Why Would South Africa’s Highest Court Condemn the Lion?

Monday, was a dark day for lions in South Africa, as our Supreme Court upheld an appeal that effectively puts captive lions back in the cross-hairs of a rifle and in danger of a slow and agonizing death in canned hunts.

Monday, was a dark day for lions in South Africa, as our Supreme Court upheld an appeal that effectively puts captive lions back in the cross-hairs of a rifle and in danger of a slow and agonizing death in canned hunts.

Canned hunting is the cruel practice of containing animals (mostly lion) to fenced in areas, with animals often drugged or sedated and conditioned to trust humans. Canned hunt operations virtually guarantee that even unskilled hunters can return home with a trophy from their “sport.” Animals may suffer a long, drawn out death as a hunter takes multiple shots before bringing the animal down, and eventually killing it. Even many hunting groups object to the practice of canned hunting as it takes away any element of skill or “fair chase.”

Monday’s ruling upheld an appeal by a captive breeding organization to overturn a previous ruling that prevented captive bred lions from being hunted before they had spent 24-months in the wild. The appeal also challenged the inclusion of lions as a listed large predator in the Threatened or Protected Species Regulations . This means that captive breeding operations can continue providing lions as easy prey for canned hunts.

This ruling further entrenches South Africa’s image of a country that puts animal welfare last while profiteering from an abhorrent form of hunting practice.

In an opinion poll on the News24 website , asking the public to vote on the ruling, 56 per cent of all voters said it would be bad for wildlife while only nine per cent said it would be good for hunting.

The ruling is a dark day for lions but hopefully the court of public opinion will now come to bear on the canned hunting industry, shaming it for what it is – an immoral and indefensible business without a shred of credibility.

--JBL