As the largest legal exporter of lion skeletons, South Africa has been accused of promoting illegal trade and activities, promoting trade in other species such as tigers and even rhinos, normalizing demand for these products, and hampering conservation efforts by other countries and organizations. An example of this is the trade in lion bones, which are used for so-called “medicinal” purposes and other dubious commercial ventures. While the bone trade was initially seen as a counterweight to the trophy hunting industry, recent reports suggest that this is not the case. Instead, many animals are bred specifically for their bones. An exposé last month revealed that a slaughterhouse had killed 54 lions in just two days. This happened in a facility that describes itself as an “ecological farm.” Although many organizations follow the rules, there are always reports of illegal hunting. Of the three types of hunting, ranch hunting is the same as “boxed hunting.” It is essentially a trophy hunt conducted on a large private farm also known as a “ranch”. During this hunt, wild animals were kept and raised by the farm owner. The young lions also grew up and were taken care of by the farm owner to earn more money. Later, the animal was hunted by one of the ranch owner`s customers. The owner manages the ranch by taking the client`s money for hunting. Why big game hunting is big business in South Africa Efforts to limit canned hunting have always been hampered primarily by individuals who benefit from lion-use activities.
The Department of the Environment proposed regulations in 2005 that included a description and restriction for “canned hunting.” Although they were not accepted, they made another attempt to control the company in 2007. In the same year, it was proposed to let lions migrate for a total of 24 months before being hunted. These rules have been challenged in court by the South African Predator Association, whose members include lion breeders, which has taken legal action against the ministry. Mainly for procedural reasons, the industry won the case before the Supreme Court of Appeal, which struck down the planned rules and allowed the company to thrive. (Wilson, 2019) It may seem strange that this commercial exploitation exists, given that South Africa is a self-proclaimed world leader in conservation. The country has some of the highest populations of charismatic megafauna in the world, including rhinos, elephants and lions. However, for these and many other wildlife species in South Africa, the populations raised are largely due to the practice of “wildlife farming”, which is not only permitted but even encouraged by the legal system. Canned hunting is the hunting of wild animals (mainly lions) in a limited area from which they cannot escape. In South Africa, it`s not just legal, it`s flourishing. At least 8,000 captive-bred lions and other predators languish in about 250 breeding facilities, where they are profitably exploited at every stage of their lives. Unwittingly paying volunteers are recruited to breed captive-bred lion cubs by hand, under the false premise that they will be released into the wild as part of a lion conservation initiative. Tourists pay to take selfies while petting cute teddy bears or walking with lions.
Eventually, many animals are taken to canned hunting facilities to be slaughtered by paid trophy hunters, and their bones and other body parts are sold to local and international trade. In the case of affordability and cost, it depends on the category you choose based on its size, age, aggressiveness, and maturity. In general, trophy hunters choose animals of the higher category, because they have a plan to design the animal`s body parts on their wall. The committee`s final report, released the following November, decided that the Ministry of Environment should urgently launch a policy and legislative review of lion breeding for captive hunting and the lion bone trade to end the practice. Many organisations working on the issue have hailed it as a success, calling it the “nail in the coffin” of South Africa`s lion industry. She sees nothing wrong with hunting lions or keeping them in captivity. In fact, she says, she`s part of a family of animal lovers: “We grew up with them, so it`s beautiful. It`s like babies in your house – if they`re really small, they`ll run around your house and follow you. Unfortunately, lion hunting is legal in Africa. Kenya was the first country to ban lion hunting in 1977. But at the same time, the governments of South Africa, Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe are the main countries that have allowed people to hunt wild animals. Man does not think, before going on a lion hunt, that the lion hunts his prey to satisfy his hunger, while man hunts wild animals for pleasure or to earn more money.
SAPA supports captive hunting, unlike the Professional Hunters Association of South Africa, which voted to ban the practice last year. Cecil the Lion: Why a hunting ban isn`t the answer We showed this to environmental activist and journalist Ian Michler, who was the face of a movie called “Blood Lions” last year — an investigation into the lion canning industry.