Blog Archives

Adventures of George and Yame.

2/25/2015

When Yame & George arrived in SA, they were very confused and anxious. This is the day they arrived. George had rubbed his little face on the wire separating him from his brother in their relocation crate. These two had never been apart, because George could not see so well, the separation was hard for this little lion.

Thanks to the many people who donated to help us relocate Yame and George, a new life was about to unfold.

This was the beginning of their second chance with Kevin Richardson. Their lives changed here. These are the two cubs today after many months of care and love from their carer, Jade.

We would like to share the cubs story with you. Jade reports below.

Adventures of George & Yame
As you know George had his cataract surgery a few weeks ago. We have been putting medicated eye drops in for him 4-6 times a day, which he handles like a real trooper.

His new found sight has given him the confidence to come out of his shell a little more. He has become a real live wire, always busy, and into everything all the time George and Yame are still both enjoying their walks out in the park, and have even set their sights on some prey species such as giraffe & impala. A little ambitious perhaps, but its good to dream big!

Yame is still as sweet as ever, helping his brother to navigate the world and giving him a little moral support when he's feeling scared of things he can now see.

Yame is getting nice and big now and is the same height as me when he's up on his back legs.

They have also been going down to the sanctuary to spend some time with the big lions. At first they were a little scared when they realised they were not the biggest boys in the neighbourhood, but they seem to settle in quicker each time.

I have attached a few photos from one of our volunteers which I'm sure you will enjoy. Regards, Jade

20 Comments

Australian MP's debate canned hunting

2/15/2015

3 Comments

MEMORABLE QUOTES FROM THE DEBATE ON CANNED LION HUNTING IN THE AUSTRALIAN PARLIAMENT.

9 February, 2015
Reported in Hansard - the official record of Parliamentary debate.

Jason Wood MP:

I spoke in this place in May last year about the appalling practice of canned hunting and today I rise with the knowledge that my words back then are resonating increasingly in our community, in our parliament and around the world. People see this practice, as I do, as cruel and barbaric.

Many believe that hunting of endangered species has economic and conservation benefits for countries involved. This is simply false. A report written by Melbourne economist Roderick Campbell from Economists at Large showed that revenue from trophy hunting represented only two per cent of tourism in Africa and that this tourism revenue is only a small fraction, considering that it is $200 million whereas the economy is $408 billion. Sadly, there are only 7,000 to 8,000 lions left in captivity, 160 of these in privately owned canned hunting reserves.

Mr Entsch MP:

It is not often we quote a thrash metal band in this chamber, but Megadeth's song, Countdown to Extinction, highlights the practice perfectly:

"Endangered species, caged in fright

Shot in cold blood, no chance to fight

The stage is set, now pay the price

An ego boost, don't think twice

Technology, the battle's unfair

You pull the hammer without a care

Squeeze the trigger that makes you 'Man'

Pseudo-safari, the hunt is canned"

Ms Parke MP:

I believe that canned hunting is another example of animal cruelty in which Australia is currently complicit by allowing the importation of hunting trophies. By not acting to prevent the importation of hunting trophies, we are effectively supporting an activity which is both cruel and unethical, a form of barbarism that has a direct impact on endangered species we have committed to protect.

Mrs Prentice MP:

Frankly, I call this sport un-Australian. Australians pride themselves on living by the creed of a fair go. Where is the fair go for these animals?

Ms Hall MP:

Trophy hunters are attracted to a situation where the animal is in an enclosed space and has some level of trust of human beings. I am not a person who supports hunting, but, to my way of thinking, this is quite a brutal and inhumane--

Interjection by an honourable member: Cowardly.

Ms HALL: - and cowardly attack on defenceless animals.

Mr Kelvin Thomson MP:

It is barbaric killing for macabre trophies. The idea of killing animals for sport is frankly barbaric and medieval but, if people really want to do it, then at least we should have a level playing field. The lions have teeth and claws; so give the hunter an appropriately sized knife and fire up the lions a bit before the contest by not feeding them for a couple of days. That would be fairer.

3 Comments

Eye op on cub - successful

2/6/2015

2 Comments

Kevin Richardson (the Lion Whisperer) reports on cub George's cataract removal

Hi All,
Its been a really busy week!

First things first. Dr Venter came to have a look at Georges eyes and was most happy with his progress. The inflammation doesn't seem to be too bad and drops seem to be working well. Today when I visited him his vision seems to have improved some more and his eyes are even clearer.

The nictitating membrane is hardly even showing which is a good sign there's no irritation. He also seems to be 100% more feisty than he's ever been. Oh boy! George is on fire!! It's really wonderful to see such an apparent improvement in his condition. His mind must boggle.

Naiobi was anaethetized by Dr Tordiffe that same day and several tests were done. She has good retinal function on both eyes and the ultrasound showed nothing untoward. She has massive resorption of the cataract in the one eye however the anterior and posterior lens capsule is so opaque that even if it was totally resorbed she would still not be able to see.

The good news is that she's a great candidate for surgery and now we just have to lock off a date when I will be around for the month post op. The reason is, like George, eye drops have to be administered several times a day and with my current schedule I won't be able to do this. The drops are really an important part of the healing process and therefore everyone agrees that waiting a month or so is for the better.

I posted a picture of Naiobi on Instagram having her retinal function done yesterday.

Hope I haven't missed anything. My brain is fried from trying to keep up. I also did a quick video of George for the LionwhispererTV channel telling people about his progress. I think a video goes out tomorrow on George and Yame whereby you'll be able to see how big they've grown and I talk briefly about his cataracts. Now they're gone!!!

Amazing.

Best wishes to you all
Kevin

2 Comments

SAA promoting Lion Park

2/4/2015

1 Comment

To South African Airways
Johannesburg office

Re: Responsible advertising and responsible tourism
Your Advertisement for the Lion Park in Johannesburg on your 'confirmation ticket' email, and your 'in flight magazine', is endorsing the canned hunting industry and the death of thousands of lions every year. The cub petting industry is just the beginning of the cycle of abuse to these magnificent animals. Your advertisement says it is OK to use cruel methods of removing the cubs from their mothers, using them to make vast sums of money and then sell them to be brutally shot by hunters. Your advertisement is endorsing the Lion Park and sending all the wrong messages to unsuspecting tourists visiting our country.

Every year thousands of people visit or volunteer at facilities where they can interact with lion cubs. The Lion Park is a major player in this industry. Please watch the expose of the Lion Park by the 60 Minutes team of CBS News, their absorbing expose of the links between cub petting and canned hunting. This exposes the lies that lion farmers use to conceal their sordid, commercial activities.
Watch here... http://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-lion-whisperer/which aired to 18 million people around the world.

Every day, a captive bred lion is killed in a canned hunt in South Africa.

The truth is that these lions are the product of factory farming. The cubs are taken from their mothers so that she can produce another litter in six months time, as opposed to two years time, if she had the opportunity to raise her own offspring.
These factory farmed cubs are often kept in unsuitable cages with little regard for their social requirements.

For a fee you can play and have your photograph taken with them. Or volunteers work at lion breeding facilities under the impression that these cubs will be returned to the wild.

Because they are human imprinted and have been deprived of growing up in a natural social group they cannot be rehabilitated or sold to game reserves, nor can they ever be released into the wild.

The horrors of cub petting

What possible enjoyment can they derive from being pawed, picked up and being posed all day long, day after day, until they have grown too big?

These inbred, human imprinted and psychologically damaged animals have absolutely no conservation value. They will be returned to the breeders and they will be used in a hunt.

They cannot be rehabilitated into the wild.

They cannot be used to supplement dwindling wild populations.

They can be used as canon fodder in the canned hunting industry.

Every reputable animal welfare organization in the world considers the practice of using lion cubs for human playthings as cruelty.

Lion cubs are by their very nature not gentle animals.

Lion cubs used for petting opportunities are normally trained not to scratch or bite.

They are beaten and deprived of sleep.

These cubs are deprived of proper nourishment to keep them small so that they can be used in the cub petting industry for longer.

These cubs are sometimes even drugged!

Remember NO CAPTIVE BRED LION HAS EVER BEEN RETURNED TO THE WILD.

We urge you to practice responsible advertising to unsuspecting tourists visiting SA.

Please see the expose of the Lion Park on 60 Minutes, which aired to 18 million people around the world.
See our blog on the rescue of two circus lion cubs from Spain whose health was so poor that they were close to death.
http://www.cannedlion.org/blog/my-heart-stopped-when-i-saw-them

Please do not support this brutal industry.

We look forward to hearing from you.

1 Comment

I can see clearly now

2/2/2015

29 Comments

Check out this interesting report and images of the lion cub's eye operation.

With apologies to Johnny Cash.
I can see clearly now the pain has gone
I can see all obstacles in my way
Gone are those cataracts
That had me blind
It's gonna be a bright, bright, sun shiny day.

Hi Everyone,
You can sigh a breath of relief. George is alive and doing well back with his brother Yame.

Well its been a long day over here. George has certainly travelled a lot for such a young lion. We loaded him into the back of my vehicle as we felt George wouldn't do well in a crate. We stuck Jade in there too for comfort.

With film crew in tow we set off for Ondestepoort, some 60 odd km away. Initially he was stressed but settled down quickly with Jades words of comfort.

Once at OP we met with Dr Tordiffe, the anaethetist who sedated George. Being a tough little fella he needed more drugs than expected. After he went down, he was whisked off to have his retinal function test done. (First Pic). His function proved good. Then it was the eye ultrasound and Samantha Lampbrecht from Energy X-Ray Trading Company (Pty)Ltd was nice enough to bring her portable unit along for us to use. Thanks Samantha!

It was here that Dr Venter noticed that George had a very small lens in the right eye. The left seemed normal and what he would've expected. Its not really understood as to why there would be such a difference, but its unusual.

Then while George was being intubated for surgery, the rest of us got changed into attire suitable for surgery. We all met up prior to moving into theatre to discuss the plan.

The surgery went off without a glitch. I found it most fascinating and interesting and learnt a stack about the eye. It was truly incredible to watch such a skilled surgeon at work. Dr Venter made it look really easy, however I'm pretty sure that we were witnessing decades of dedication and passion in action. Having completely removed the cataracts and having stitched up the tiny incision made in the cornea, Dr Venters job was complete. It was now time to get George out of theatre, into the vehicle and back home.

Dr Tordiffe reversed the one drug and then we all waited to make sure he was coming around. We wanted him slightly sedated for the trip home but obviously not too deep. Driving home was stressful as once he started to wake he wanted to get up but couldn't and therefore thrashed around abit. Poor ol Jade was on the receiving end of a now 40 something plus lion cub wanting out. She performed her lion whispering and George calmed down. The trip back seemed to take forever but was uneventful.

Once back at the sanctuary although I initially thought of putting George back on his own, I decided that it was more prudent to put him back with Yame. Isolating him would've stressed him out more and probably caused damage to the eyes that needed to be rested. Yame was really happy to see his mate and it was probably the longest the two have been apart since they were tiny. They settled quickly and George went to have a drink of water.

All in all it was a good day, but especially so for George whose life is about to change for the better again. Thanks to everyone for all their thoughts and prayers. We felt them today and so did George. A huge thanks as well to all those who have been involved in making this surgery possible. We are truly grateful. If I've left anyone out I'm sorry. Its been a long day.

Same goes for typos!
Over and out
Kevin

We would like to thank Ange Lemon and her team at Painted Dog Conservation, Australia, for once again raising the finance to give George his sight back.