Lions in South Africa

Trophy hunting is a horrific and cruel practice that has egregious animal welfare and conservation impacts.

Help save South Africa's wildlife.

Trophy hunting is a form of sport hunting in which wild animals such as lions and elephants are valued as trophies. Parts of the hunted animal are kept and displayed by the hunter to honour the animal and remember the experience of the hunt. The animal being targeted, known as the "game", is in most instances a mature male specimen from a popular species of collectable interests, usually of large sizes, holding impressive horns/antlers or magnificent furs/manes.

Trophy hunting and captive lion breeding treat wild animals as mere resources to be exploited for profit and entertainment, not respecting them as the sentient beings they are.

Trophy Hunting Statistics

• The key findings from our trophy hunting research* revealed:
  84% of international tourists agree that the South African government should prioritise wildlife-friendly tourism over trophy hunting
• 74% of international tourists agreed that making trophy hunting a key pillar of policy will damage South Africa’s reputation, and 72% would be put off from visiting the country altogether
• 7 in 10 South African citizens agree their country would be a more attractive tourist destination if they banned trophy hunting
• Three quarters (74%) of South African citizens agree that trophy hunting is unacceptable when wildlife-friendly tourism alternatives have not been fully utilised.
   

Conservation and Sustainable Use of South Africa’s Biodiversity

The draft white paper from the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment seeks to - create a prosperous nation living in harmony with nature where biodiversity is conserved for present and future generations – this is a great start. 

Still, it falls short of clarity or tangible commitments to end the global commercial wildlife trade, including:

• trophy hunting
• captive lion breeding
• and big cats for traditional medicine.