Walking with lions: why there is no role for captive-origin lions Panthera leo in species restoration

Abstract

Despite formidable challenges and few successes in reintroducing large cats from captivity to the wild, the release of captives has widespread support from the general public and local governments, and continues to occur ad hoc. Commercial so-called lion Panthera leo encounter operations in Africa exemplify the issue, in which the captive breeding of the lion is linked to claims of reintroduction and broader conservation outcomes. In this article we assess the capacity of such programmes to contribute to in situ lion conservation. By highlighting the availability of wild founders, the unsuitability of captive lions for release and the evidence-based success of wild-wild lion translocations, we show that captive-origin lions have no role in species restoration. We also argue that approaches to reintroduction exemplified by the lion encounter industry do not address the reasons for the decline of lions in situ, nor do they represent a model that can be widely applied to restoration of threatened felids elsewhere.

Ecotourism contributions to conservation of African big cats

“…Examples of those which do not include: reintroductions to small private reserves, too fragmented to improve genetic diversity; tourism products which involve close interactions between big cats and tourists; and farms which breed big cats for semi-captive hunting (Druce et al 2004;Hayward et al 2007;Hazzah et al 2014;Hunter et al 2012;Lindsey et al 2012;Marker et al 2008;Romañach et al 2010;.…”

Examining the Extinction of the Barbary Lion and Its Implications for Felid Conservation

“…In the absence of definitive nuclear DNA profiles from wild Barbary lion specimens, the precautionary principle suggests that Moroccan Royal lions should be conserved as descendants of the Barbary lion until science can tell us otherwise. The Moroccan Royal lions offer one of the few scenarios in which restoration of lions into regions where the species is long extinct could be envisioned as having useful conservation value [47].…”

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]. There is no neutral vocabulary with which to refer to such breeding and keeping of lions in captivity.…”

“…As guidelines for such augmentation indicate that individuals from wild sources whose geographically and genetic backgrounds are adequately understood should be used [64], Claim 5 is unlikely to be true. Furthermore, other analyses indicate that wild sources for augmentation are available and would be a less expensive source (with respect to costs of, e.g., translocation) [26].…”