Lion Breeding, Rhino Horn Trade Won’t Be Backed by South Africa
Lion Breeding, Rhino Horn Trade Won’t Be Backed by South Africa
Antony Sguazzin & Andrew Davis, Bloomberg
May 2, 2021
Lion breeding in South Africa and trade in products such as their bones
should be ended and the country won’t lobby for the lifting of global
restrictions on the rhino horn and elephant ivory trade, Environment
Minister Barbara Creecy said.
Still, the country should position itself as a destination for hunting of
some of the world’s most iconic animals, she said at the release of the
High Level Panel report on the management, breeding, hunting, trade and
handling of elephant, lion, leopard and rhinoceros on Sunday.
The recommendations of the panel show the difficult path South Africa,
cognizant of its role as guardian of some of the world’s most important
populations of endangered animals, is treading in a country where many of
those animals are held and owned on private land.
“We fully understand that the breeders will have things to say,” Creecy
said, promising consultations after an unidentified member of the audience
interjected at the end of the meeting to say that the recommendations
adopted would lead to the destruction of the species the government seeks
to protect. “No change in policy can be made in a democracy without the
participation of those affected,” she said.
Rhino Owners
While the country has been vocal in the global fight to halt the trade of
rhino horn and elephant ivory, it had also attracted criticism for allowing
the breeding of lions for hunting and the sale of their bones to East Asia
where they are believed to have medicinal properties.
Private rhino owners, who own the bulk of the country’s rhinos, have
lobbied for the resumption of legal horn trade to fund the costs associated
with protecting their animals against poaching.
While the majority of the 25-member panel recommended ending lion breeding
and placing curbs on the keeping of captive rhinos, some members dissented
and there was also disagreement on the controls on rhino breeding. Creecy
said she had decided to adopt the majority view.
South Africa is home to almost all of the world’s remaining rhinos and has
key populations of elephants, lions and leopards. Hunting of all these
animals is permitted under strict controls and generates significant
revenue for the country as it attracts sport hunters mainly from the U.S.
“The captive lion industry poses risks to the sustainability of wild lion
conservation resulting from the negative impact on ecotourism, which funds
lion conservation and conservation more broadly,” Creecy said.
In addition there is a “negative impact on the authentic wild hunting
industry and the risk the trade in lion parts poses to stimulating poaching
and the illegal trade.”
South Africa’s trophy hunting industry generates about 5 billion rand ($345
million) annually, according to a paper released by researchers at South
Africa’s North-West University in 2018. The ecotourism industry forms a key
part of the country’s tourism trade, which makes up about 7% of the economy.
Breeding of lion cubs to be petted by tourists at safari parks will also be
stopped, she said.
A call and email to the South African Predator Association, which
represents captive lion breeders and hunters, were not immediately
responded to.
The panel also had to consider a number of other issues such as the use of
animal products, such as leopard skins, in traditional practices and the
killing of leopards that prey on livestock, she said.
A policy paper on the recommendations for public comment will be released
within about two weeks, Creecy said. That’s a key step toward enacting
legislation.