South Africa on Wednesday outlined plans to eliminate captive breeding of lions for hunting purposes, as the country prepares to ban the controversial activity.
The practice of breeding big cats and then slaughtering them through wealthy hunters, paying thousands of U. S. dollars, has long been hated by conservation and animal rights groups.
Hunters, usually foreigners, bring home the head or skin of the sacrificed animal as a trophy.
The South African government had already announced plans to ban lion breeding from 2021 and an ad hoc organization has been dealing with the issue for two years.
“The panel proposes the closure of the captive breeding sector, adding the keeping of lions in captivity, or the advertising use of captive lions or their derivatives,” Environment Minister Barabara Creecy told a news conference in Cape Town.
Farmers will have two years to voluntarily withdraw from the sector and replace their style before the ban goes into effect.
The idea, which has faced strong opposition from representatives of the highly lucrative industry, approved by the government last week, has yet to be translated into law.
The move is accompanied by a hunt for trophies and a growing backlash in the West.
In recent years, campaigns to ban the import of trophies have been successful in the United States, Australia and several European countries.
“The industry is vast and complex, with a long history that aligns with existing foreign trends and adjustments in national conservation policy,” said Kamalasen Chetty, head of the ad hoc group.
Between 8,000 and 12,000 lions are raised on about 350 farms across South Africa, according to estimates by animal rights teams that denounce the situations in which the animals are kept.
By comparison, the number of wild lions is about 3,500, according to the Endangered Wildlife Trust, a South Africa-based NGO.
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