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Campaign Against Canned Hunting (CACH)

Lion farminG - a hideous complexity

5/3/2021

8 Comments

 
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Environment Minister Barbara Creecy has announced:
 “The Panel identified that the captive lion industry poses risks to the sustainability of wild lion conservation resulting from the negative impact on ecotourism which funds lion conservation and conservation more broadly, the negative impact on the authentic wild hunting industry, and the risk that trade in lion parts poses to stimulating poaching and illegal trade. The panel recommends that South Africa does not captive -breed lions, keep lions in captivity, or use captive lions or their derivatives commercially. I have requested the department to action this accordingly and ensure that the necessary consultation in implementation is conducted.” 

There is a tendency for animal activists to become euphoric when conservation appears to be heading in the right direction. However what ministers say and what happens in practice are often very different. Let’s put her words in the context of the key recommendations which are spelled-out in the report.

What exactly does “action these recommendations” mean?
The key recommendations are:
  1. develop a process to stop lion farming and euthanase existing lion stocks.
  2. make policy decisions to stop canned lion hunting and the lion bone trade, and
  3. find mechanisms to protect workers on lion farms.
“Developing processes” and “drafting policies” can take years in South Africa. No implementation can take place without consultations with stakeholders. Consulting 300 lion breeders and a whole industry built up around them can take years.
Almost certainly a phasing out process will be insisted upon under threat of litigation which also takes years in South Africa.
I would guess that 5 to 7 years could be expected as a phasing out period.

The Minister’s bald statement belies the hideous complexity around the whole issue and around the appointment of the so-called “high level panel”. There is nothing particularly high level about most of the people on this panel: indeed the panel consists of dozens of people from all different walks of life with seemingly random appointments. Change the jury and you change the result.
The unwieldy and largely unqualified panel members started by asking for a legal opinion to tell them what to do. When they got it from a team of lawyers headed by senior counsel they did not understand it and had to ask for another. They then obtained a supplementary opinion to explain the first.

To be fair this is not so surprising when you analyse the difficulties created by the so-called environmental clause in the Constitution, section 24.
“Protect the environment,” says section 24, “but also protect the socio-economic rights of the people”. In practice the two are mutually exclusive. The clause thus contradicts itself.
“Oh,” says the High Court vaguely, “in that case just strike a balance between the two”. Easier said than done!

And these legal complexities must be resolved by weak and dysfunctional governance. The South African government is substantially dysfunctional. South African government parastatals and departments are substantially dysfunctional. Most provincial conservation structures are substantially dysfunctional. The justice system in South Africa is largely dysfunctional.
I would guess that in five years time canned lion hunting and the lion bone trade will still be flourishing.

I hope I’m wrong.

20 years of campaigning against lion farming and canned hunting have taught me never to underestimate the resourcefulness of the lion exploitation industry.
If I am wrong in what I’ve said above and the South African government eventually manages to regulate away lion farming and the canned hunting industry, then I would expect a flurry of midnight flights to take place and the following months the hunting magazines will be full of adverts offering lion hunts in Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia.

The root of the problem is the demand from trophy hunters for living targets and, from Asians, for lion bone products. So long as the demand exists, soldiers of fortune will spring from the soil to find a way to supply it.
Prohibition in America created the Mafia. It did not stop the  liquor industry.
The war on drugs created fabulously wealthy Mexican drug cartels. It did not stop drug use.
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What kind of Mafia, I wonder, will result if we ever get an effective ban on lion breeding, lion hunting and the lion bone trade?


8 Comments
Wendy Damerell
5/3/2021 05:08:16 am

A grey cloud lifted (temporarily) over my life. I hope you are at least a bit wrong. How can those who want to facilitate this ending process get together and strategise on how we can do this? The minister needs to understand the inevitable possibility of a surge in wild hunting and take action to stop it, for instance.

Reply
Linda Cook link
5/4/2021 03:08:32 am

It breaks my heart that there are people who believe it is totally acceptable to do something so inhuman against another living creature but I am grateful that there are people like you Chris standing up for this injustice and bringing it into the global community so more people can add their voice to yours. Thank you and, fingers crossed, one day someone will put a life before money

Reply
Heather howe link
5/4/2021 05:25:28 am

How is demand for these animals chipped away?

Reply
Caroline Sherwood
5/4/2021 12:46:31 pm

Have you all signed this UK based petition?
It gives option to enter countries worldwide:
https://www.bornfree.org.uk/trophy-hunting-petition

Reply
Claudia Jane Miller link
5/10/2021 11:38:45 am

We all need to start taking action by eating plants_based foods plus vegan foods plus free range organic chicken plus to support our environment Is to be fully supported by signing up the petitions plus more please help us we need to start taking the climate changes need to go through to restore our animals species habitats back in every single country around the world please we need to start looking at our action for the damage for what we have wrongly done please help us thank you

Reply
claude van rooyen
5/12/2021 06:39:04 am

When the world population wakes up to the fact that all governments, politicians and what ever else you want to call them are corrupt and are only interested in financial and political gain we will get nowhere. One has only to Google a bit to see where their wealth is invested, how is it possible for any of them to go against the worlds multinationals when their money is invested with them.

Reply
Jacques jordaan
5/20/2021 12:58:56 am

I hear what you day ( very disturbing) and propably and most unfortunately correct. There is however an ever increasing support base to stop this attrocity. We just cant sit back and wait...many of us would like to get more involved..this cruel practise should be constantly in the written/broadcast and social media. The breeders should ne identified ! Also the visual effect is most important and will eventually get thru to the masses. I would love to get involved !!!

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Claude Van Rooyen
8/12/2021 06:57:35 am

One thing that bugs me is the constant use of the term ANIMAL or WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT these beautiful creatures don't need any management at all, its the thing that creeps around the world on two legs that needs management, and I don't mean apes.

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