Banner image “Tiger for sale in Bangkok.” By Andreas Wilson-Spath*, Daily Maverick, 9 February 2021 – This article was provided by the Conservation Action Trust. Conservationists have demonstrated that legalised trade and commercial breeding of wild animals stimulates demand, encourages poachers and smugglers and ultimately pushes species towards extinction in the wild. A …
Captive lion breeding damages SA’s tourism reputation
By Melissa Reitz, Conservation Action Trust, 17 November 2020 Despite overwhelming worldwide opposition, including a parliamentary resolution to close down the captive lion breeding industry, SA’s government is ignoring red flags that the industry is damaging the country’s reputation and deliberating a 2020 annual trade quota for the export of lion bones. The …
World Wildlife Crime Report – Trafficking in Protected Species
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has issued a report, “World Wildlife Crime Report – Trafficking in Protected Species” 2020. “Lion, jaguar and leopard body parts are being increasingly sought as substitutes to tiger products by traffickers, a major UN report has found, but demand for ivory …
“Unfair Game” – Published
“Unfair Game” – An exposé of South Africa’s captive-bred lion industry [Update] Now published on Kindle and in paperback (16 June 2020 in the UK, 7 July 2020 in the USA): UK Link – “Unfair Game“ USA Link – “Unfair Game“ By Lord Ashcroft on Wildlife – (Lord Ashcroft fb page link) …
Captive Lions in Deplorable Condition
The NSPCA (National Council – Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA)), reported on 13 May 2020: The National Council of SPCAs (NSPCA) Wildlife Protection Unit undertook an investigation at two captive lion facilities, owned by the same person, in All Days, in Limpopo after receiving a …
Submission to South Africa’s High-Level Panel – elephant, lion, leopard and rhinoceros
Banner Image courtesy of Mark Boulton – “Lewa Conservancy, Kenya” – Elsa Trust and Elsamere IWB’s Submission to the HLP, Dated 11 June 2020 IWB’s Response to HLP Questions Received, Dated 21 October 2020 The Republic of South Africa, Department: Environmental affairs has issued a “A general notice calling for submissions, …
Living with wild animals, Part One: Cash cows or fellow beings?
As we approach World Health Day on Tuesday, 7 April 2020 – please join the call to end wildlife markets/wildlife trade across the globe to protect human health, including re-emphasising the inherent human health risks of tuberculosis (TB) transmission from the lion bone trade. World-wide, TB has been infecting and killing …
Zoonotic Diseases of Mass Destruction
Banner image courtesy of artist Olaf Hajek and The New York Times Sunday Review The ‘true’ cost of wildlife abuse – Coronavirus and the viruses to follow…. “If we fail to understand and take care of the natural world, it can cause a breakdown of these systems and come back …
China’s ban on wildlife consumption is an overdue death knell for lion bone industry
by Don Pinnock, Daily Maverick, 24 February 2020 The Chinese government has placed an immediate ban on the illegal trading of wildlife and the consumption of wild animals. This follows a link between pangolin meat and the coronavirus outbreak. Despite international outrage, South Africa is allowing a quota of at …
Evidence of a further emerging threat to lion conservation; targeted poaching for body parts
Banner image courtesy of Greater Limpopo Carnivore Programme A recent Africa Geographic article, “Lion poaching: Escalating demand for claws and teeth,” 2 January 2020 has summarised the conclusions of a paper published towards the end of 2019: Everatt, K.T; Kokes, R. & Lopez Pereira, C., October 2019 –“Evidence of a further …