By Selloane Ntshonyane
- Animal group FOUR PAWS says about 8,000 lions are kept in cages for selfies, bottle-feeding and cub-petting instead of real wildlife protection.
- FOUR PAWS says farm workers earn R2,500 to R3,000 a month with no contracts, medical care or paid leave on these farms.
Lions and other big cats are being bred and used across South Africa purely to make money, says a major animal welfare group.
FOUR PAWS says more than 300 facilities keep big cats in captivity, including about 8,000 lions. The group says the animals are raised for selfies, bottle-feeding and cub-petting, not to protect wildlife.
Fiona Miles from FOUR PAWS says cubs are handled by visitors almost from birth. She says this makes it impossible for the young animals to return to the wild.
Miles says even when there is no direct cruelty, the animals are still used in ways that are wrong. She says the problem goes beyond the suffering of lions.
The group also spoke to workers on these farms. Some workers say they earn between R2,500 and R3,000 a month. They say they work up to 85 hours a week with no work contracts, no medical care and no paid leave.
Miles says the entire system is driven by profit at any cost. She says the farming of big cats creates a “dangerous chain reaction” where the needs of animals and workers are ignored.
FOUR PAWS is calling on the government to ban the trade in big cats. They want all intensive breeding stopped and any farms that put profit before animal care shut down.
The group says there is another way. They run LIONSROCK Big Cat Sanctuary, where rescued lions live safely without being bred or used for entertainment. Visitors can see the animals only from a distance, with no touching allowed.
Pictured above:Lions kept in captivity for tourism.
Image source: FOUR PAWS
