Calls to shut down South Africa’s captive lion industry

It’s estimated that between 8,000–12,000 lions and other big cats, including tigers, are bred and kept in captivity in more than 350 private, commercial facilities across South Africa.

A new Nature Conservation paper is urging the South African government to shut down this controversial captive lion industry.

Researchers from the animal welfare organisation World Animal Protection conducted interviews with workers at 2 closed-access lion facilities in South Africa’s North West Province.

They revealed disturbing practices, such as:

• Involvement in the illegal international trade of lion and tiger bones;
• animal welfare violations including reports of malnutrition, lack of clean water, and filthy enclosures;
• illegal hunting practices such as reports of animals being drugged and hunted within an hour of release in enclosures that violate legal minimum size requirements; and
• unsafe working conditions.

Lead researcher Angie Elwin, research manager at World Animal Protection, says the study highlights the troubling reality of South Africa’s captive lion industry.

“Legal activities are being exploited to facilitate illegal trade, and this is compounded by serious animal welfare violations and unsafe conditions for workers. Urgent action is needed to protect lions and people,” she says.

Commercial captive breeding and “canned trophy hunting”, in which lions are hunted within small, fenced enclosures, were originally intended to alleviate hunting pressure on wild populations.

Senior researcher Neil D’Cruze, Head of Wildlife Research at World Animal Protection, adds: “Although the commercial captive breeding and canned hunting of lions remains legal, though poorly regulated in South Africa, the export of lion skeletons – including claws and teeth – was declared unconstitutional by the South African High Court in 2019.

“In 2021, the South African Government announced its intention to immediately halt the ‘domestication and exploitation of lions, and to ultimately close all captive lion facilities in South Africa’.”

Despite this, they remain legal today.

“The South African government must take immediate action to fulfill its public pledge to end the controversial captive lion industry,” says D’Cruze.

“Without a comprehensive time-bound plan and stringent enforcement, this commercial industry will continue to pose significant legal, animal cruelty and conservation concerns.”

The study makes key recommendations to the South African government, including:

• A full audit of the industry to ensure all commercial captive lion farms are officially registered and compliant with regulations until the industry is phased out;
• an immediate moratorium on lion breeding to prevent further growth of the commercial captive lion population;
• a plan to prevent the accumulation of lion bones; and
• a time bound strategic plan to phase out the captive lion farming industry.