This baby rhino may be the last generation South Africa’s iconic national park may see if poaching continues at its current alarming rate.
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n May last year, Barbara Creecy, Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE), recommended an end to captive lion breeding, captive-bred lion hunting, cub petting and the slaughter of captive-bred lions for their bones. While lauded for the effort to end animal cruelty and captive hunting, the draft policy has come under fire from wildlife ranchers for seeking an end to an industry that has been largely responsible for the conservation of the species, rather than its demise. The draft policy, titled Conservation and Ecologically Sustainable Use Of Elephant, Lion, Leopard And Rhinoceros, follows the findings by a high-level panel set up in 2019 to investigate issues surrounding wildlife management in South Africa. In the last decade there has been increasingly vocal protest from local and international communities and NGOs against captive lion breeding. Government, in turn, wants the image of South Africa as a top destination for wildlife tourism to remain untarnished. Tourism makes a direct contribution of close to 4 per cent to the GDP, so this is especially important given the economic difficulties the country faces in the post-pandemic environment. Part of this contribution comes from South Africa’s commercial wildlife sector, which includes game ranchers and private reserve owners who host foreign tourists, including hunters, looking for a wildlife experience.
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Calling off the hunt A government draft policy under the guise of conservation could see South Africa’s lion population decimated and years of work to keep rhinos safe from poachers made redundant, writes NAN SMITH If the draft policy were to succeed, it would bring an end to lions and rhinos being held in private hands. These animals would either have to be relocated to national parks or, if parks could not accommodate them, be euthanised. South Africa could see over 12 000 rhinos and lions killed as a result, causing outrage among wildlife enthusiasts.
Conservation controversy Richard York, CEO of Wildlife Ranching South Africa (WRSA), queried claims made by the panel that the captive lion industry harms South Africa’s conservation reputation. “They also state that captive breeding of lions creates a risk of lions becoming extinct in the wild, and that lions raised by our members are linked to an increased risk of COVID-19. We have asked for the scientific evidence that supports these claims, but it has not been forthcoming.” While lions have become extinct in 26 African countries, South Africa has had overwhelming success in keeping lion populations flourishing and reintroducing captive animals into the wild. This is evident in the nearly 10 000 lions currently housed on private farms. Yet, the draft policy claims that “captive breeding of lions is currently not necessary for conservation purposes”. York says that besides the incalculable loss to our biodiversity of euthanising the animals in private hands, this will also cost the government in excess of R16-million in euthanasia fees. “The sad irony is that organisations like Born Free have gone to great lengths to rescue lions from zoos abroad and relocate them to South Africa, where they can live their lives in their natural habitat on private farms. Under the current DFFE proposals, these lions will be killed. They would have come back home to die.”
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