talkpolitics | The besieged king

http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2012/12/06/lion-numbers-plunge-as-african-wilderness-succumbs-to-human-pressure/
"The most comprehensive assessment of lion (Panthera leo) numbers to date determined that Africa’s once-thriving savannahs are undergoing massive land-use conversion and burgeoning human population growth. The decline has had a significant impact on the lions that make their home in these savannahs; their numbers have dropped to as low as 32,000, down from hundreds of thousands estimated just 50 years ago."

Those are the results of an extensive research by the Duke University. At this stage of population decline, once the mighty symbol of power in the animal kingdom could well get into the list of endangered species within the next decade, or sooner. The reason for the catastrophic situation is the rapid decline of lion populaces in the wild, on one side... and the systematic destruction of their natural habitat, on the other. And also the hunting for trophies, which is an illustrious business, along with the trade of lion organs throughout the continent.

Every year, thousands of European, American and Australasian tourists flock into Africa with just one purpose: to shoot a lion and bring his skin home. And, while countries like Kenya, Botswana and Zambia have banned lion hunting, here in South Africa this business has turned into a major industry. There are about 160 lion farms spread throughout the country, with a total populace of 5000 lions, whose only purpose is to meet the huge demand on the trophy market. The little cubs are separated from their mothers very early, this way losing the most basic survival skills. They are offered as a tourist attraction for the visitors who take pictures with them, toss food at them, and treat them as pets. Once the cubs have grown up somewhat and are no longer safe for the tourists, they are used for breeding and upon reaching maturity they are added to the shooting lists. The adult lions are then separated into smaller fenced sectors where the wannabe badass heroes-of-the-rifle can "like" them and "reserve" them, and then shoot them without any difficulty.

The situation has reached a point where the beast that used to be the king of the savannah has gotten so used to human presence that some lions deliberately seek contact with them, they often stand right in front of the tourists' muzzles, and become an easy target. Some are lured with food, and sometimes they are even shot with sleep arrows to slow them down and allow the rookie shooters to hit them more easily. The "hunting" for captive lions has become a huge problem, not only from an ethical standpoint, but because it is additionally increasing public interest to hunting of wild animals, which is what is collapsing entire ecosystems throughout the African continent. Meanwhile, the cubs who are bred in captivity lack any survival skills, and even if subsequently released into the wilderness, they have no chance of living.

The "canned hunt" as it is called, is additionally facilitated by the fact that no special hunting permit is required by South African law, and neither are any particular skills needed. One could easily "reserve" a lion even on the Internet. The price for a male lion, depending on his age, size and distinctive features, can range between 10 and 25 thousand euro. The price for a lioness is much lower, 3000 euro.

There are organisations advocating for the full ban of canned hunting in the country, and they have established parks like Lion Rock, a former ordinary lion farm, which is now transformed into a sanctuary for big cats. 80 of them now live there, gathered from various zoos, breeding/shooting farms and private homes (yes, some wealthy people do own lions just to show off to their business partners). Nowadays, apart from giving these majestic creatures some chance for relative freedom, NGOs like Four Paws provide a proof that lions could indeed be a tourist attraction, without necessarily ending up on some millionaire's floor as carpets.