Fate of captive lions in balance after ruling

June 16, 2009

Tony Carnie June 16 2009 at 09:14AM

The future of about 4 000 captive lions hangs in the balance after a High Court ruling that canned lion hunting is an "abhorrent and repulsive" stain on South Africa's international reputation.Canned lion hunting is a term used to describe the practice of breeding lions in captivity so that they can be shot by wealthy hunters, often in small pockets of land where they are unable to escape.Last week, the High Court in Bloemfontein issued a landmark ruling that effectively spells the end of the canned lion hunting industry, by requiring that these animals cannot be hunted unless they have fed and supported themselves for at least two years.Continues Below ↓

But now there are fears that thousands of canned lions may either be put down or neglected because they have lost their previous economic value.The court heard evidence that many lions were being farmed in the Free State "the way other people breed cattle" - except that lion farming was more lucrative.In some cases, cubs were removed from their mothers and hand-raised with surrogate milk from the age of three days to eight weeks, and then sold to other lion farmers, who fed them dead chickens or donkeys bought from local communities."The biggest lion breeders buy donkeys for feed and, in one case, the feed account for 250 lions of all ages amounts to R30 000 a week."While the latest court ruling has been widely welcomed by conservation groups, the Endangered Wildlife Trust has voiced concern that up to 4 000 captive-bred lions could fall prey to "neglect and further cruel treatment if they have now lost their economic value to the breeders".According to evidence before Judge CW van der Merwe, "many lions will have to be put down" because breeders stood to lose millions if canned lion hunting was prohibited or severely restricted.The case went to court at the end of last year, when the SA Predator Breeders' Association challenged the validity of government regulations designed to control the hunting of lions bred in captivity.The association represents the interests of more than 120 lion breeders, mainly in the Free State and North West. The lions are either shot on the breeder farms or sold to other landowners, who stand to earn at least $22 000 (around R178 000) per lion - excluding the costs of stuffing and preservation by a taxidermist, air fares, accommodation, professional hunting fees and other costs.Judge Van der Merwe said it was clear that the nett income from lion hunting "by far outstrips the income derived from cattle farming".The judge said he noted submissions on behalf of lion breeders that captive breeding and hunting of lions relieved hunting pressure on wild lions, but said a government panel on canned hunting found there was little evidence to show that breeders were motivated by conservation objectives.In fact, there was overwhelming evidence that intensive breeding for the hunting industry was having a "profoundly negative impact" on biodiversity because canned lions were being bred selectively, genetically manipulated or being imported from other countries.Overall, Judge Van der Merwe said canned lion hunting had harmed South Africa's reputation immensely."It is clear that many people all over the world find the notion of hunting a lion bred and raised in captivity, often by hand, and totally reliant on humans for survival, abhorrent and repulsive."He acknowledged his decision would have a "major impact" on the lion-breeding industry, especially in the short term. In the long term, however, foreign hunters might become willing to pay even higher prices to shoot a lion because of the "scarcity factor" of huntable lions.http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1 & click_id=31 & art_id=vn20090616052719735C365547 & newslett=1 & em=203457a6a20090616ah