At last, "canned lion" hunting is finally to be banned in South Africa. But, other forms of killing lions for "sport" is still to be allowed to continue... !

Here follows the Mail & Guardian story September 27 to October 3 2002: "From Canned to 'Candy-coated' Hunting."

By Fiona Macleod

Conservationists are worried that proposed national legislation for the management of predators will see "canned" hunting replaced by a new form of sophisticated "candy-coated" hunting.

They warn the new proposals leave loopholes that will be exploited by unscrupulous breeders of lions and other predators who have already brought the country’s wildlife industry into disrepute. The proposals, drawn up by provincial officials, are due to be submitted to MECs and the minister of environmental affairs and tourism soon.

The document cans the kind of "canned" lion hunting that caused an international public outrage when it was exposed in the late 1990s. It prohibits hunting of large predators in captivity, hunting at night, using drugs to tranquillise target animals, and luring animals by using sound, scent or bait. It stipulates that dogs may not be used and that hunting must be done on foot.

"These aspects appear to be progressive because they will mean the end of canned hunting as we know it," says "lion man" Gareth Patterson, who played a key role in exposing the sordid industry in 1997. "But I am worried the grey areas in the proposals could spawn a new form of candy-coated hunting."

While the proposals outlaw hunting of captive and "human-imprinted" predators, they allow for wild and "managed wild" animals to be hunted. The latter are defined as free-ranging but whose prey populations may need to be supplemented; and they have to be given six months after being introduced to an area before they can be hunted.

There are an estimated 45 to 50 large cat breeders in South Africa, who hold more than 2 500 lions in cages or small enclosures on their properties. They can earn between R50 000 and R500 000 by offering the animals to mostly foreign hunters.

Animal welfare groups say these centres should be closed down and an immediate ban imposed on the captive breeding of predators for commercial purposes. "After imposing one or two easily evaded conditions on the canned hunting industry as a sop to public opinion, the proposals go on to make life worse for lions and other predators," says Chris Mercer, representative of a coalition of organisations called DNA (Diversity, Nature & Animals).

In a hard-hitting report on the ethics of canned hunting released this week, the South African director of the world’s largest conservation NGO criticises the commercialisation of "blood sports".

"The predominant members of the hunting community are often also associated with the most dysfunctional of ideologies in our societies," writes Saliem Fakir, country director of the IUCN-World Conservation Union. "They often come from communities where gun-culture and macho cowboy mentalities are rife. For instance, in the US, where owning a gun is seen as a constitutional right, the number of big game hunters is said to be about 11-million."

Botswana has banned the hunting of lions, despite pressure from former president George Bush and other members of Safari Club International – the largest hunting organisation in the world – because of the negative impacts on the lion population. Researchers say the number of Botswana’s lions declined by about two-thirds in 10 years.

There is broad consensus among conservationists that the total population of lions in Africa has fallen from about 50 000 to fewer than 15 000 over the past decade. The last viable wild populations are confined to Southern and East Africa.

"With so few genuine free-ranging lions left, the new legislation should rather be calling for a total ban on the hunting of predators," says Patterson. "We should be bold enough to follow Botswana’s lead, for ecological reasons."

Mail & Guardian, September 27 to October 3 2002

___________________________________________________________________________

Read about Canned Lion Hunting:

Shooting Gallery
by Bernard Thompson
July 13-19 in Big Issue (Scotland)

$250 will get you an Angora goat. If you are lucky enough to have about
$2000 to spare, an impala or a zebra will be within your price range.
But rhinoceroses are only realistically available to the seriously
wealthy with prices ranging from $10-20,000. If describing some of
nature's most exotic wildlife in such bald commercial terms sounds a
little vulgar, you will probably find the full details of the deal
positively disgusting.

Because these are not prices that zoos or safari parks would expect to
pay to purchase one of these animals for display, as a tourist
attraction. In fact, the figures mentioned are the going rate in the
United States for the privilege of shooting one of these beasts - and a
kill is guaranteed. Some might wonder how anyone could promise that a
hunter would bag a quarry. The answer is simple: in this type of hunt
the odds are stacked steeply against any chance of the animal escaping,
and firmly in favour of the hunter's 'success'.

Canned hunting, as it is known, provides enthusiasts with the strange
and morally dubious pleasure of killing an animal that has absolutely no
chance of escape.

Most of the animals are are shot in pens of a few acres or smaller, in
which they were raised. Some are shot while partially sedated; others
are killed near feeding troughs and breeding pens. Thus, shooting
preserves can advertise a policy of "No Kill, No Pay". The tangible
reward is the animal's head as a trophy. As one hunter famously
commented, "Before being harvested, African lions, raised as pets, would
amble over and lick your hand."

What may be equally shocking is the fact that many of the animals, used
in this way, which haven't been specifically reared to be shot, started
out as exhibits at zoos. As visitors flock in greater numbers to see
newborn animals, there is an increased incentive for zoos to breed young
while the older animals are sold, only to end up providing further
grisly entertainment by their tortuous deaths as the quarry in canned
hunts.

To date, there is no evidence of the involvement of British zoos in
providing animals for such ventures. Although a Scottish farm was
recently said to have offered domestically reared boar and ostriches to
be shot in corrals, the practice is mainly restricted to the USA and
South Africa, where Gareth Patterson devotes all his energies to raising
awareness of the issue and campaigning for a complete ban.

British born and educated, but having spent most of his childhood in
Nigeria and Malawi, Patterson has worked with George Adamson of "Born
Free" fame. As you might expect, his great passion is lions and he took
up the fight in 1996 after he was given a video of a canned lion hunt.

Asked to define his opposition to canned hunting, he explains: "Firstly,
here in South Africa it's a question of cruelty. Trophy size is defined
by measurement of the skull. Hence the trophy hunter does not shoot the
lion in the brain for the fear of damaging the skull; they concentrate
on body shots which don't kill instantly.

"I have video footage of a trophy hunter taking numerous shots to kill a
male lion. It slowly died as blood entered its lungs while the
professional hunter accompanying the client was congratulating him."

In another of the most infamous examples, a lioness was riddled with
shots while her cubs watched her die, separated from their mother by an
electrified fence.

Similar considerations apply in the USA, where hunters use a variety of
weapons, including bows and arrows, and again concentrating on shots to
the body to preserve the head as a trophy.

One case involved a Black Hawaiian Ram, for which a hunter had paid
$275. Having been driven directly into the path of the customer by a
guide, the ram was then shot with an arrow at point-blank range. With
one arrow in his hindquarters and shaking uncontrollably the ram backed
up against the fence blocking its escape and was repeatedly shot with
more arrows with the hunter carefully avoiding the head.

However bizarre the pastime might appear, it remains popular and
Patterson's research has found that approximately half of the foreign
hunters who go to South Africa to kill wildlife are North Americans.
German and Spanish tourists account for the next greatest numbers with
some Britons also taking part. He reveals that most come from
professional, management and industrial fields of above average to very
high incomes.

Patterson sees this as something of an insult to African culture:
"Traditionally in Africa animals were not killed for sport. This is a
western notion that has been imposed on Africa."

In the US, canned shoots are said to now rival golf courses as
convenient venues for talking business. And a few famous names have been
involved: after his 1988 election victory, President George Bush Snr
celebrated at the Lazy F Ranch in Texas. He defended his actions by
commenting: "These aren't animals; these are wild quail."

Bush's successor, Bill Clinton is known to have been another enthusiast
during his presidency. In December 1993, he was able to claim the
distinction of killing a captive-bred mallard duck on a shooting
preserve owned by the treasurer of a pro-hunting group that had made
substantial political donations.

These people are either dismissive of or oblivious to the issue of
cruelty which troubles Gareth Patterson so deeply: "Before a trophy
hunter even sets his sights on the animal he wants to kill on a game
farm, it could already have faced death in four previous stages of the
trade - during its initial capture; during transportation to the
auction; in the auction pens; and on relocation and release on a game
farm. The time frame for these stages could be a month or more, during
which the animals are held in captive conditions. They might survive all
these stages, only to face the hunter's gun on delivery."

In his books, "Dying to be Free: The canned lion scandal" and "Making a
Killing", some examples of the animal abuses arising before the hunts
are cited. They include the cases of 38 out of 40 blesbuck antelope
being asphyxiated in a converted cattle truck; a shipment of ostriches
that fell through the bottom of their flight container after it had
become saturated with urine; two giraffes strangled by a dangling rope
in a transport truck and the deaths of 37 out of 43 bontebok antelope
exported to Namibia.

In the States, where deer are the most popular animals shot in canned
hunts, a major issue is disease. In a recent letter to the New York
Times, Heidi Prescott of the US Fund for Animals called for the canned
hunting and farming industries to be shut down, claiming that they
present a threat to wildlife: "Animals concentrated in a captive
environment like a shooting preserve or game farm are more susceptible
to a variety of diseases than are animals that live under more natural,
wild conditions. Chronic wasting disease has spread rapidly through
wildlife populations in several Western and Midwestern states, likely
originating from captive deer and elk, or at least spreading farther and
faster because of them.

"The killing of captive animals for trophies is a time bomb of disease
that may destroy native wildlife populations."

The environmental impact is not limited to the threat of disease. In the
case of lion hunting, for example, those with the biggest manes are the
prime targets. That often leads to the strongest and most dominant males
being removed from the prides, impacting on the bloodline as weaker
males are left behind in the wild.

But Patterson also refers to the shooting of game birds in Britain and
to the practices of foxes being reared in artificial earths supplied
with carcasses to encourage breeding close to hunts. Although illegal,
this has been discovered in some parts of the UK.

In combating canned hunting in South Africa, Patterson urges foreign
tourists to at least enquire whether hunting takes place at the tourist
establishments they intend to visit, arguing that this, "pushes out
signals that the majority of potential foreign tourists would not want
to visit a place where canned lion hunting is taking place.

Meanwhile, in the USA, numerous pressure groups, such as the Humane
Society of the United States, are attempting to have the practice
outlawed completely.

To many, the motivation for getting involved in canned hunting will seem
inexplicable but not to Advocates for Animals Director, Les Ward who
simply concludes, "If there's money to be made off the backs of animal
suffering and exploitation, you can rest assured that someone will do
it."

That being the case, the most likely methods of addressing the issue are
organising boycotts and lobbying for a total ban on the industry. Until
then, to paraphrase an Oscar Wilde quotation, the unspeakable will
continue their pursuit of the uneatable.

Visit www.garethpatterson.com
and www.caps-uk.dircon.co.uk
and www.hsus.org

Good News: Lion Hunting is banned in Botswana. 4/4/01

All lion hunting, including lion trophy hunting has been banned in Botswana recently. The Botswana government has brought about the ban based upon indications of an marked decline in lion numbers in that country. It has been estimated that the continental population of the African lion could be as low as 10,000.

It has been reported that the shooting of lion now carries penalties of up to P5000.00 per lion killed.

There is also a complete ban on the killing of cheetah.

This moratorium on the hunting of lion and cheetah will be imposed for a two year period and the situation will be monitored and assessed.

Bad News:'Canned' lion hunting continues in South Africa and National Park animals are being sold into the Game Trade.

The Botswana government's decision to ban lion hunting was bold and decisive. In stark contrast, in neighbouring South Africa, not only is the lion still trophy hunted, but they are even bred in captive situations for the trophy hunting industry.

Lions caught up in these captive situations are often "hunted" in restricted fenced areas by high paying international trophy hunters. This form of 'hunting' is known as "canned lion hunting."

Canned lion hunting in South Africa was exposed locally and internationally in May 1997. Public reaction and anger about canned hunting in South Africa was great.Some 55,000 petitions from the public were received at one animal welfare organisations office alone. The thousands of petitions, local and international, urged the South African government to outlaw canned lion hunting.

Subsequent to the exposé, one of the nine provinces in South Africa banned canned lion hunting.In another province legislation has been tightened to deter canned lion hunting.Sadly though, in certain other provinces this sordid practise continues to this day, almost four years after it was first exposed.

Today in South Africa close on 100,000 wild animals are hunted annually by some 6500 foreign trophy hunters and thousands of local hunters.The "canned lions" make up overwhelmingly the majority of lions shot for "sport" in South Africa.

Such harsh "use" of wildlife in South Africa does not endear the country to oversea's animal lovers who otherwise could have been potential Eco-tourists wishing to visit South Africa.

Situations such as the recent proposed sale of twenty one white rhinos into the South African game trade by the world famous Kruger National Park could also prove to be damaging to the country's conservation image. It was revealed in the Mail & Guardian newspaper recently that:

"The park's standard contracts of sale do not stipulate the animals it sells may not be hunted and in some instances, they are shot almost immediately after arriving at their new destinations."

It was also repoted that:

"...wildlife experts say the Kruger, world renowned for its conservation expertise, cannot afford to wash its hands of its responsibility to its animals once they are sold."

Commenting on the controversial proposed rhino sale Kruger representative Dr Salifou Siddo was quoted in the report stating that it was "normal practice to sell excess high value game such as rhino."

Wildlife it seems is not even safe in South African National Parks and can be removed from the wilds to be sold into the game trade, which itself, is driven by the supply and demand dynamics of the trophy hunting industry. Last year a so-called "problem pride" of Kruger lions were sold by the Kruger National Park to a known captive lion breeder and "canned" lion hunting operator.

Botswana Bans all Lion Hunting

Early this year the Botswana government took the decisive decision to ban all lion hunting in that country. This bold move was taken in reaction to the marked decline in lion numbers in Botswana. Lions have been hunted in great numbers for years. The entire continental population of the African lion could be as low as 10-15,000 lions with male lions, the trophy hunters target, being less than 5000.

For years now I and others have been trying to create awareness about the plight of the African lion.Our calls often went unheeded or unheard and the lion, the very symbol of Africa, continues to be hunted for 'sport' by foreign trophy hunters.

Today, Botswana's move to ban all lion hunting could encourage other African countries to also allow the lion to recover in numbers.

But, since the lion hunting ban in Botswana, the Botswana government is coming under increasing pressure from the pro-trophy hunting fraternity to lift the ban.

Show your support for the African lion and for the ban on lion hunting in Botswana by congratulating the Botswana goverment for making the bold move to stop all hunting of lion in that country.With Botswana banning lion hunting, other African countries could follow.

Lion trophy hunting damages the very fabric of lion society. For every male killed, due to the social inbalances this creates, it has been calculated results in the death of at least 6-7 other lions.

Congratulate and support the Botswana Government in their ban on lion hunting by writing to:

The Minister of Commerce and Industry at : Fax # 267 372-539
or to the Vice President's Office at : Fax # 267 350-888.

Thank you all for your support for the future of the African lion.

Further Update 4/4/2001

Subsequent to the concerns raised in the press regarding the sale of 21 white rhino from the Kruger National Park, the South African National Parks(SANParks) issued a press release which announced that:

"...for this specific sale, we will require buyers to make the following undertakings:

1) Mothers and calves will not be seperated until the calves are fully weaned and independant (at least 20 months)

2) The animals are sold for breeding and will not be hunted for at least a year after purchase."

The above statement to me raises further concerns. The gestation period for White Rhino is 16 months, and in the wilds calves only leave their mothers when they are between two to three years old. Therefore I cannot see how the sale of the rhino is going to be for breeding purposes if the rhino can be hunted a year-12 months- after purchase.