Captive lions stolen from their natural habitats in Africa and raised in captivity are being slain for the enjoyment of tourists, notably those from Western countries, with the United States playing a key role.
Lion Day is commemorated on August 10:
Thousands of captive lions, who spend their lives amusing visitors behind steel bars, are maintained ready for the day when they would be slain in the name of hunting events.
Wild lions are battling to survive in Africa’s dwindling savannas, having lost the majority of their population and habitats as a result of human activities during the last century.
The lion population has decreased by 43% since 2001.
According to Oxford University’s Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, there were around 200,000 lions in the wild at the turn of the century.
By the end of the century, the population had dropped to around 33,000 owing to hunting and other human causes, a 43% fall since 2001.
There are currently an estimated 23,000 lions in the wild.
Lions now exist mostly in well-protected national parks in Tanzania, South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, having lost about 95% of their original natural habitats.
Captive Lions:
In worldwide lion population estimations, only wild lions are considered.
Captive lions, which are removed from their natural habitats and raised in captivity, are not included on the list.
The term “captive lions” refers to lions that are born and bred on commercial farms.
Because of their fearlessness of humans, these lions lack hunting abilities and do not adapt to their natural environment.
Lion tourism:
South Africa boasts one of the world’s greatest lion populations, numbering approximately 3,500.
It is also one of the top countries with the highest captive lion population.
According to a 2024 World Animal Protection Society assessment, there are roughly 8,000 caged lions in 366 farms across the country.
The captive lion industry, which earns more than $40 million a year for the South African economy, is an important component of the tourism industry.
Lions maintained in private nature parks and farms across the country are presented to tourists on safaris for a price.
Tourists who visit the facilities, whose entrance prices normally range between $10 and $15, can pay an extra fee to pet and photograph lions apart from their families.
One of the most popular tourist activities is seeing captive lions being fed by caregivers.
Lion hunting:
Captive lions, who spend their lives entertaining visitors behind steel bars and cages, are frequently slaughtered for sport by Western tourists as they get older.
South Africa, where captive lion hunting is authorized with a special permit, is one of the world’s top lion hunting destinations.
According to Humane Society International’s 2022 report, foreigners hunted around 4,000 caged lions in South Africa between 2014 and 2018.
According to the research, American tourists hunted over half of the lions, followed by Spaniards, Russians, Danes, Canadians, and Germans.
According to information collected by Anadolu reporters from South African tourism firms, hunting groups will cost between $4,000 and $60,000 in 2024, depending on the hunt and tour.
The tours are seven- to ten-day safaris on farms spanning thousands of acres, primarily in the North West and Limpopo provinces.
Hunts in which lions are killed with guns from a safe distance in more enclosed settings are known as “canned hunts.”
Hunters can snap photographs with the lions they kill and keep the skulls as trophies.
Lion bones to the distant east.
The bones of hunted lions are highly valued in Far Eastern countries, particularly China, where they are used to make luxury ornaments, jewelry, and aphrodisics.
South Africa, the only country with a legal lion business, is a significant provider.
Although the government has established bone trading limitations in recent years in response to national and international outcry, the extremely profitable lion bone trade has resulted in hunters targeting both captive and wild lions.
South Africa’s efforts to close the captive lion industry:
Under pressure from national and international environmental organizations, the South African government has turned its attention to the lion industry in recent years.
In 2022, the Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment initiated moves to abolish the industry, such as encouraging voluntary exit from the sector and developing alternative methods.
While Lion Day is commemorated on August 10, the captive lion industry remains legal in the country.