Article on the plight of lions in Africa. Discussing canned lion hunting.

1. There once was a time when lions roamed freely and ruled the hierarchy of the animal chain across the Americas, Europe,
Asia and most of Africa. Their legends have echoed throughout all cultures from the ancient Egyptians and Indians to
the Greeks and Romans. Today sadly, they are only found in sub-Saharan Africa with a very small population in the Gir
Peninsula of north-west India.
This magnificent creature, whose courage and strength has been celebrated and held in the highest esteem over the eons,
has captivated and enthralled mankind. Its representations date back to some of the oldest cave paintings discovered,
such as those of the ‘Grotte Chauvet’ cave in France. Great leaders have been named after it, statues have been built and
emblems carved in its glory. Lions have lived in our earliest childhood memories, standing for strength and nobility, yet
ironically the king of all beasts is now threatened by the very hands that once glorified it.
Declining in numbers
Able to survive in diverse terrain, with territories ranging
from lush woodlands to savannah grasslands and semi-
desert regions, these cats’ numbers have declined
drastically over the last 20 years. With only about 15,000
lions remaining in the wild, there are currently fewer lions
than rhinos, elephants, chimpanzees and polar bears.
Understanding that these felines are sociable cats, living in
groups known as prides, these figures are highly alarming
and urgent measures need to be taken by Africa’s leaders
in order to ensure the preservation of our heritage and to
protect the pride of Africa.
Canned Lion Hunting and
Lion Farming practices
Apart from having their natural range diminished by human
encroachment and rapid urbanization, lions are also under
threat by trophy hunters and a much criticized form of
hunting known as ‘canned lion hunting’. This type of hunting
now affords the hunter the opportunity of a guaranteed
kill by making the lion available within an enclosed area,
without any true possibility of escape. In most instances
the animal is partly tame and not afraid of human beings.
Canned lion hunting is only legal in South Africa, where
ranchers and breeders are now farming these wild cats as
a commercial concern in order to offer a readily available
The last Prides
of africa
Photos:©MartinHarvey
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2. supply of lions to satisfy the demands of the hunting fraternity. In
addition, such lion farming is supporting the Asia-Africa trade for
body parts, specifically bones used for Asian traditional medicines.
Many of these farms also encourage ‘petting opportunities’ in which
the public are invited to play with and handle the lion cubs, supplying
funds from a public who are mostly unaware that their actions are
assisting these farms to rear cubs into adult lions for the purpose of
their bred fate - to be hunted by the very hand they have learnt to trust.
It is argued that hunting pays for conservation, however when the impression is created that the only way to protect
a species is by hunting it then this is surely just a means of legalizing institutionalized cruelty. Another concern is the
state of society’s values when it becomes acceptable and justifiable to farm lions, the pinnacle of the Big Five and
the very symbol and essence of Africa, and hold them in captivity for sport and slaughter. The hunting fraternity and
various conservation authorities believe that lion farms will reduce poaching pressure on wild lions. Chris Mercer, a
retired Advocate in South Africa who works consistently to raise awareness for the plight of the African Lion, disagrees.
He argues that most farmers need to supply fresh lions into the captive prides, since they suffer from inbreeding and
captivity depression. In order to satisfy this need, wild lions are often captured illegally and introduced to captive prides.
Mercer also points out the growing lion-bone trade and says that most of these traders find it cheaper to supply lion
bones from poached wild lions than actually paying the breeding farmers, which would deplete their profits.
While South Africa has the most liberal hunting laws, it simultaneously has the highest levels of poaching. Mercer points
It is debated that hunting pays for
conservation, but when it is believed that
the only way a species can be protected
would be to hunt it, surely this is a means of
legalizing institutionalized cruelty?
Photos:©MartinHarvey
out that there is a huge corruption of data on which hunting licenses are granted by neighbouring countries. Many
hunters want their trophies to be registered in the Rowland Ward trophy book, which does not recognize any trophies
from South Africa since they know that these may come from captive bred lions. In order to avoid this, many resourceful
farmers will fly the hunter and darted lion to a neighbouring country, such as Mozambique.
In this instance more and more lion trophies are being exported from Mozambique and by doing this the authorities are
tempted to increase hunting quotas for wild lions under the misguided belief that there are more wild lions than there are.
According to Mercer, lion farming for canned hunting will poison lion conservation throughout South Africa and tarnish
our reputation worldwide, especially among tourists wanting to support countries that respect and promote eco-tourism.
Promoting Eco-tourism
Although hunting of lions is permitted and completely legal in 11 Sub-Saharan countries in Africa, countries like Botswana,
Zambia and Kenya have taken a stand, moving towards Eco-tourism and protecting the jewels of their land.
Botswana is a land with diverse and untouched wildlife habitats. It is home to one of the world’s largest inland deltas and
has tourism experiences unmatched anywhere else in the world. The country has recognized the long-term benefits of
ecological preservation and, under the strong and commendable leadership of President Lieutenant General Ian Khama,
has recently announced a ban on all trophy hunting within its territory.
Kenya made the decision to ban trophy hunting in 1977 under their founding president Jomo Kenyatta. Such a strong and
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3. positive action against the decline of the African lion has also been adopted by Zambia, which is now testing the waters
of this movement for a temporary twelve-month period.
Eco-tourism has been shown to generate far greater and more sustainable results over the long term than those the
hunting industry can offer. Apart from job creation and extensive skills training, which eco-tourism can provide as
highlighted in a report from a November 2004 study by the University of Port Elizabeth, it is also estimated that eco-
tourism on private game reserves generated “more than 15 times the income of livestock, game rearing or overseas
hunting.” It is only hoped that South Africa will follow this same movement in support of eco-tourism, and that our
lions will eventually be honoured with protected status in the country’s general regulations on Threatened and Protected
Species (TOPS). It is hoped in addition that canned lion hunting will be banned in all countries across Africa, and
furthermore that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Authority will raise the status of lions to ‘endangered’. Following such a call to
action, Europe and the US should move to ban all imports of trophy and lion body parts.
When a country makes a positive commitment to preserve and protect what nature has given it for free, that decision
should be supported by tourists who visit Africa, wanting to enjoy the richness of the land and the ongoing breath it takes
to survive, for now and generations to come. Megan Webel
With special thanks to Chris Mercer and Pieter Kat for their input and guidance in creating this article. Please support
Chris Mercer in his NPO campaign against canned lion hunting, which is dedicated to getting all trophy hunting banned
in South Africa by visiting www.cannedlion.org Chris Mercer has also published a book with Beverly Pervan called
“Khalari Dream”, the proceeds of which will be donated to the anti-canned lion hunting initiative.
Pieter Kat, Director of LionAid based in the UK, has established a NPO to fight for the betterment and protection of the
lion species in Africa. LionAid tackles the challenge of convincing the UK Government and the EU to ban importation of
lion trophies; works with African range states to enhance national protection measures and reduce human/lion conflict
and is developing novel ways forward to stem the illegal wildlife trade. www.lionaid.com
Photo:©www.skyhawkphotography.com–JanRoode
www.wildimagesonline.com
Photo:©MartinHarvey
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