Differentiating captive and wild African lion (Panthera leo) populations in South Africa, using stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis

Hutchinson, Alison; Roberts, David L.

doi:10.1007/s10531-020-01972-0

Cited by 10 publications

(8 citation statements)

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“…We particularly focused on exploring the socio-economic value of lions because of their frequently cited status as a commonly traded and profitable species within the traditional medicine market in South Africa and internationally (Williams et al, 2017b) (Figure 5). On the domestic market, lion teeth, skin, fat and claws are reportedly used for traditional, medicinal and ceremonial purposes (Hutchinson and Roberts, 2020) and fat in particular appears to be a general panacea for most ailments (Williams et al, 2017b). Our results support this, showing oil/fat as the most frequently cited lion derivative among four of the five of the respondents, followed by claws (two respondents).…”

Section: Lion Derivativessupporting

confidence: 72%

Wildlife Trade for Belief-Based Use: Insights From Traditional Healers in South Africa

et al. 2022

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The use of animals and plants as traditional remedies for medical and magico-religious purposes has a long history of socio-cultural and economic importance in South Africa. Herein, we aim to characterize the social and economic value of wild animal species used in traditional, belief-based medicine within South Africa from traditional healers’ perspective and to explore healers’ knowledge of plant-based alternatives to wildlife-based derivatives for this type of trade. Through structured surveys with five traditional healers, we sought to gain insight into the range of wild animal species used, as well as the purpose, the perceived commercial value and the perceived availability of commonly used species. Particular focus was placed on exploring the socio-economic value of lions due to their prominence within the traditional medicine market, both in South Africa and internationally. Three of the respondents interviewed had been generating an income from traditional healing for between 30 and 50 years, and the overall monetary gain across all respondents was between ZAR 30,000 (1,800 USD) and 120,000 (7,200 USD) per annum. Our study confirms that a wide range of wild animal species are used in traditional healing practices in South Africa, for both medicinal and magico-religious purposes. The traditional healers we interviewed cited 20 common wild animals from a range of vertebrate classes including birds, reptiles, mammals, and one invertebrate. These included a number of species listed as threatened on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Traditional healers cited 32 different uses for wild animal parts, as well as 19 alternative plant-based preparations. For lions specifically, four out of five practitioners listed lions among their top three profitable derivatives and three practitioners reported that lion had become the most rare or unavailable species in the last 5 years. Although our study is based on a limited number of interview participants, we believe that our findings provide valuable initial insights into the socio-economic drivers of traditional healing practices in South Africa, and that further research quantifying medicinal and belief-based use of wild animal ingredients and their plant-based alternatives could help to inform approaches to managing related pressures exerted on wild populations in South Africa in the future.

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Section: Lion Derivativessupporting

confidence: 72%

Wildlife Trade for Belief-Based Use: Insights From Traditional Healers in South Africa

et al. 2022

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“…Our preliminary results, and others (e.g. Hutchinson and Roberts 2020), indicate that chemical methods, such as DART mass spectrometry, could provide such a measure. In addition, the relative contributions of wild and captive-bred lion parts in seizures and global end-markets are unknown and concerns have been raised that a conservation-significant contribution to overall trade may be made from wild animals (EIA 2017;Everatt et al 2019).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 61%

“…Chemical elemental techniques, predominantly stable isotope and X-ray fluorescence analyses, have been used to differentiate between captive-bred or wild specimens of wildlife (Hinsley et al 2016;Sugiyama et al 2018;Brandis et al 2018;He et al 2018) but recent attempts to differentiate captive-bred and wild lion hair through carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analyses have not been conclusive (Hutchinson and Roberts 2020). However, advances in technology have significantly increased the speed and convenience of multi-compound mass spectrometry analyses through use of Direct Analysis in Real Time (DART) mass spectrometry (Cody et al 2005a, b).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

DART mass spectrometry as a potential tool for the differentiation of captive-bred and wild lion bones

et al. 2021

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In recent years lion bones have been legally traded internationally to Asian markets from captive-bred sources in South Africa. There are also indications of increasing instances of illegal international trade in wild lion bones. The existence of parallel captive and wild supplies of lion bone are a cause of law enforcement concern regarding the potential for the laundering of illegally sourced bones through legal trade, and present a problem for the assessment of the conservation impact of wild lion bone trade due to the difficulty of determining what market-share wild and captive-bred lion bones account for. Captive-bred and wild lion bone are visually indistinguishable and no reliable method currently exists for distinguishing them. We present a preliminary study that explores the use of DART mass spectrometry as a method to differentiate between captive-bred and wild lion bones. We find that DART is able to differentiate between a batch of captive-bred South African lion bone and a batch of wild lion bone and suggest that DART mass spectrometry shows strong potential as a tool for the regulation and investigation of lion bone trade. Further testing is needed to prove the suitability of this technique. Therefore, we suggest that further research focuses on testing the capability of DART to differentiate between contemporary wild and captive-bred lion bone originating from South Africa, and attempts to identify chemical markers in bone that can be used as indicators of captive-bred origin.

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“…African lions (Panthera leo) are bred and kept on commercial farms across South Africa. These lions are bred for a range of purposes that can involve direct contact with people, including interactive tourism experiences (e.g., paying international volunteers working with predators and day tourists involved in cub petting and walking activities), recreational hunting for 'trophies', and bone exports to Asia for use in traditional medicine products [22,23]. For example, lion bone and trophy exports require a number of 'middle-men' who are required to have direct contact with lions and/or handle their derivatives during transport, slaughter, and/or preparation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The number of lions bred on farms in South Africa has grown exponentially in the last two decades to a current captive population of up to 8500 individuals housed across more than 300 facilities [22]. The vast scale of these intensive breeding facilities further increases the number of people in close contact with lions and the opportunities for zoonotic disease transmission.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

African Lions and Zoonotic Diseases: Implications for Commercial Lion Farms in South Africa

Green¹,

Jakins²,

Asfaw³

et al. 2020

Animals

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African lions (Panthera leo) are bred in captivity on commercial farms across South Africa and often have close contact with farm staff, tourists, and other industry workers. As transmission of zoonotic diseases occurs through close proximity between wildlife and humans, these commercial captive breeding operations pose a potential risk to thousands of captive lions and to public health. An understanding of pathogens known to affect lions is needed to effectively assess the risk of disease emergence and transmission within the industry. Here, we conduct a systematic search of the academic literature, identifying 148 peer-reviewed studies, to summarize the range of pathogens and parasites known to affect African lions. A total of 63 pathogenic organisms were recorded, belonging to 35 genera across 30 taxonomic families. Over half were parasites (35, 56%), followed by viruses (17, 27%) and bacteria (11, 17%). A number of novel pathogens representing unidentified and undescribed species were also reported. Among the pathogenic inventory are species that can be transmitted from lions to other species, including humans. In addition, 83 clinical symptoms and diseases associated with these pathogens were identified. Given the risks posed by infectious diseases, this research highlights the potential public health risks associated with the captive breeding industry. We recommend that relevant authorities take imminent action to help prevent and manage the risks posed by zoonotic pathogens on lion farms.

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Differentiating captive and wild African lion (Panthera leo) populations in South Africa, using stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis

Cited by 10 publications

References 50 publications

Wildlife Trade for Belief-Based Use: Insights From Traditional Healers in South Africa

Wildlife Trade for Belief-Based Use: Insights From Traditional Healers in South Africa

DART mass spectrometry as a potential tool for the differentiation of captive-bred and wild lion bones

African Lions and Zoonotic Diseases: Implications for Commercial Lion Farms in South Africa

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