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South Africa: Minister Edna Molewa Addresses Lion Breeding and Hunting

PRESS RELEASE

Minister of Environmental Affairs Mrs Edna Molewa convenes stakeholder engagement to address issues around lion breeding and hunting

The Minister of Environmental Affairs, Mrs Edna Molewa has held a ground-breaking stakeholder engagement to discuss matters around lion management in South Africa; and in particular, breeding and hunting.

The Minister convened the engagement to address widespread and mounting public concern around the practice of so-called 'canned hunting' of lion.

The engagement is the first in what is to be a series of regular interactions between the Minister, departmental officials, and industry role-players on matters of mutual interest and concern.

Among those in attendance were representatives from lion breeders and the hunting industry. This included high-level representation from the Professional Hunters Association of South Africa (PHASA), the South African Predator Association (SAPA), the Confederation of Hunters Associations of South Africa (CHASA), the South African Predator Breeders Association (SAPBA) and the South African Hunters and Game Conservation Association (SAHGCA).

They engaged with the Minister as well as with the Free State, North West, Mpumalanga, Limpopo, Northern Cape, Gauteng and Eastern Cape provincial environmental departments, and representatives from Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife.

"This meeting is a reflection of the seriousness with which we as the department view allegations of criminality operating at the fringe of the legal, well-regulated breeding and hunting industries," says Minister Edna Molewa, adding that the engagement would open channels of communication between all stakeholders on issues relating to lion management.


"South Africa is recognised worldwide for its conservation successes with regards to African lion, so much so that the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) just recently hailed our advances in protecting the species," says Minister Molewa.

On the matter of so-called 'canned hunting' of lion, all industry role-players present at the meeting conceded that 'rogue elements' were operating within the lion breeding and hunting industries, and that these needed to be rooted out.

Departmental representatives emphasized that in terms of the Threatened or Protected Species (TOPS) Regulations published in terms of the National Environmental Management Biodiversity Act (NEMBA) it is prohibited to hunt a lion:

in a controlled environment (the minimum size of the hunting camp is not prescribed in the TOPS Regulations, as it will differ from area to area. However, the minimum size is prescribed in many of the provincial acts/ ordinances);

while it is under the influence of a tranquiliser (the minimum time frame before a lion may be hunted after it has been darted, is not prescribed in the TOPS Regulations but is regulated in terms of some of the provincial acts/ ordinances);



with certain methods, such as poison, snares, air guns, shot guns, or by luring it with scent or smell.

The organisations present agreed that the illegal hunting of lion was damaging the legal industry. They further also noted that negative publicity fuelled by misconceptions that 'canned hunting' took place in South Africa, was resulting in substantial financial losses for the local legal hunting industry.

However it was noted that provincial conservation authorities have taken a proactive stance with regards to rooting out illegality, adding that there were a number of cases before the courts relating to suspected illegal activities around lion breeding and hunting, particularly in the Free State province.

In a move to promote consistency across provinces with regards to hunting ordinances, provincial authorities (such as in the North West province) are considering developing norms and standards to further ensure compliance on lion hunts.

Industry role-players have similarly developed norms and standards which have been presented to the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) for consideration. These include clarifying issues around the release period (prior to a hunt) of captive bred lions; handling of cubs and the prohibition of contact with humans in facilities where lions are bred for hunting.



Participants agreed to the establishment of a forum to investigate a number of issues related to the lion industry in South Africa. Participants agreed, inter alia, to

Working together to determine how to move forward as the Department of Environmental Affairs in cooperation with the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) in addressing and regulating the welfare of captive bred lions

Supporting research relating to captive bred lions

"The Department is reviewing the comments received on the draft Biodiversity Management Plan for Lion that was published for public participation on 17 April 2015 and regulations are being reviewed and tightened to ensure that all gaps that exist in the lion breeding and hunting industries are closed. This stakeholder engagement, the first of many, will assist us, as the Department, in addressing areas of concern" Minister Molewa said.

Participants emphasized their commitment to promoting sustainable use as South Africa's conservation model, noting further that responsible utilisation of wildlife was a key driver of economic growth, skill development and job creation in the sector.

Issued by: Department of Environmental Affairs

I just do not get the entire package in the way it is put forth on the farmed lion issue. Lets call it what it is.......... they are livestock. Raised by people to be killed for a fee. Has nothing to do with the wild natural world on free roaming parts of Africa. They are chattel........ as has been said by others on AR.

No different than the angus cattle out in my pasture. I own them and breed them and decide when they will be killed or transfer ownership.
Now of course they are not classified as wildlife but the principals are the same. The cats are no different than if you had elk or red deer farms. Wildlife, raised commercially under private ownership.

Killing a farmed lion or red deer has no benefit to the preservation of wildlife on public land in any given country. If you hunt a wild elk on public land you buy a tag and contribute to the local economy when you are there as a visitor, perhaps you need a guide/outfitter. Your licence fee goes to the public coffers to help support the wild government land management at a state/provincial level.

If I have a cow I want to get rid of the buyer can breed it or cut and wrap and stick it in the freezer. Only person benefits is me. Has nothing to do with local game management any more than if I shoot an elk on an elk farm. No licence required, meat in the freezer. Nothing to do with supporting wildlife habitat or game conservation and enforcement. Has zero to do with the wildlife regulations and what can be shot or not taken as the case may be. Livestock.

Canned lion hunting is about livestock. The guy raising it gets paid for the lion and the guy buying it jacks up the trophy fee to make a profit off of buying the lion and relocating it to go out and track it down and kill it. Has nothing to do with conservation. It is an item, bought and paid for........... no licence revenue going to maintain wild publicly owned places. It pads the pocket of the lion 'farmer' for a product raised. The PH is getting a profit off of the mark up on said lion and the daily rates.

It has nothing to do with protecting wild lions in wild wilderness areas in countries with free ranging lions.

When I buy or put in for a draw for elk on land/areas governed by public game department agencies, my money goes to the game department funding or state funding. If I shoot an elk on an elk farm it is money going to the farmer as income for an animal raised. NOTHING goes to the bigger picture for conservation or WILDLIFE.

I would like all of you knowledgeable types to fill me in on how shooting a farm raised lion helps out in conservation. Leave out the issue of shooting a cat in a fenced area........ just deal with the concept of how shooting a farm raised lion and now it benefits the conservation of wild lions in wild places.

Sustainablility of farm raised animals has an implication on the wild animals of that species how? Raising a farm raise elk has ZERO influence on the management of wild ungulates in wild places. Please explain this to me. Apparently I am dull witted, and I can take my lumps if they are based on common sense.

All I see with the farm lions is selling lion bones by the pound to the Oriental market and getting a return on the farm raised livestock.

quote:

Sustainability of farm raised animals has an implication on the wild animals of that species how?

All I see with the farm lions is selling lion bones by the pound to the Oriental market and getting a return on the farm raised livestock.

Skyline:

The only way to ease the pressure off wild Lions and possibly permit them to "regroup" would be to ban their hunting for a period of no less than 5 years (guessing).

During which time the farm-bred Lions could come into the equation to satisfy the market for the hunters who couldn't care less if it was raised and kept in cage like a parrot.

Once the 5 years are up and the hunting of wild lions is re-established, the authorities need to impose rigorous restrictions on yearly quotas and penalties for contraventions.
It goes without saying that some countries or areas may need to extend the veto based on their Lion numbers to meet the criteria of maintaining a healthy and sustainable balance.

By and large however, a farm bred species of wild animal is of no real benefit to its natural free roaming counterpart; the practice is nothing more than a money-spinning commercial venture which has seen more and more breeders jumping on the bandwagon.

It was a great pity that the former Minister of Tourism or Environment Van Schalkwyk, or was it his predecessor, who failed to pass/sign the bill against the farming of Lions. I guess there were too many politicians involved in this scam with too much at stake.

Your closing paragraph just reconfirms that Lion farms are nothing more than commercial ventures. The animal is bought and paid for from a hunter who gets his "trophy" and the carcass is process in the ranch abattoir.

Ok...so farmed lion hunting does not help wild lion conservation.....yes...I buy that. It is clearly a product of supply and demand whereas the cost for a captive bred lion is much less than a wild hunt for obvious reasons. RSA breeders make money by selling these lions to hunters who do not have the money to Pay for a lion in the Wild. So..someone makes money for providing a service to someone who enjoys or loves the hunt. No one gets hurt, everyone is happy and Capitalism trumps all! What's wrong with that?

quote:

Originally posted by Skyline:
I just do not get the entire package in the way it is put forth on the farmed lion issue. Lets call it what it is.......... they are livestock. Raised by people to be killed for a fee. Has nothing to do with the wild natural world on free roaming parts of Africa. They are chattel........ as has been said by others on AR.

No different than the angus cattle out in my pasture. I own them and breed them and decide when they will be killed or transfer ownership.
Now of course they are not classified as wildlife but the principals are the same. The cats are no different than if you had elk or red deer farms. Wildlife, raised commercially under private ownership.

Killing a farmed lion or red deer has no benefit to the preservation of wildlife on public land in any given country. If you hunt a wild elk on public land you buy a tag and contribute to the local economy when you are there as a visitor, perhaps you need a guide/outfitter. Your licence fee goes to the public coffers to help support the wild government land management at a state/provincial level.

If I have a cow I want to get rid of the buyer can breed it or cut and wrap and stick it in the freezer. Only person benefits is me. Has nothing to do with local game management any more than if I shoot an elk on an elk farm. No licence required, meat in the freezer. Nothing to do with supporting wildlife habitat or game conservation and enforcement. Has zero to do with the wildlife regulations and what can be shot or not taken as the case may be. Livestock.

Canned lion hunting is about livestock. The guy raising it gets paid for the lion and the guy buying it jacks up the trophy fee to make a profit off of buying the lion and relocating it to go out and track it down and kill it. Has nothing to do with conservation. It is an item, bought and paid for........... no licence revenue going to maintain wild publicly owned places. It pads the pocket of the lion 'farmer' for a product raised. The PH is getting a profit off of the mark up on said lion and the daily rates.

It has nothing to do with protecting wild lions in wild wilderness areas in countries with free ranging lions.

When I buy or put in for a draw for elk on land/areas governed by public game department agencies, my money goes to the game department funding or state funding. If I shoot an elk on an elk farm it is money going to the farmer as income for an animal raised. NOTHING goes to the bigger picture for conservation or WILDLIFE.

I would like all of you knowledgeable types to fill me in on how shooting a farm raised lion helps out in conservation. Leave out the issue of shooting a cat in a fenced area........ just deal with the concept of how shooting a farm raised lion and now it benefits the conservation of wild lions in wild places.

Sustainablility of farm raised animals has an implication on the wild animals of that species how? Raising a farm raise elk has ZERO influence on the management of wild ungulates in wild places. Please explain this to me. Apparently I am dull witted, and I can take my lumps if they are based on common sense.

All I see with the farm lions is selling lion bones by the pound to the Oriental market and getting a return on the farm raised livestock.

Just to help you right here. You still need to buy a tag/license from the government. All these reserves have other animals like Buffalo, Sable and maybe Rhino. Money from Lion hunts contribute to management of all species. Also, it is very dangerous. To think otherwise is an un informed and uneducated opinion.

And of course....Angus cattle does not have big teeth and nails like that..last time I checked in any case!

Can we also ban lion poaching for 5 years??

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:
Can we also ban lion poaching for 5 years??

All would be based on the assumption that the powers that be take care of the poaching problem in order to create a win-win scenario.

I know, my optimism borders on wishful thinking.

Charl,
With respect, those same PG species raise their own revenue that ensures their sustainability. To allude that one needs to sell canned or farmed lion to boost the funds to conserve other species - in RSA's game farm context - is ludicruous imho. It is purely done to boost profits and satisfy a demand. But resulting damage to the greater hunting industry is far more than the individual profits earned by a few.

I fervently believe that the practice does more damage to our industry than good and needs to be stopped!

And as soon as the arid have succeeded in banning lion hunting in South Africa, they will direct their efforts to ban other types of hunting.

Anyone who thinks this done to save the lions is living in dreamland!

The hunting industry and all it's participants could learn a lot by following the successful strategy of the NRA. You even make a small attempt to attack or destroy even the most remote or tiny aspect of gun rights or anything that even comes close to these rights and we will put every effort, tactic, asset and dollar we have to defeat you. Direct assaults to our hunting heritage will never work, but it's the nibbling at the edges, probing for weaknesses that will destroy what we all love by a death of a thousand cuts. Too many of us are sanctimonious and naive as to what the real threat is. It is not us or our practices...but it is them!

Bill,

Well said! Captive bred lion hunting maybe the antis cause de jour but it is just a step in their goal of a complete closure of hunting. Our divisiveness as hunters may in the end be what really kills our sport.

Mark

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:
And as soon as the arid have succeeded in banning lion hunting in South Africa, they will direct their efforts to ban other types of hunting.

Anyone who thinks this done to save the lions is living in dreamland!

That's right. Don't give an inch. Keep it as the first line of defense. Even though some of you find it distasteful (myself included) we need it to keep the Antis occupied. They will never be happy until all hunting is completely banned.

quote:

Originally posted by MARK H. YOUNG:

Our divisiveness as hunters may in the end be what really kills our sport.

I actually think it will be the lack of leadership that does us in. At a time of great challenge to the sport, there is not an organization that is prepared and capable of taking up the cause in the same way the NRA has on firearms, certainly not SCI or DSC.

quote:

Originally posted by Skyline:
I just do not get the entire package in the way it is put forth on the farmed lion issue. Lets call it what it is.......... they are livestock. Raised by people to be killed for a fee. Has nothing to do with the wild natural world on free roaming parts of Africa. They are chattel........ as has been said by others on AR.

No different than the angus cattle out in my pasture. I own them and breed them and decide when they will be killed or transfer ownership.
Now of course they are not classified as wildlife but the principals are the same. The cats are no different than if you had elk or red deer farms. Wildlife, raised commercially under private ownership.

Killing a farmed lion or red deer has no benefit to the preservation of wildlife on public land in any given country. If you hunt a wild elk on public land you buy a tag and contribute to the local economy when you are there as a visitor, perhaps you need a guide/outfitter. Your licence fee goes to the public coffers to help support the wild government land management at a state/provincial level.

If I have a cow I want to get rid of the buyer can breed it or cut and wrap and stick it in the freezer. Only person benefits is me. Has nothing to do with local game management any more than if I shoot an elk on an elk farm. No licence required, meat in the freezer. Nothing to do with supporting wildlife habitat or game conservation and enforcement. Has zero to do with the wildlife regulations and what can be shot or not taken as the case may be. Livestock.

Canned lion hunting is about livestock. The guy raising it gets paid for the lion and the guy buying it jacks up the trophy fee to make a profit off of buying the lion and relocating it to go out and track it down and kill it. Has nothing to do with conservation. It is an item, bought and paid for........... no licence revenue going to maintain wild publicly owned places. It pads the pocket of the lion 'farmer' for a product raised. The PH is getting a profit off of the mark up on said lion and the daily rates.

It has nothing to do with protecting wild lions in wild wilderness areas in countries with free ranging lions.

When I buy or put in for a draw for elk on land/areas governed by public game department agencies, my money goes to the game department funding or state funding. If I shoot an elk on an elk farm it is money going to the farmer as income for an animal raised. NOTHING goes to the bigger picture for conservation or WILDLIFE.

I would like all of you knowledgeable types to fill me in on how shooting a farm raised lion helps out in conservation. Leave out the issue of shooting a cat in a fenced area........ just deal with the concept of how shooting a farm raised lion and now it benefits the conservation of wild lions in wild places.

Sustainablility of farm raised animals has an implication on the wild animals of that species how? Raising a farm raise elk has ZERO influence on the management of wild ungulates in wild places. Please explain this to me. Apparently I am dull witted, and I can take my lumps if they are based on common sense.

All I see with the farm lions is selling lion bones by the pound to the Oriental market and getting a return on the farm raised livestock.

The red deer analogy is incorrect - there are plenty of cases in the southern hemisphere where commercial operations have improved the wild genetics, mostly unintentionally. Look at what is happening in Argentina right now. Yes you might say that is private land and I dont know what the public land situation is in Argentina - but in the South Pacific there is much public land contiguous with private estates.