An understandably very irate and furious owner, Andrè de Lange, told the Herald on Monday that additional security cameras are in the process of being installed while the services of an outside security company has also been called in.

“It is highly frustrating and infuriating to lose animals to unscrupulous poachers who are only in it for the money. They don’t care about conservation, only in the few Rand they make over the short term,” De Lange said.

The two white lions were poached early on Sunday. Three alleged poachers were arrested just outside Phalaborwa with the remains of one of the white lions in their possession. According to de Lange there is no doubt that some of his own staff members were also involved in the poaching.

The estimated value of the two lions are in excess of R500 000.

Meanwhile big game farmers and breeders attribute the dramatic increase in lion poaching to recent bans placed on lion hunting.

“Greenies and other ill informed so-called conservationists put pressure on the authorities to create laws that only benefit the poachers and have no benefit for the animals. Many more lions will be poached because the new legislation dramatically decreased the availability, and thus value, of lions and lions remains. This process will have a very negative effect on the industry,” numerous farmers told the HERALD.

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