South Africa moves to discontinue captive lion breeding after a review panel concluded the industry risked the conservation of wild lions and harmed tourism, the environment minister said.
In the nearly 600-page report, the panel appointed by the ministry in 2019 recommended that South Africa end the breeding and keeping of captive lions for economic gain, including hunting them and tourist interactions such as cub petting.
The panel also recommended an immediate moratorium on the trade of lion derivatives such as bones, which they found to pose major risks to wild lion populations in South Africa.
Barbara Creecy, Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, responded to the report by saying the ministry would adopt all recommendations in the report which were supported by the majority of the 26-strong panel.
“I have requested the department to action this accordingly and ensure that the necessary consultation for implementation is conducted,” she said at the panel’s presentation, referring to recommendations on captive lions.
However, the panel could not reach consensus on how to tackle captive lion breeding, and only two thirds of its members supported these recommendations, according to the report.
Creecy stressed the measures were not aimed at the hunting industry.
“Preventing the hunting of captive lions is in the interests of the authentic wild hunting industry, and will boost the hunting economy and our international reputation, and the jobs that this creates,” she said.
CNN
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