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Thousands of lions and many tigers bred in captivity to be exported, used for selfies or even hunted … It’s happening in South Africa, and the NGO Quatre pattes is fighting to end this trade and the suffering of these animals. Here’s why.
Lions raised and reproduced in enclosures, like farm animals. It is still commonplace in South Africa, even though the government pledged last spring to stop this practice. There are in fact three times more lions in captivity in South Africa than lions in the wild. Also, we find tigers in some of these farms while this species is native to Asia and does not exist in the wild in South Africa. “When the animals are small, visitors can pet them, bottle-feed them, take a walk or take selfies with them. These activities are not natural for lion cubs or for any baby big cats.“, deplores Fiona Miles, director of the NGO Four Legs in South Africa. Lions are also used for trophy hunting, when they are young adults or adults.
This type of breeding, which also exists in other countries such as China or the United States, has been denounced for years by several animal rights NGOs. In May 2021, after commissioning a report on the subject, the South African government decided to take up the recommendations through an unprecedented announcement. More than 6 months later, the law is still in draft form and tigers are not concerned for the moment. And on the ground, according to the images of the NGO Quatre Pattes, nothing has changed.
In the last 10 years alone, more than 2,000 live lions and 440 tigers have been exported from South Africa.
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