they were for.

“There were seven wild leopards in a concrete shed at the back of their house. The leopards were separated by two rooms – both of no more than 6m² each. The animals were aggressive, scared and several were injured – it was terrifying. I’m afraid I vomited on the spot I was so horrified. I had heard a truck late at night leaving and returning, and I was told by two of the workers that Walter would get phone calls from farmers with problem leopards and go to trap them and put them in this shed for American hunters to shoot in hunting season.

“I took photos but later that week my phone went missing and several photos had been deleted when it randomly turned up again in my room. The two workers came and said they were sorry they lied. I had told the nature conservation representative, Lyle Wiggins, about the leopards and a week later when I was sure they were away again, I crept to the shed and discovered it empty and the walls bloodstained. He obviously told Walter and the leopards were removed somehow.”

These incidents again highlight the urgent need for the authorities to address the canned or captive hunting industry. In the meantime, South Africa’s reputation as a responsible tourism and hunting destination continues to be eroded.