Dear Editor
The Democratic Alliance supports the steps taken by Minister George against canned lion hunting and the lion bone trade.
Minister George this week issued two Government notices – the first announcing voluntary exit pathways for current holders of lion bone stockpiles and the second calling for comments on the prohibition of the establishment of new captive breeding facilities.
There are currently an estimated 8,000 captive lions in South Africa across 350 facilities. These steps are the first moves towards a longer-term phasing out of the captive lion industry.
The parliamentary Portfolio Committee for Environmental Affairs first convened a colloquium in 2018 to discuss captive lion breeding and hunting, the recommendations of which were adopted by the National Assembly. Following from this event, a High-Level Panel was appointed, a White Paper and policy position on sustainable use were published, and two Ministerial Task Teams were mandated to take this work forward. This six-year process included exhaustive public consultation and investigations, culminating in the firm actions now taken by Minister George.
Captive lion breeding underpins the twin industries of canned lion hunting and the lion bone trade. Both industries face serious ethical and regulatory issues. Their prominence has led to strong criticism of South Africa internationally because of their misalignment with global conservation and welfare principles. Canned hunting, as opposed to other hunting practices, is widely considered by both hunters and non-hunters alike as unethical and in violation of the principles of fair chase and sustainable use. There are no current legal pathways for lion bone export from South Africa resulting in the build-up of stockpiles of carcasses, spurring the illicit trade. The incentivized, voluntary surrendering of stockpiles is a step towards ending this trade which has been strongly opposed globally.
The DA believes that these proactive steps by the Minister will ameliorate South Africa’s tarnished reputation in this regard, and this signals a move towards more sustainable and ethical approaches to our wildlife management more broadly.
Regards
Andrew de Blocq van Sheltinga MP
DA Spokesperson on Forestry, Fisheries & the Environment