Simba is one of the thousands of lions that have been born in captivity in South Africa. These lions aren't being bred and released into the wild to help boost Africa's dwindling wild population.
Instead, they are part of a disgusting lion farm industry in which lions are bred to eventually be killed.
Simba, the 11-year-old lion held captive by Patrick De Beer of Mugaba Safaris, and who was due to be shot at a "hunt" at Kalahari Lion Hunting Safaris was lucky. After a month's long legal battle he was rescued by conservationists. Unfortunately, most captive lions aren't so lucky. In fact, according to one expose at one farm up to 54 lions were killed in just two days. And throughout South Africa, 12,000 lions have been bred in around 200 "farms."
So while in the wild, Africa's lion population is dwindling you wouldn't know it if you looked behind the gates and fences of South Africa's lion farms. There, the lion population is as healthy as ever. But that's only because it means big bucks for the lion "farmers" and "safari" owners that keep them in captivity.
Owners of these sick establishments use lions to make money paw over foot in a lion hunting economy that spans the animals' entire lives. When the lions are cubs, farm owners dupe well-meaning paying "volunteers" to come and "care" for the cubs. They tell visitors the cubs were orphaned and that once they are old enough they will be released. What they don't tell them is that they will be released into a fenced enclosure where they will quickly meet their demise.
Once they are old enough to shoot. They charge wealthy westerners between $13,000 and $55,000 to kill them in enclosed facilities known as a "canned hunt" where the lion never even stands a chance. of getting away. The final disgrace is the fact that after they have been shot, the bones and other body parts are shipped east where they are sold as "medicine" and trinkets.
The farms are making money at both ends off of the lives and deaths of these incredible beasts.
South Africa is the only country in the world where large scale captive lion breeding is not only legal but is a booming industry. We must fight to end this horrible practice and save these majestic beasts. These canned hunts are cruel and they need to be banned today. Tell South Africa the world is watching. Tell them to ban the lion farms and canned hunts today
