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A few clarifying sentences first. In recent elections, the previously dominant political party in South Africa, the African National Congress suffered many defeats at the polls. The consequence was a coalition government. A major partner is now the Democratic Alliance party: while the ANC still holds 20 of 32 cabinet seats, the coalition parties now hold the rest. One of them is the ministerial position in the environment sector. The previous minister Barbara Creecy (ANC) delayed and obfuscated progress on the captive lion breeding issue by calling for committee after committee to engage. This was despite the fact that the South African High Court determined in 2019 that captive bred lion product export quotas were unlawful and constitutionally invalid due to insufficient consideration of the welfare of captive-bred lions. 

There is now a new Minister  (since July 2024) – Dion George. Mr George has a graduate degree and background in economics. He has issued a new directive and he  decided the best way to oppose lion breeders was through their pockets. Mr George made the determination that lion bone sales would no longer be permitted, and that breeders would be asked to voluntarily turn over all their lion bone stocks to authorities for compensation and destruction. Participating breeders would also be required to sterilise their lions, refrain from acquiring additional live captive lions and ensure the maintenance of welfare and other standards for the lions in their care. And that no new lion farms could be set up. Mr George opined that it was unacceptable to continue to keep captive bred lions which spend their lives lame, underfed and in pain.

Remember that the most profitable route for lion breeders – trophy hunting – had already been severely impacted by a USA Fish and Wildlife Department decision not to allow any further imports of such trophies as it was not considered beneficial to the conservation of the species (note that the EU has not imposed such restrictions, and nations like Mexico and Russia still allow imports of captive bred lion trophies). Another profitable means of income – cub petting – had also decreased as public awareness grew about the origins and miserable lives of these cubs. So the breeders turned to their remaining profitable source – lion bones. Now even this last avenue seems in peril. Doubtless the breeders will resist. In fact, Wildlife Ranching SA, a lobby representing game farmers, has urged all breeders to carefully consider their participation in the process and said it stood ready to support its members and provide legal consultation about their private ownership rights. In other words, Mr George could face a lengthy process of court battles, lawyers, and more delays. 

Meanwhile the elephant in the room – what to do with the estimated 8,000 or more lions already in captive breeding facilities has not been addressed. Mr George decided that the best way forward was to cut the legs off the breeders’ income streams, but all those lions still remain. Sadly, they cannot be released or placed in sanctuaries, and will eventually need to be euthanised. The breeders need to realize that they invested in a bad business plan. While it was profitable, the time has come to make the decision to disinvest. Will Mr George now be presented with a bill to buy all those lions and leave euthanasia to the government? Remember that previously lion farmers previously threatened to release a number of their lions onto the steps of the SA parliament if they were opposed.
 
Of course, the farmers can still turn to their provincial governments to cobble together a means to over-ride federal decisions. Or, as their basically corrupt industry has already been known to do, resort to black market trading. After all, there is a strong local market in the SA “traditional medicine” market for lion products like claws, bones, even lion fat. 

Nevertheless, it is encouraging to see a strong movement by the new government minister to get rid of the horrendous lion breeding industry. LionAid together with many others have opposed this amoral and unethical practice for many years. Let’s trust that with a new minister clearly minded to stop the trade, progress will happen.  After all, Mr George said “If we’re going to be an honourable member of the conservation world and all eyes are on us, we can’t have this [sic] kind of practices”.

References - https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-11-17-hand-over-your-lion-bone-stockpiles-for-destruction-minister-tells-breeders/

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