How captive breeding is destroying the lion gene pool

By Sylvia Chebet

In fiction or reality, the epithet "king of the jungle" evokes only one image — a regal, territorial animal at the apex of the food chain.

Just like the iconic roaring mascot that heralds every movie coming out of Hollywood's famed MGM Studios, the lion, in many ways, represents an ideal etched in our minds.

But in South Africa, lions bred in captivity and made to live in cramped, unnatural conditions are being reduced to a shadow of that image, with scientists fearing that such an existence is perhaps even altering their brain chemistry.

Dr Louise de Waal, director of Blood Lions, a conservation campaign in South Africa, has visited several such breeding sites and routinely receives photographs from whistle-blowers showing lions injured or suffering from illnesses.

"You can hardly recognise them as lions," she tells TRT Afrika. "It's a shocking sight."

Trophy hunting

The practice of captive lion breeding began in the 1990s, sparked by a demand for lion trophy hunting. Breeders saw this as an opportunity to build a business without depleting the population of the species in the wild.

Within a few years, the popularity of "canned hunting" – or the blood sport of trophy hunting in small enclosures that give lions no chance of escape — shot up. "Canned hunts with bred lions are cheaper and quicker," explains de Waal.

The price of a bounty remains a closely guarded secret among breeders. Conservationists believe there are different price brackets for the lions, with breeders making a fortune from animals with big and beautiful manes.

The 2015 award-winning documentary Blood Lions: Bred for the Bullet exposed the extent and plight of captive-bred lions in South Africa. In one scene, a US $5,400 ask pops up.

Those who go on such hunts prize the lion's head and skin for wall hangings in their homes. Breeders have lately discovered yet another business avenue in the carcasses. Lion skeletons now have a big market in Southeast Asia.

"Southeast Asia had been predominantly using tiger bones in fortified wines. Since tigers are rare, it was getting more and more difficult to get hold of tiger bones," says de Waal.

"Lion bones are the perfect replacement for tiger bones in wines. Also, they are used in traditional Chinese medicine."

Fringe benefits

Breeders also earn additional revenue by using cubs in attractions like touristy "walk with the lions" experiences. Voluntourism is another big income earner, where people pay for a volunteer experience to pet and bottle-feed lion cubs.

Captive-bred lions from South Africa are exported to zoos and breeding facilities worldwide but predominantly to Southeast Asia.

So, what started as a trophy-hunting business in the 1990s has become an immensely lucrative and expansive industry.

"Now, we have about 300 facilities holding at least 8,000 captive lions for all kinds of commercial purposes," the Blood Lions director tells TRT Afrika.

According to data from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), South Africa's lion population in the wild currently stands at 3,500, while the continent has around 20,000.

"Most lion farms are pretty intensive production lines," says de Waal. "A lioness in the wild tends to have only one litter every two years on average. They would have about four or five litters in captivity every two years. The cubs would be taken away within days or weeks from birth."

Unethical practices

Breeders in Limpopo, Free State and Northwest provinces use the smallest enclosures, leading to overcrowding.

"I saw probably over 100 lions in one facility," de Waal recounts, pointing out that most enclosures are barren, with almost no structures to protect the lions from the elements.

The lions' predominantly chicken diet is less than nutritious since white meat lacks the necessary nutrients and vitamins. Nutritional deficiencies and lack of clean water leave these animals emaciated and suffering from many health issues.

"We have to ask the question: what are the ethical and moral values of intensively breeding a wild animal, especially an apex predator like the lion, purely for commercial gain?" says de Waal.

Pending regulation

In 2018, the erstwhile South African cabinet decided to close down the lion-breeding industry, although the order remains to be executed.

With the country just going through an election, de Waal wonders whether the next minister of environment would follow this through.

"We have never been this close to shutting the industry, and it's a step in the right direction. We keep pushing the government to take this further forward," says de Waal.

However, most conservationists are concerned that there is still no implementation plan with clear timelines.

The ministerial task team's report, approved by the cabinet, acknowledges that a voluntary exit should only be the first step in the journey towards ending captive breeding of lions.

"The report rightly recommends mass incineration of lion-bone stockpiles to avoid stimulating demand among Asian consumers and act as a cover for illegally sourced lion parts," says Dr Neil D'Cruze, head of wildlife research at World Animal Protection.

Conservationists say many breeders have been stockpiling skeletons. Illegal consignments are frequently intercepted at various ports of exit, especially Johannesburg airport.

"The commercial captive lion industry has no place in South Africa's landscape," de Waal emphasises. "If we are breeding lions in captivity, there should only be one reason: conservation."

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