There is no doubt that the growing trade in lion bones is going to adversely impact the wild lion populations. Unfortunately for lions, the Asian traditional medicine practitioners regard the bones of wild lions a being more “potent” than those of captive – bred ones. So the law of unintended consequences will apply here: as the existing lion bone trade (a spin-off from canned lion hunting) allows more and more Asians to become invested in the growing trade, so the demand for wild lion bones will grow. Prepare for a poaching frenzy of wild lions every bit as egregious as the existing slaughter of rhino.
In summary - the official CITES data indicates that the legal trade in dead lion parts from South Africa to Asia is a comparatively new industry that has been allowed to grow exponentially year on year since 2008. No measures, such as trade restrictions or bans, have been put in place.
by Chris Mercer
