In the country of South Africa lions are being exploited and abused for tourism similar to tigers in Asia. Throughout South Africa there are numerous tourist destinations where one can pet and feed lion cubs, take a walk with lions, and volunteer to raise lion cubs. Many facilities will falsely advertise their center as a sanctuary to help lion conservation by trying to legitimize the exploitation of lions for revenue. Once the lions reach adolescence they are sold to lion ranches where they will likely be killed for canned trophy hunting. A canned lion hunt is a trophy hunt in which the lion is kept in a confined fenced-in area, waiting to be killed by a hunter. The lion cub petting facilities and so-called lion sanctuaries in South Africa are directly linked to canned trophy hunting and not a single lion bred under the current captive conditions has any conservation value.ix
Dr. Guy Balme, a leading conservation biologist claims:
“there has never been a captive lion successfully released in the wild. It’s been tried on numerous occasions, even to the expense of millions of dollars, but it’s not a valuable conservation option.”[ix]
Sadly it’s tourism that plays a major role in promoting all the abusive activities involved with breeding captive bred lions. Lion petting facilities and lion sanctuaries in South Africa prematurely remove lion cubs from their mothers, force lions to be subjected to abuse from tourists, and force the lions to live in overcrowded and unhygienic cages until they are sold as commodities.
There are more than 160 farms that legally breed big cats in South Africa. There are now more lions held in captivity in South Africa, about 6,000, than lions that live in the wild, about 2,000).[x] Ukutula is a ranch an hour north of Johannesburg that lures in tourist and volunteers under the false presumption that they intensely breed lions for research and conservation. Parks such as Ukutula can reportedly earn up to $48,000 USD a month from volunteers staying at their lodge. This does not include the revenue earned from day visitors at their petting zoos.[xi] Ukutula abuses the trust of goodhearted young volunteers with lies that their time and money is going towards valuable conservation to reintroduce their captive lions to the wild.x
An ex- volunteer of Ukutula reports that lion cubs are passed around between volunteers and paying customers with no animal care experience, they are fed inadequate diets, and beaten into submission when acting naturally boisterous.x
Conservationists and animal welfare experts remain deeply concerned about the breeding practices used at Ukutula such as removing the cubs immediately after birth.ix This unethical and inhumane process is known to cause great physical stress to both the mother and her cubs, yet completely legal under South African law. Volunteers from Ukutula report lionesses are forced to produce about 2 to 3 litters of cubs each year.xi This is extremely unnatural as in the wild a lioness will only reproduce cubs every second or third year.
Lions at Ukutula are sold to third parties once they reach around three years of age.
When asking Gill Jacobs (the co-owner of Ukutula) where the lions go once they are sold, she responds, “I don’t know where the lions go when they are adults, and I don’t think it’s my business.”ix
Ukutula is just one of the many lion ranches that act as a co-conspirator to commercialize lions as a product to be exploited. Sadly, Ukutula is taking in significant sums of money from tourist and volunteers, which indirectly supports the abusive and barbaric industries connected to lion breeders.
[ix] Young, Bruce, Nick Chevallier, Pippa Hankinson, Jeremy Nathan, Ian Michler, and Rick Swazey. Blood lions. 2016.
[x] Steyn, Paul. “Is Captive Lion Hunting Really Helping to Save the Species?” National Geographic. National Geographic Society, 5 May 2015.
[xi] Jennings, Beth. “I Was Tricked Into Raising Lion Cubs For Hunters To Kill.” Blog post. The Dodo, 1 Mar. 2016.
Please ask Ukutula, to stop breeding lions intensively and to stop misleading tourist and volunteers to believe their ranch helps with lion conservation.
Petition addressed to:
The government on South Africa: AModise@environment.gov.za
Head of Tourism on South Africa: Thulani@southafrica.net
Ukutula : info@ukutula.com
Ministry of Environmental Affairs: Bomo Edna Molewa, Chief of Staff : Mr Paul Daphne PDaphne@environment.gov.za
438
Christina H.
Gen 19, 2023
437
Rina P.
Set 16, 2022
436
Michelle C.
Set 15, 2022
435
Veronica D.
Set 15, 2022
434
Robin A.
Mar 06, 2022
433
Florence B.
Mar 06, 2022
432
Nicolette P.
Mar 09, 2020
431
Ji M.
Nov 27, 2019
430
Antoinette G.
Set 13, 2019
429
Seth O.
Ago 28, 2019
428
Fedora M.
Ago 13, 2019
427
Elsina S.
Ago 09, 2019
426
DIANA M.
Ago 09, 2019
425
Shirley A.
Lug 29, 2019
424
Megumi M.
Lug 27, 2019
423
nicolette l.
Lug 27, 2019
422
Petya A.
Lug 27, 2019
421
Petra S.
Lug 27, 2019
420
Antoinette G.
Lug 26, 2019
419
veronica b.
Mag 09, 2019
418
Paola M.
Mag 01, 2019
417
giada c.
Apr 17, 2019
416
Cassandra G.
Apr 11, 2019
415
Tiziana V.
Apr 08, 2019
414
Sandra M.
Feb 21, 2019
413
Daisy D.
Ott 25, 2018
412
carina f.
Ott 12, 2018
411
carina f.
Ott 12, 2018
410
Monica O.
Ott 07, 2018
409
marta c.
Ott 07, 2018
408
Efe H.
Ott 03, 2018
407
Delpuech A.
Set 16, 2018
406
Domitille F.
Set 16, 2018
405
Doreen F.
Ago 20, 2018
404
Liana F.
Ago 20, 2018
403
Carolyn G.
Lug 23, 2018
402
Richelle C.
Lug 22, 2018
401
Elisabeth S.
Lug 02, 2018
400
Camilla M.
Giu 27, 2018
399
Yvonne F.
Giu 27, 2018
398
Monica R.
Mag 20, 2018
397
sueanne c.
Mag 17, 2018
396
Rhana W.
Mag 15, 2018
395
kelly s.
Mag 15, 2018
394
Kristina S.
Mag 12, 2018
393
Kate K.
Mag 11, 2018
392
Carmely G.
Mag 10, 2018
391
Bruce F.
Mag 10, 2018
390
rita p.
Mag 10, 2018
389
maes s.
Mag 10, 2018
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