South Africa’s Lion Farming Industry Fuelling Illegal Global Trade in Big Cat Bones, Report Reveals
The report finds the country’s controversial lion breeding and ‘canned’ hunting industries are involved with “unimaginable” animal suffering and have ties with international crime syndicates.
A big cat farm in South Africa. Credit: World Animal Protection / Roberto Vieto
South Africa’s infamous lion farming industry has been exposed in a startling new report.
The report gathers evidence from anonymous sources, who detail various examples of “unimaginable animal suffering” at unregulated “off grid” lion farms in the country. At these facilities, lions and tigers are slaughtered and processed on-site. Animal welfare abuses evidenced in the report include lions being kept in filthy and barren enclosures, and lions severely neglected and starved, with some cases resulting in instances of lion cannibalism.
These illegal facilities are also said to be using South Africa’s ‘canned’ hunting industry to cover their involvement in the illegal international export of lion bones for use in traditional Asian medicine.
World Animal Protection, who compiled the report, is now calling on the South African Government to stand by its previous commitment to shut down the country’s “cruel” commercial captive lion breeding industry for good.
“Even as experienced researchers, we were deeply disturbed by the cruel practices taking place”, explained Dr. Neil D’Cruze, Global Head of Wildlife Research at World Animal Protection. “It is sickening to see these majestic mammals reduced to mere commodities kept in merciless conditions.”
Lion Farming in South Africa - Is It Legal?
In South Africa, the commercial captive breeding and canned hunting of lions remains legal. In 2021, the country’s government announced its intention to immediately halt the “domestication and exploitation of lions, and to ultimately close all captive lion facilities in South Africa”.
But in late 2022, the government backtracked on its commitment and instead instructed a Ministerial Task Team to “develop and implement a voluntary exit strategy and pathways for captive lion facilities”.
World Animal Protection says a lack of enforcement of regulations and clarity on the future of the industry is causing legal gray areas and allowing illegal activities to thrive.
“A voluntary phase out of the industry alone won’t be enough to halt the commercial exploitation of captive lions in South Africa”, explains Dr. Neil D’Cruze. “We now know some off grid lion farms go to great lengths to avoid detection. Facilities use various tactics like security cameras, patrols and messaging apps to avoid detection during inspections to conceal illegal activities.”
How Lions Suffer on Lion Farms
It is estimated that between 8,000-12,000 lions and other big cats, including tigers, are bred and kept in captivity in more than 350 facilities across South Africa.
Yet the industry has repeatedly been condemned for its inhumane treatment of animals, with many kept in overcrowded, filthy, and disease-ridden facilities. Opponents have also criticized the industry for monetizing every stage of the animals’ lives.
Tourists can pay to pet, pose with, or bottle-feed the cubs, and walk alongside older lions. Often, tourists are unaware that the animals have been snatched from their mothers, and may have been beaten and drugged to ensure docility around humans.
Once they reach adulthood, the lions are often sent to their deaths in so-called ‘canned’ hunts, in which the animals are drugged and driven to fenced enclosures, where hunters pay up to $50,000 to shoot them.
While hunters can keep the heads and skins of the lions they have killed, the rest of the corpse is sold for thousands of dollars, mainly across Asia, for use in traditional Chinese medicine. Lion bones are also considered desirable ingredients in foods and wine.
As South Africa is one of the few countries to allow the sale of lion bones, a large number of breeding facilities specialize in supplying this lucrative market.
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