Exposed: The horror of captive breeding

Cape Argus
November 16, 2005

By John Yeld

Some 3 000 lions are estimated to be held in captive breeding operations that are described as "the dirty underbelly" of South Africa's lucrative wildlife industry.

This is the finding of journalist Ian Michler, who undertook an investigation into the industry on behalf of the International Fund for Animal Welfare (Ifaw).

Michler's results and graphic film footage - described as "horrible" - showing lions and other species being held, often in shocking conditions, were released at an Ifaw function at the Two Oceans Aquarium last night.

Michler received death threats while working on the project.

Ifaw wants an immediate ban on captive breeding and canned hunting, which involves the hunting of animals kept in unnatural situations where they cannot live naturally, or where the hunted animals may be drugged or sedated or have become habituated to humans by being kept in semi-captive conditions.

Michler said it had been a difficult task to investigate as both the industry and many of the provincial conservation authorities, who are supposed to manage the industry, had been reluctant to co-operate.

One of his findings was that less commercially valuable animals were either killed or starved, while the more valuable animals were fed.

The captive breeding industry, the corollary of canned hunting, had grown incredibly since his first major investigation in 2001 and there had been "massive" capital investment by some farmers.

The "hotspots" were the Free State, North-West Province and Limpopo, but the industry in the Eastern Cape was growing fastest, Michler said.

He estimated that there were about 3 000 lions in captivity, which fetched from R5 000 for a small female to R25 000 for a big black-maned male lion to $100 000 (about R680 000) for a white lion.

Of even more concern was the number of cheetahs and wild dogs being held - around 500 and 250 respectively, many caught illegally in the wild. Both are endangered in the wild.

Several exotic species were being bred, and there were as many as 60 tigers, which fetched more than $12 000 (about R82 000) each on a hunt, as well as jaguars, pumas (mountain lions) and grey wolves, Michler said.


Another concern was the selective breeding of animals with recessive genes: white lions, king cheetahs and black leopards. "And I saw with my own eyes lions and tigers being kept in the same cages in an attempt to get them to breed," he added.

"Canned hunting has absolutely nothing to do with conservation."

Ifaw's report comes hot on the heels of a report to the government at the end of last month from a panel of experts on hunting, appointed by Environment Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk after growing concern at the poor image of South Africa's hunting industry.

The panel's recommendations include bans on canned hunting and on captive breeding other than for conservation purposes.

Van Schalkwyk has called for public comment on the panel's report, and Helen Dagut of Ifaw said they would submit their results as part of this and that they supported the panel's recommendations.

jyeld@incape.co.za



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What Ifaw proposes

The International Fund for Animal Welfare (Ifaw) is calling for:


A complete ban on the captive breeding of large predators other than for strictly defined and regulated conservation purposes.


A ban on canned hunting, 'put-and-take' hunting (animals introduced to an enclosure just so that they can be hunted) and other inhumane hunting methods including the use of lights, bait and hunting with dogs.


The strict regulation of genetic manipulation of species and the import, export and movement of alien species.


More emphasis on the conservation and animal welfare considerations with relation to the breeding and hunting of large predators, and less on their value for purely commercial purposes.


Improved national and provincial capacity and enforcement in respect of the management of large predators.


Revised provincial wildlife legislation into a coherent, enforceable regulatory regime.

[QUOTE]A ban on canned hunting, 'put-and-take' hunting (animals introduced to an enclosure just so that they can be hunted) and other inhumane hunting methods including the use of lights, bait and hunting with dogs.
QUOTE]

The problem is that antis will always manage to bundle a few other aspects they dislike into any bill banning canned hunting: hunting with lights (culling?!) and using bait (bushpigs?) and hunting with dogs (small cats/bushpigs/leopard??)

Lots can be said on the article. Any newspaper will only report on what they feel is right, it is very seldom a full and unbiased report.

In the report submitted by the Lion breeders a valid point was made, Captive bred Lion for the purpose of hunting takes a lot of pressure of the wild Lion population. When you kill the dominent male in a Lion pride a new male will take over. He will kill all the cubs to get the females in oesterus. That is sometimes more devastating. The end of the day and it does not mater what will happen, people will always want to hunt Lions. Whether it is a captive bred Lion or a wild Lion, if it is hunted it will be dead.

When it comes to ethical hunting it is another story. Is'nt it true that ethical hunting lies in the eyes of the beholder? What is unethical in RSA might be ethical in Tanzania, it depends on the area, the circumstances and the enviroment.

We can discuss this in lenght and have a lot of solutions, the greenies will keep on coming after us. We will have to stand together and lobby harder than them to protect our right to participate in our sport.

Amen, Jaco, Amen.

Use Enough Gun,
I have posted some extracts, on the one post we had a conversation, coming out of the report by the team of experts.

Thanks for the additional information. It helps all of us to evaluate the real and current positions of all parties to this very significant and serious issue. The outcome of the recommendations which have now been made and published will greatly affect all of us who hunt South Africa, as well as the livelihoods of tens of thousands of people living there and tied to the hunting industry. Hopefully the hunting fraternity, internationally and in South Africa, will choose to become involved in a significant way and will represent our interests adequately. If not, we will be faced with the prospects of being represented by animal rights activists and anti-hunting groups.