Born captive: A survey of the lion breeding, keeping and hunting industries in South Africa

Abstract

Commercial captive breeding and trade in body parts of threatened wild carnivores is an issue of significant concern to conservation scientists and policy-makers. Following a 2016 decision by Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, South Africa must establish an annual export quota for lion skeletons from captive sources, such that threats to wild lions are mitigated. As input to the quota-setting process, South Africa’s Scientific Authority initiated interdisciplinary collaborative research on the captive lion industry and its potential links to wild lion conservation. A National Captive Lion Survey was conducted as one of the inputs to this research; the survey was launched in August 2017 and completed in May 2018. The structured semi-quantitative questionnaire elicited 117 usable responses, representing a substantial proportion of the industry. The survey results clearly illustrate the impact of a USA suspension on trophy imports from captive-bred South African lions, which affected 82% of respondents and economically destabilised the industry. Respondents are adapting in various ways, with many euthanizing lions and becoming increasingly reliant on income from skeleton export sales. With rising consumer demand for lion body parts, notably skulls, the export quota presents a further challenge to the industry, regulators and conservationists alike, with 52% of respondents indicating they would adapt by seeking ‘alternative markets’ for lion bones if the export quota allocation restricted their business. Recognizing that trade policy toward large carnivores represents a ‘wicked problem’, we anticipate that these results will inform future deliberations, which must nonetheless also be informed by challenging inclusive engagements with all relevant stakeholders.

Evidence of a further emerging threat to lion conservation; targeted poaching for body parts

“…While direct evidence linking the legal trade in captive sourced lion parts from South Africa to the targeted poaching of wild lion populations has to date been scant (Williams et al 2015), there is reasonable concern of a link (CITES 2016; Parliamentary hearings). Lion teeth and claws have the highest monetary value in South Africa's legal market (Williams et al 2019). In all of the lion poaching incidences we documented where only teeth and claws were taken, the poachers involved were working on foot and under at least a nominal threat of being arrested.…”

Deep Uncertainty, Public Reason, the Conservation of Biodiversity and the Regulation of Markets for Lion Skeletons

“…• The case study, lions farmed for skeletons In South Africa, over 7000 lions are bred and raised in captivity in about 400 registered facilities [24,25]. Uses of these farmed lions include supplying the captive-bred trophy hunting industry, cub petting, "walking with lions" experiences, and wildlife viewing [26].…”

“…What is known about lion farms in RSA is that they occupy approximately 400 units of land, which probably collectively represents~150,000 ha [25] (and Appendix A). These lands are often covered in semi-disturbed native grasslands or bushveld.…”

“…Many farmed lions are eventually transferred to private hunting ranches to be shot by trophy hunters. These hunting ranches are typically fenced and average 3163 ± 2405 ha in size, with some exceeding 12,000 ha [25]. Collectively, hunting ranches occupy~16% of RSA's land area [57].…”

“…Collectively, hunting ranches occupy~16% of RSA's land area [57]. For context, the majority (73%) of skeletons in 2017 came from lions killed on farms, as opposed to being by-products of hunting-whereas in previous years, the converse was true [25]. The effect of hunting ranches on overall levels of biodiversity is essentially unstudied.…”