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Campaign Against Canned Hunting (CACH)

Loving Lions - to death

3/26/2016

15 Comments

 
Picture
It’s all about loving lions, say the canned lion breeders. 
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CACH threatened to sue for defamation in response to a particularly nasty piece of hunting propaganda by SAPA (S.A. Predators Association). Their reply was defiant:
“You have made it your life’s work to devastate the life’s work of our members and with it the livelihood of thousands of workers and their dependents. Just like you, Mr Mercer, our Association and its members love the African lion.”

Now this is a strange kind of love, when the farmer breeds lions for commercial gain, to be used as living targets by gun-toting  or bow-wielding thugs who enjoy inflicting suffering and death on helpless animals for fun.  I would say that their lion farming is an industry based not on love for animals, but rather upon routine cruelty to animals.

If there is any love, I see only a love of money.

The original article by SAPA’s Chairman, Prof. Potgieter, was entitled ‘9 Myths about captive bred lions’ and was published here:
http://wildboere.com/9-myths-about-captive-bred-lions/

A number of fatuous claims were made in this bit of gutter journalism, which attempts to portray lion farmers in S.A. as wonderful conservationists, having only the interests of lions at heart.

Bear in mind that this same organisation, SAPA, won their court case against the Minister responsible for Conservation (when he tried to impose a 24-month wilding rule upon the industry) on the legal basis that they were not conservationists, that what they were doing had nothing to do with conservation, and that therefore the Minister of Conservation had no authority over their agricultural enterprise.

So while they are trying to escape regulation, the lion farmers deny vigorously that they are conservationists, but when they are trying to paint lipstick on a pig in the media then they pose as the most wonderful conservationists – and animal lovers. 

SAPA complains that CACH is committed to “devastating the livelihood of thousands of workers on lion farms”.
Hmnn..imagine if we were campaigning against drug dealers, rather than animal abusers.  Would we then be accused of ‘devastating the livelihoods’ of all those heroin and crack dealers and their dependants?
 
Surely the real question is whether the industry is harmful or not.  And if it is, then the workers must join the rest of society and look for honest employment.
In the case of lion farming, “thousands of workers” could be better employed growing food for the nation, rather than helping to abuse animals for sick entertainment.

CACH’s main issue with the article related to the defamatory allegations. The whole theme of the article is that the people speaking out against the cruelty of lion farming and canned lion hunting are not motivated by genuine animal welfare concerns, but rather by sordid commercial ones. The tedious repetition about Donate buttons on websites is used to drive that message home.

We – Bev and I - have been campaigning against canned hunting for sixteen years and it has cost us much of our life savings. Only recently, since the Global March for Lions in 2014, have any meaningful contributions come in from the public. We are all volunteers; none of us draws a salary, and activists who are invited to join our group are specifically told – in writing – that they are only expected to raise awareness, not funds. Recently, we sold our house in order to start a CACH project, namely a wildlife sanctuary in the Klein Karoo.
https://www.facebook.com/karoowildlife/
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To publish an article saying that the real motivation for our work is cynical fundraising is false, and demeaning.

We asked for a retraction and an apology. The blunt answer was that none would be forthcoming.
Chris Mercer.

15 Comments
Norman Harington
3/27/2016 11:29:40 am

Reply
Shirley Lambert link
3/27/2016 12:35:33 pm

I agree with this article and will repost to Facebook#

Reply
Esmeralda
3/27/2016 03:17:20 pm

Reply
Alexa hilaire
3/27/2016 04:15:29 pm

Reply
Lauren Lewis
3/27/2016 08:58:07 pm

If it's truly about the Lions and not the greedy hunters and those involved in raising these animals for the "hunt" then rehab them and release them into the wild and leave them alone!

Reply
Paddy Nair
3/28/2016 04:14:04 am

totally condemn canned lion hunting .i support the views in the article

Reply
C. daly
3/28/2016 11:46:10 am

There is no justification for the cruel slaughter of these magnificent animals for individual human pleasure or human profit.

Reply
Mark W.
3/28/2016 05:12:46 pm

When will all the cruel killing STOP of these Majestic animals ?
Ban Canned hunting NOW.
I also support the views of the article.

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Martine Curtis link
3/28/2016 05:30:20 pm

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helena stuhlberg
3/29/2016 12:24:34 pm

I agree with article. Canned hunting MUST STOP. Keep up the good work

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Philip Wollen link
3/31/2016 01:49:33 am

Full marks to CACH for exposing this gulag of barbarism.

Canned lion killing is not an industry. It is a bloody atrocity.

If this squalid, vile practice (masquerading as a "sport") was broadcast on TV no decent sports-loving person would ever watch the Proteas or the Springboks again.

This hideous brutality has tarnished the name of South Africa more than these brutal profiteers will ever know (or understand, or care).

Whats' next, South Africa? Your indigenous equivalent of bear baiting?

What a disgrace.

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Belinda Fellgate
3/31/2016 05:37:04 am

Geez so even little people like me are supposed to be making a profit out of speaking out against canned hunting? SAPA and breeders need to get their heads out of their nether regions. I, and a lot of people just like me, do it because we care and we're certainly not making any money out of it.

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Brosolo Francesco
4/4/2016 12:17:02 pm

The only things this death-mercants love is the money they earned for selling the lions to pathetic gun-slingers thirsting to unleash their repressive rage over defenseless animals.

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Ben Shedlin
4/5/2016 08:30:22 pm

End this its wrong, its murder and you make your country look awful

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by-Victor
3/27/2018 08:43:51 pm

If only you A%%H%%s cared so much about saving human babies!

Reply



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