Govt asks lion breeders to give up stockpiles of lion bones

The government has taken another step in its push to end the breeding of lions in captivity.

The minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment issued a media statement on Friday calling on people in the captive lion industry to “voluntarily give up their stockpiles of lion bones and derivatives”.

In the statement, Minister Dion George said some in the industry had been keeping quantities of whole lion carcasses, skeletons, skins, teeth, claws, and other parts.

Captive lion breeders urged ‘voluntary exit’

Around 8 000 lions are kept in captivity in South Africa. The government has for years pushed for an end to the breeding of the big cats in captivity and their use for commercial gain.

Pressure on breeders has increased since April 2024, however.

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On Friday, George encouraged ‘voluntary exit options’ while stressing the department’s will to minimise unemployment that closure would bring.

“The industry’s deficiency in social license and departure from international norms present formidable problems to its sustainability,” the department’s statement read.

As a result, in December 2022, the then-minister Barbara Creecy appointed a ministerial task team to identify and recommend voluntary exit and pathways from the captive lion industry.

Recommendations, dated 15 February 2024, were submitted to the minister and the report was released.

The department started to implement recommendations from the report in April but there was no deadline for the end of breeding.

The report mentioned no financial incentives for ending the breeding.

The report recommended the implementation of a programme to acquire and legally dispose of legal bone stockpiles.

Department encourages breeders to register themselves in programme

“The department will facilitate the acquisition of legal lion bone stockpiles through a contractual agreement between the volunteering legal lion bone owners and any third parties to the agreement.

“Parties with live captive lions willing to voluntarily register for this programme, will be required to sterilise their lions, refrain from acquiring or accepting any additional live captive lions, and ensure the maintenance of welfare and other standards for the lions in their care.”

Parties to the voluntary exit programme will be required to apply for the necessary Threatened and Protected Species (TOPS) permits.

The minister invited breeders considering voluntary exit options to register their interest by submitting their details to the department.

All information provided is treated confidentially, he said, and registration does not constitute any obligation to proceed with voluntary exit options.

George said: “Several key guiding principles were considered including the imperative of preventing unemployment for vulnerable individuals and underlying pillars of sustainable use. I encourage everyone who has lion bones and derivatives to voluntarily surrender them as early as possible.”

Breeders were “invited to respond to this notice, within 120 days”.

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