South African lawmakers are trying to shut down the lion industry to hunt and take bones worth tens of millions of dollars each year, even though they will face powerful tycoons.
Wildlife groups estimate that South Africa has 8,000 lions living in captivity for a variety of purposes, including hunting, cutting meat for bone, tourism, academic research …
This is a contrasting reality because currently only about 3,000 lions live wild in national parks – where hunting is banned.
But the law also did not prevent poaching, typically the South African police department arrested nearly a dozen hunters, most of them Vietnamese, last weekend.
According to The South African newspaper, recently a legislative committee of South Africa in charge of environmental issues petitioned the government to reconsider the laws governing lions for hunting and taking bones – a industry. Industry worth tens of millions of dollars each year.
International conventions now prohibit the exchange and sale of lions that are killed in the wild, but allow this to be done with breeding animals in captivity. South African lawmakers are lobbying to end this.
Over the past decade, South Africa has exported lion bones to Laos, Thailand, Vietnam and other Southeast Asian markets. People use it to make jewelry and medicine.
“South Africa is allowing an activity where the whole world turns its back. We need to find a solution to improve the situation, that industry is killing the South African brand” – Mr. Phillemon Mapulane, leader The environmental committee of the South African Parliament called.
Advocacy campaigns for commercial captivity of lions are increasingly strong in countries like Australia, France, the Netherlands and the United States in recent years. In 2016, the International Alliance for Nature Protection called for South Africa to end this activity.
In September, Singapore Airlines – the only airline to transport lion bones from South Africa to Southeast Asia, announced the suspension of this service.
According to AFP news agency, the right of South African Environment Minister Derek Hanekom promised to appoint a team to re-evaluate the law for capturing lions for commercial purposes as recommended by lawmakers.