WEDNESDAY, 27 MARCH 2002: The Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism does not condone the practice of canned hunting and has never done so in the past. The department has strongly condemned the hunting of lions under so-called canned conditions as far back as 1997.
In South Africa, nature conservation is a concurrent competence of national and provincial governments and hunting is controlled through provincial legislation. The national department is responsible for coordinating actions at the national level.
The Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Mohammed Valli Moosa, intends raising this matter at the next MinMec meeting with the relevant MECs.
The department, in collaboration with the provinces, is in the process of developing a national strategy on the hunting, keeping and trade of large predators. The objective of the strategy is to provide a standardised approach to all aspects relating to the keeping of large predators.
Issued by the Ministry of Environmental Affairs and Tourism
In a move that will shock many South Africans, the hunting of captive-bred lions in small
camps from which they are unable to escape is to be permitted and institutionalised if the
Northern Province Nature Conservation Authorities have their way. This is despite the fact
that, when the Cook Report was released, the South African public clearly demonstrated
that it was disgusted by these activities and wanted them outlawed, and the national and
provincial governments gave assurances that this hunting practice would be stopped.
In a 50 page proposed policy which has been privately prepared with the captive lion
breeders and the hunting industry, the conservation officials urge the adoption of the
following policies:
1. First, they say that trophy hunters should be free to do whatever they want with
the target lion. No pretence of fair chase should be imposed upon a trophy hunter
who simply wants his trophy in the shortest possible time and with the least possible
effort. (page 37).
2. Next, they suggest that the 'emotive' objections of the public to the canned lion industry
can be fully removed by releasing the target lion from its cage into a hunting camp of at
least 1000 hectares not less than twenty one days before being hunted. (page36).
3. Animal welfare considerations will be left entirely to the NGO's to enforce independently,
and no protective clauses e.g. as to minimum size of cages will be placed in the permit
conditions. The officials want nothing to do with animal welfare regardless of their own legal
obligations.(pages25,38).
4. Wandering lions are to be classified according to their origins as 'vagrants' or 'migrants', and
'utilised' accordingly. The priority urged for such animals is their 'removal from the environment
quickly, efficiently and permanently.' Such lions, say the officials, should be made available to
the captive lion breeders or hunting industry wherever possible. They even propose under
certain circumstances the invasion of private land without the consent of the landowner to kill
such animals. There is no provision whatsoever for humanely capturing wandering lions and
removing them to a reputable wildlife sanctuary for care and protection. (pages 9, 11).

5. No provision is made for lions to be protected from exploitation. Facilities such as
rehabilitation centres and sanctuaries will continue to be prohibited on the indefensible and
extra-ordinary grounds that they are 'unnecessary'. (page 40, 41).
"Any sensible person reading this dreadful document could understandably feel that the hunting
industry has hi-jacked nature conservation in South Africa," says a spokesman for a group of
wildlife organisations including CARE, Sanwild, the Kalahari Raptor Centre, Enkosini sanctuary
and Xwe. "It is alarmingly apparent that the entities entrusted with conserving and preserving our
natural heritage are in fact acting counter to their own mandate as enacted by legislation. This is
yet another example of why conservation has become, like apartheid, a dirty word. Many of the
proposals in the proposed policy are illegal and/or unconstitutional.
Indeed, canned lion hunting itself is considered to be illegal, being contrary to the environmental
right of ordinary South Africans.
The animals used in a canned hunt are generally hand fed and familiar with people; therefore,
they do not show the natural tendency to flee from humans. These animals are tame targets. In
addition, baiting and confining the animals in fenced areas guarantees the hunters a kill. This
type of hunting shows an extreme lack of respect for life and compassion for the dignity of these
animals. Even pro- hunting organisations, such as the Safari Club International and the
Professional Hunters Association of South Africa, condemn canned hunts. They argue that the
element of "fair chase" in hunting does not apply to canned hunts since the animals have no
chance of escape, the vast majority of hunters view these hunts as unsporting slaughter, not
"sport".
Lions are sentient beings and it is wholly unacceptable to allow unscrupulous soldiers of fortune
to breed them as mere targets for uncaring overseas trophy hunters. Public officials should be
banning the industry and closing down the captive breeding businesses which, if allowed to
continue, will threaten the tourism industry in South Africa.
Instead, our public officials, whose statutory duty is "to preserve fauna and flora", are actively
promoting unlawful and unethical practices. We have to question what they have to gain from
advancing the financial interests of the animal exploitation industry where unspeakable misery
and sadistic cruelty are routinely practiced for individual material profit. This is not conservation.
How could such a vast evil empire flourish under the very noses of officials?
We glean from the proposed policy that there are approximately 2,500 captive-bred lions in South
Africa, confined in cages awaiting execution.
So many of them suffer from inbreeding and captivity depression that wild lions are eagerly sought
by the breeders in order to improve their genetic stock.
By contrast, predator sanctuaries such as Enkosini and the Kalahari Raptor Centre, whose only
mission is to save these animals from cruelty and extermination, are prosecuted, defamed,
victimized and unlawfully excluded by provincial nature conservation officials.

SPECIAL NOTICE

Valli Moosa will be opening an online chat room on the 18 July for 3 months between 5pm and
6pm every Monday, South African time, at: www.environment.gov.za
Please make a note to visit this site and tell them what you think.

Sample Letter:

Dear Honorable Minister Mohammed Valli Moosa:
I am writing to urge you to support legislation to ban “canned” trophy hunting
in South Africa. I also urge you to ban the exhibition of all wild animals in public
arenas with immediate effect and to put a moratorium in place on the captive
breeding of all big cats.
“Canned hunting” is the cowardly practice of killing captive animals in enclosed areas.
The animals used in a canned hunt are generally hand fed and familiar with people;
therefore, they do not show the natural tendency to flee from humans. These animals
are tame targets. In addition, baiting and confining the animals in fenced areas
guarantees the hunters a kill. Typically, these hunts are for the wealthy because of
the high price tag placed on each “guaranteed” kill/trophy. This type of hunting shows
an extreme lack of respect for life and compassion for the dignity of these animals.
Even pro-hunting organizations, such as the Safari Club International and the
Professional Hunters Association of South Africa, condemn canned hunts. As the
element of "fair chase" in hunting does not apply to canned hunts since the animals
have no chance of escape, the vast majority of hunters view these hunts as unsporting
slaughter, not “sport.”
In addition, these exotic and native animals (lion, tiger, cheetah, jaguar, etc.) are listed
as Endangered and/or Vulnerable by the World Conservation Union and fall under
Appendix I or II on the CITES list. Furthermore, they are generally purchased from
animal dealers, zoos or circuses, who have bred these animals in captivity. This
indiscriminate captive breeding must be controlled to solve the surplus problem as
soon as possible. A moratorium on the captive breeding of all big cats will effectively
end the practice of canned hunting.
Please take a stand against this cruel and unethical industry by supporting the call for
legislation to be created so that no wildlife previously captured, captive-bred or
captive-raised can be hunted in the provinces of South Africa. The public is disgusted
by these activities and wants them outlawed.
Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter.
Yours truly,

Addresses

The ANC (Ruling party in South Africa)
info@anc.org.za

Minister for the Environment - Valli Moosa
frogers@iafrica.com
pbaloyi@ozone.pwv.gov.za
tabane@iafrica.com

Northern Province Nature Conservation officials
brandtf@finptb.norprov.gov.za
mashlangue@finptb.norprov.gov.za
The Secretariat for Biodiversity Convention
secretariat@biodiv.org
The Secretariat for CITES Convention
cites@unep.ch

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