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Blood Lions: An Exposé on Lion Hunting

When Cecil, a lion in Zimbabwe, was killed for sport by an American hunter, international outcry over the beloved animal’s death reached a fever pitch. But tragic incidents like this are sadly much more prevalent than most are aware: in 2013, over 1,000 lion carcasses were exported from South Africa as either trophies or to be divided up and sold piecemeal (an increase from 287 in 2010). While many know of the widespread poaching that occurs across Africa, few are aware of the canned hunting industry and the exploitative breeding practices used to sustain it.

Currently, anywhere between 6,000-8,000 predators (most of which are lions) are being kept in captivity, with the sole purpose of supplying the demand for hunting safaris, which are sold for exorbitant prices (often upwards of $40,000). The exploitation of the animals begins just days after birth, when the breeding centers tear cubs away from their mothers. (Cubs usually spend between 18-24 months with their mother in the wild). Once the young lions are too large for petting zoos, they are placed on the “kill list,” a digital database that encourages hunters to select the exact lion they want to kill. After the hunting trips and the lions are slain, their heads are mounted as decoration and their bones, which are falsely believed to have healing powers, are sold into Asian markets.

In 2015, Blood Lions, a feature documentary exposing the horrors of these industries, was released globally. The film aims to bring an end to the exploitative breeding practices as well as canned or captive hunting. Conservationist and safari guide Ian Michler, who has been researching and writing about these industries for almost twenty years, is the consultant and main character in the film. Here, Michler shares some of his thoughts on the film and his work.

What is the biggest challenge you face in your efforts to eradicate exploitative breeding in South Africa and beyond?

There are a number of challenges but the biggest is to peel back the fraudulent marketing messages that have been put out for so long now. The principal message is the one that uses a false conservation theme to justify the breeding and commercial activities using lions, when in actuality, none of these facilities are involved in any wildlife protection programs. By using the word conservation, they are duping the public into believing that by visiting these facilities they are making a contribution to securing the future of lions. Another misleading statement comes from the hunters, who claim that by killing captive lions, they take the pressure off wild lion populations. The statistics disprove this theory; demand for both forms of hunting continue to grow, while the overall continent-wide population of lions continues to fall.

Once we can deconstruct these false messages–and this has to take place at every level, tourism, hunting, conservation, government and general public–we can then show this industry for what it actually is: a group of farmers and business people who are breeding wildlife under brutal conditions for commercial gain.

What is the difference between this type of hunting and hunting deer or birds?" Generally, hunting can be divided into various categories. Traditional hunter-gatherer communities (bushmen for example) hunt to survive. Next up would be rural or outdoor folks within settled societies that hunt recreationally and they do so only for the pot and are not concerned about the trophy. Lastly we have trophy hunters—people who hunt for the prize of the horns, tusks or head of an animal. These hunters are either involved in fair-chase hunting, which takes place in large protected areas where the animals have a chance of escape, or in canned hunting, where the animal has been bred specifically to be killed in a confined area. With canned hunting, the customer pre-orders the exact animal they want to shoot, and the kill is guaranteed, as the prey has no chance of escape. Canned hunting is significantly cheaper than so-called fair chase hunting.

Your film highlights that many tourists volunteer at so-called animal orphanages, but many such places actually breed lions in captivity. What is the best way for travelers to help this cause and how can they determine which shelters are helping conservation efforts? Part of the problem is that we do not have a system that ranks or grades who is doing what. Groups such as Fair Trade Tourism (www.fairtrade.travel) are working on this and have committed to ‘certifying’ the facilities in South Africa. As a rule of thumb, do not visit any facility that offers petting, cuddling or other forms of interaction with the predators. Regardless of what facilities may claim, lions cannot be reintroduced to the wild after they are habituated to humans. It is safe to say that none of these breeding and hunting facilities have anything to do with conservation.

Should you succeed in eradicating exploited breeding and canned hunting, isn’t there a chance that demand for hunting safaris will not decrease and wild lions will be poached in increasing numbers? Closing down canned hunting is unlikely to add to poaching pressures as there is no direct link between the hunting industry and criminal poaching. Hunters can break the laws within the context of what they do, but are not really involved in poaching lions in the way that people poach antelope for meat or rhino for horns.

Learn more about Blood Lions and donate to the campaign. The documentary is currently available on iTunes and Amazon.

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