Lions belong in the bush, not behind zoo-like fences

To some people, the killing of Shamba the lion, who was shot dead while attacking the owner of the wild life sanctuary where he was raised, will seem logical. A dangerous animal threatening to kill a human being should, in all cases, be stopped.

Shamba attacked Michael Hodge, 72, the owner of Marakele Predator Centre at the weekend, in an incident recorded on video and which has reverberated around the world. Hodge, a Briton who settled in South Africa some years ago, is recovering from his severe injuries in the mauling, but is said to be traumatised by the death of Shamba, an animal he bottle-fed from birth and then raised as a “tame” lion.

And therein lies the problem. Whether they are raised in captivity or not, treated like domestic pets or not, Africa’s wild animals – and particularly its predators – can never be regarded as “tamed”.

Shamba was doing what came naturally to him and he is not the villain here. Nor is Hodge.

But one can ask whether this sort of unnatural use of an animal – because that is what it is – for the entertainment of people, is ethically right.

Lions belong in the bush, not behind zoo-like fences.

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