Threats to Lions & Lion Conservation

[iNdlovu]

Legality never covers what's right or wrong.
Maybe overeseas tourists should stay away, then .gov gets hit in the pocket and only then might they think of doing something to save our wild life.

[Mel]

Maybe overeseas tourists should stay away, then .gov gets hit in the pocket and only then might they think of doing something to save our wild life.

According to an article from yesterday here: http://www.southafrica.info/travel/tourism-260413.htm
the number of foreign tourists increases rather than us turning our backs on SA...

International tourist arrivals in South Africa grew by 10.2% year-on-year to almost 9.2-million in 2012, more than double the global average of around 4%, President Jacob Zuma announced on Thursday. "In 1993, South Africa received a mere 3.4-million foreign visitors," Zuma told a media briefing in Cape Town. "By 2012, the figure had grown by 300 percent to 13.5-million visitors, of which 9.2-million were tourists."

Europe remained the highest source of overseas tourists to South Africa in 2012, with arrivals growing by 9.5% year-on-year to 1 396 978 tourists, with the UK holding its position as South Africa's biggest overseas tourism market - 438 023 UK tourists travelled to SA in 2012, a 4.2% increase over 2011. The United States was South Africa's second-biggest overseas market, with the numbers up by 13.6% to 326 643 tourists, followed by Germany in third place, up 13% to 266 333 tourists. France, up 16% to 122 244 tourists in 2012, is now South Africa's fifth biggest overseas market.

Biggest growth from BRICS countries
The biggest growth, however, came from Asia and South America, driven by large increases in arrivals from South Africa's BRICS partners Brazil, India and China - since 2009, arrivals from China have more than tripled, arrivals from Brazil have more than doubled, and arrivals from India have almost doubled. China became South Africa's fourth biggest overseas market at 132 334 tourists last year, up 55.9% on 2011 figures, while Indian arrivals grew by 18.2% to 106 774 visitors, and Brazilian arrivals grew by 44.7% to 78 376 visitors.

[Richprins]

since 2009, arrivals from China have more than tripled,

[Errol1]

since 2009, arrivals from China have more than tripled,

RP, you are 100% correct, some East African countries are far worse than our SA stats. A few roads, buildings and bridges are built by these visitors in the East African countries but the question that I always ask when visiting these countries is "What natural resources are being taken out of your country in exchange for these roads, buildings and bridges?"; I have yet to receive an answer to my question.

[Penga Ndlovu]

One thing that is practised by the Chinese in Zimbabwe is that they buy up mining consessions and then give small portions of it to the poachers in exchange for rhinos they poach.
In the meantime they are stripping the country bare.

Like I frequently said.

Locusts.

[Toko]

South Africa as a major destination for tourism might be branded for abuse of wildlife and loose european visitors.

Many european media carried this story a long time ago and have been reporting again lately.

Now it made it to the most serious German weekly news magazine Der Spiegel

The German version is in the print edition, but the english text is now also on the online magazine:

Part 1: The Tragic Plight of Lions in Africa

Part 2: Trophy Hunting

[Richprins]

SA lion population is fine, and shouldn't be linked to habitat loss/poaching on the rest of the continent.?

For now at least!

[Sprocky]

SA farmers involved in smuggling - report
Published: 2013/05/27 11:00:40 AM
Source: SAPA


Johannesburg - South African lion breeders are allegedly part of an illegal network that smuggles lion and cheetah cubs from Botswana to stock local farms, The Times reported on Monday.

The newspaper reported that at least five South African lion farmers were mentioned in an investigation into cases where cubs were smuggled to lion farms in SA to cater for the international trophy-hunting market.

"I don't want to say lion breeders as a whole are involved, but there are definitely five or six people that I know of," conservationist Sarel van der Merwe told the newspaper.

"The guys in the Problem Animal Control Group [a government body that deals with "problem" predators in Botswana] all have cellphones. Instead of reporting problem animals to their superiors, they call farmers in South Africa."

If the problem animal was a lioness, she would be shot and her cubs smuggled out.

According to the report, Hawks spokesperson Paul Ramaloko could not confirm any investigations into cross-border animal smuggling.

The Times reported that canned hunting (trophy-hunting animals in an enclosed area) was banned in SA in 2007.

The SA Predator Association appealed against the ban and won the case in the Supreme Court of Appeal in 2011.

[Lisbeth]

“TimConWild” CONSERVATION BULLETIN
~~~ African Lion Survival 2050 ~~~
I was very surprised to learn that there are approximately 2700 wild lions left in South Africa. I re-checked this several times, feeling sure that it could not be true. But the figure was confirmed by the latest information obtained from the Department of Environmental Affair, which puts the number of wild lions at 2743. It means there are now fewer wild lions than rhinos. It also means that the captive population now outnumbers the wild one by as much as double.- Aletta Gardner (See story below)
Africa’s wild lions are in serious trouble (Dr Craig Packer)

SPECIAL FEATURE - Is Canned lion hunting: a necessary evil?
EyeWitnessNews 03/06/13 - Article by Aletta Gardner

The South African Predator Association says it is currently working with DEA to develop norms and standards for the management of captive bred lions. The public has until 15 June to give input on the proposed new TOPS regulations. Your input is welcomed & you can send your comments to mboshoff@environment.gov.za .
Canned lion hunting: a necessary evil?
http://ewn.co.za/2013/06/03/Canned-lion ... he-species
Footage of a hunter killing a lioness in an enclosure with a crossbow recently caused upset. It’s the first video of a canned hunt to surface for years, and comes as the South African government mulls over changes to regulations to protect vulnerable species. But could this industry be a necessary evil to protect wild populations? Aletta Gardner explores the case for and against canned hunting.

Lion hunts are the stuff of legends. I remember being captivated by a particularly entertaining story about the old days when hunting was still allowed in the Sabi Sand game reserve where I spent childhood holidays. Big game hunters worth their salt would certainly have deemed a lion trophy a necessity on their list of things to accomplish. The Masaii tribe of East Africa have traditionally seen hunting these predators on foot with a spear as a rite of passage. So perhaps we should not be surprised that the demand for the experience and the industry which allows a safe, easy way of getting it is still out there. Still, I was.

Who doesn’t remember the outrage caused by the expose on canned lion hunting back in the late 1990s? You could easily be forgiven for believing that the practice was outlawed at the time.

Therefore footage which surfaced recently came as a shock to many. The video of a local hunter inexpertly trying to get a lioness in the crosshairs of his bow and arrow is a difficult one to watch. The animal is clearly fenced in, and behaves wholly unnaturally – making desperate charges at the vehicle, while the hunter fumbles and curses. Ultimately, the animal is hit, letting out a strange roar, before writhing around in the dust, confused and mortally wounded.

It’s easy to get emotional while watching this video. But doing so does not allow us to engage with the debate about canned hunting and the potential threats or benefits to the future of lions in South Africa. While some call it downright cruel, is controlled hunting of captive bred lions possibly a way of ensuring the future prosperity of wild populations?

THE FACTS

While doing research for a news piece about the renewed calls for a ban on canned hunting which followed the video’s publication, I was very surprised to learn that there are approximately 2700 wild lions left in South Africa.

I re-checked this several times, feeling sure that it could not be true. But the figure was confirmed by the latest information obtained from the Department of Environmental Affair, which puts the number of wild lions at 2743.

It means there are now fewer wild lions than rhinos.

It also means that the captive population now outnumbers the wild one by as much as double.

This left me with many questions: Where is the hype? What are the implications? And why does the Department of Environmental Affairs say it is not concerned?

VANISHING LIONS?

I started becoming more alarmed when I found a report released the previous month, led by renowned lion expert Dr Craig Packer from the University of Minnesota, which claims Africa’s wild lions are in serious trouble.

I put this to the department, who reassured me that 70% of South Africa’s wild lions are in protected areas and are doing well, since studies show their populations are stable.

I contacted Dr Packer, who confirmed that South Africa is the exception in his study:

“Unlike the rest of Africa, South Africa's lions are doing very well. Most populations are close to their carrying capacity, and the recent proliferation of private conservancies has increased the total number of wild lions in South Africa to the highest it has been in the past century,” he told me.

Case closed? Not quite. What I learnt next suggests it’s not the time to rest assured.
‘INSIDIOUS SIDE-EFFECTS’

For those who are against hunting in principle, canned hunting is particularly problematic: An animal which was raised in captivity is put in an enclosure from which it cannot escape, with the hunter safely in a vehicle. There is a case for calling it unfair and cruel.

But for the Campaign Against Canned Hunting this only as one part of the problem. It suggests that the industry poses a real and direct threat to the future of the species.

How? It argues the “insidious” consequences for Southern Africa’s wild lion populations mean that lion breeding and canned hunting cannot be seen as a separate issue from conservation of wild animals.

Chris Mercer, who heads the campaign, has been calling for a complete ban on canned hunting for 13 years.

He argues that not only are many South Africans wrongly under the impression that the practice was outlawed, but the legal battle which ensued with predator breeders left lions even more vulnerable since they were removed from the Threatened or Protected Species (TOPS) list.

The reason? The outrage over canned hunting in the late nineties demanded some sort of action from government. The compromise was a 24-month wilding rule – before you could shoot a captive-bred lion it had to roam in a camp with some buck for up to two years. The debate about whether this makes the hunt fair rages on.

According to the Environmental Affairs Department it did not want to delay the protection for other listed large predators when litigation was brought against the minster over this regulation, so it opted to leave lions off the TOPS list temporarily.

But the department’s Thea Carroll insists there are “several legal provisions in place in terms of the national legislation that (do) address activities associated with canned hunting.”

Mercer claims these are merely cosmetic and leave the necessary loopholes for the practice to continue to harm not only animals, but do collateral damage to conservation efforts.

“We think that the captive breeding of lions poses a reckless threat to the survival of wild species in South Africa, and the reason is that people don’t realise the insidious spin-offs from lion farming,” he said.

Mercer explained, “…the Roland Ward trophy book will not recognize trophies from South Africa, because they know that the animals are captive bred and therefore “not real” in hunting terms, (so) resourceful hunting operators smuggle captive-bred lions from South Africa to neighbouring territories where they are hunted.”

This, Mercer claims, leads to those neighbouring countries losing track of the numbers of their wild lion populations, and new hunting quotas being based on erroneous information.

Another concern is that the industry could inadvertently fuel the lion bone trade by stimulating the demand from Asia and leading to a poaching crisis similar to the one facing rhinos. Mercer said the trade is increasing exponentially.

“We’re tracking it through CITES returns – that’s going to result in wild lions being killed because… the bones are cheaper. Why pay $165 a kilo for bones when you can pay a poacher $10 a kilo for bones?”

The other issue with allowing captive breeding is ensuring healthy genes. Mercer suggests this is sometimes done in underhanded ways.

“Breeders have to keep importing fresh blood in order to combat captivity depression. That means wild lions are being captured (often illegally) and very often being smuggled in over the porous border with Botswana,” Mercer said.

This claim is backed by the African Lion Working Group, who according to a Times Live news report this week fingered South African breeders in capturing wild lions in Botswana to stock their farms.

According to Mercer there is no two ways about it. “…This toxic industry is going to poison the conservation of wild lions.”

The owner of the Drakenstein Lion Park outside Cape Town, Paul Hart, steadfastly believes captive breeding does nothing to aid conservation.

At his facility Hart takes lions rescued from circuses and urban dwellings in South Africa and overseas to live out their lives in peace. They are not allowed to procreate and will never be released into the wild.

Hart believes the large population of captive lions in South Africa “…poses a huge threat to wild populations. Any outbreak of disease or new viral strains in captive populations can effectively wipe out entire wild populations in South Africa.”
THE BREEDERS

The South African Predator Association (Sapa), which represents lion breeders, however flatly denies that its industry does any harm whatsoever to the future of the species.

“The hunting of captive bred lions does not pose any threat to wild lion populations. On the contrary, it contributes in a real way to the conservation of the wild lion populations,” it told me in a statement.

It concedes to a “disastrous decline” of free roaming lions in Africa, but says “the 6000 captive bred lions represent a significant lion population that cannot be dismissed or disregarded in terms of the survival of the species. The captive bred population can serve as a healthy gene pool, which may be used in a number of ways to save the African lion. The captive lion industry has embarked on a project to ensure and improve the genetic integrity of its breeding animals.”

It also argues that allowing controlled hunting alleviates the pressure on free roaming populations, and claims that captive bred lions may be introduced into the wild.

“Many conservationists are sceptical about such a possibility, but we believe that it is possible and we are going out to prove it.”
On the issue of the bone trade, it warns that the consequence of banning it may be far more damaging.

“If the legal trade in lion bone is terminated (as was done with rhino horn fifteen years ago) the African lion will meet the same fate as the rhino. It will be poached to extinction. If the legal trade is kept open, market forces will ensure that the poaching of wild lion will stay within reasonable parameters.”

A NECESSARY EVIL?

Dr. Packer calls canned hunting “a two-edged sword” for lion conservation.

“Most people I know are so horrified by the lion-bone trade that they haven't seriously considered whether the lion farmers might actually be doing wild lions a favor. From an animal-rights perspective, of course, canned hunting and farming lions for their bones is pretty awful. If someone could squash the demand for lion bones in China, I don't think anyone would defend the lion farms. In the meantime, they may be a necessary evil.”

A report studying the possible impacts of the captive-bred lion hunting industry in South Africa and the hunting and conservation of lions elsewhere in Africa was released a year ago. It was a joint project between the University of Pretoria, the big cat conservation organisation Panthera, Sweet Briar College in the USA and the University of Cape Town.

It concluded that there are real conservation issues arising from the industry, which include “the probability that the genetics of captive animals are being manipulated” and it flagged “potential impacts on demand for the bones of wild felids, and potential impacts on the demand for wild lion hunts.”

It called for urgent research into the issue of the trade of lion bones from South Africa to identify the potential risks and issues for lion conservation.

According the Panthera, lions are currently listed as “Vulnerable” on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species; and in West and Central Africa, the species is now classified as “Endangered.”

It claims that the number of wild lions in Africa has dropped from an estimated 200,000 to fewer than 30,000 in the last century.

Its Lion Program Director Dr Guy Balme warns, “Lions have slipped under the conservation radar for too long. If we do not act now, lions will find themselves in the same dire predicament as their Asian counterpart, the tiger.”

Although it’s not concerned about the numbers, the Environmental Affairs Department says it is in the process of investigating the lion bone trade and that a closer look at the “by-products” of hunting industry are prioritised for this year, although it could not say when it would be finalised.

It adds that a biodiversity management plan for lions is also in the process of development.

The South African Predator Association says it is currently working with DEA to develop norms and standards for the management of captive bred lions.

The public has until 15 June to give input on the proposed new TOPS regulations. You can send your comments to mboshoff@environment.gov.za.
Aletta Gardner is a Multimedia Journalist at EWN. You can follow her on Twitter.
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African Lion Information

2nd African Lion Working Group Meeting
10-11 February 2012
Etosha National Park, Namibia
Final Communiqué

The African Lion Working Group (ALWG), http://www.african-lion.org, is dedicated to all aspects of conservation, research, and management of free-ranging lion populations in Africa. The ALWG meeting in Etosha was attended by 30 members and a number of observers (Namibian authorities, media and park staff). The first day consisted largely of presentations on various relevant topics as defined in online forum discussions beforehand. The second day consisted of group discussion,
facilitated by David Macdonald. Minutes were taken by Hanlie Winterbach, Jonathan Scott and Hans Bauer. The ALWG delegates endorsed the following synopsis:

Synergy between groups
The ALWG acknowledges that the lion is an emblematic and charismatic species with its own intrinsic value, but most members view the importance of their actions at a larger scale, i.e. large carnivore guild and/or biodiversity in general. ALWG thus supports an interdisciplinary understanding of conservation and embraces the concepts of umbrella, keystone, flagship and indicator species and encourages the use of the lion to gain leverage with decision makers for biodiversity conservation in Africa.

Financial instruments
The lion conservation community need to find the most effective ways to both make and spend money for lion conservation, finance is a crucial driver (although non-monetary motivations are sometimes at least equally important). Innovative financial instruments can play an important role in conservation (e.g., carbon credits, insurance, corporate contributions). Since lion conservation is expensive, ALWG can act as platform for information exchange in this field.

Land use planning
Considering that habitat encroachment is still a primary threat to lions, attention was given to land use planning as an instrument to mitigate this threat by increasing transparency and by explicitly looking for synergies where possible and making sensible trade-offs between all legitimate forms of land use,
including wildlife, agro-industry, subsistence and mining.
After discussing some element of good practice, the delegates emphasised the importance of increasing lion-related benefits and mitigation/compensation in case of land conversion.

Translocation
Translocation of large carnivores is often based on good intentions, but with little or no idea of the impact on translocated animals or source populations. Simply moving the problem along with the animal to another area is not sufficient argument for translocation. Proactive mitigation strategies may be more effective; concentrate efforts first on changing the perception, understanding and attitude of farmers towards predators and coexistence, and finding innovative solutions to address conflict. The IUCN has policy documents on their website regarding translocation and guidelines for reintroduction, with three revised position statements. The group agreed that ALWG will do a synthesis of available data on translocation attempts of large carnivores together with a systematic review of
the literature and published this information in a scientific journal.

Captive breeding
Captive breeding of lions in South Africa is now a huge industry and this will have regional, continental and global effects – some of them possibly devastating. In the general context of conservation biology, 2 captive lion breeding is not useful as lions can breed in situ perfectly well if threats are mitigated.
While captive breeding can be potentially useful for preserving a species’ genetic diversity, it was felt that the captive breeding that South African breeders are presently undertaking is not conducive to deliver that goal.

Canned lion hunting
Delegates agreed that canned lion hunting has direct and indirect relevance to conservation of wild lions; consensus was that it is unattractive no matter how it is regulated and it should actively be discouraged. Delegates felt it is not out of place for conservationists to take a moral stance against canned lion hunting, since ethics run through everything we do.

CITES uplisting of lions to Appendix 1
The discussion on this point avoided an unfruitful moral pro/con hunting debate but looked at practical implications. The majority of delegates felt that well-regulated hunting could potentially contribute to lion and habitat conservation, but at present such a contribution is thought to be insufficiently substantiated. The IUCN lion conservation strategies have also been insufficiently implemented and, short of a formal evaluation, consensus was that goals are not being met at all. The merits and problems of up-listing were discussed as follows:
1. Uplisting would appear attractive as it aims at reducing international trade, while allowing for well-regulated trophy hunting.
2. However, due to domestic legislation of the USA, an unintended effect of uplisting might be an import ban on trophies to the US, thus potentially reducing demand for lion trophy hunts. The trophy hunting industry claims that this will have an adverse effect on economic viability which may lead to conversion of large tracts of natural land currently used for hunting (and benefitting biodiversity conservation) to agriculture.
3. Uplisting of lions will demand better monitoring of lion populations and non-detrimental finding reports for export permits. However, it would also mean pressure for more funds for range countries for lion population monitoring programmes.
4. A relatively limited number of lions is hunted for trophies, a far larger numbers of lions get killed for other reasons.
5. Range countries might turn to captive breeding because these animals will be on Appendix 2 and in doing so fuel the canned hunting industry. Use of lion body parts and associated local and international trade is not trophy related, but may further stimulate captive breeding and canned hunting.
6. Uplisting, or split-listing of West & Central Africa lions, will not address the main problems faced by lions in that region, such as local trade, poaching and conflict with people.
As ALWG members value the arguments above differently there is no unanimous stand by this group in relation of CITES uplisting of lions, but there is unanimity that these are the main issues on which to focus the discussion.

West and Central African Regional Strategy
The lion conservation strategies are available, but implementation on the ground has lost momentum. In order to offer effective lion conservation the W&C Africa regional strategy needs to move forward, and national action plans put in place, possibly in conjunction with current efforts on African wild dog
and cheetah in the region.

Closing
The group thanked Sarel van der Merwe as a dedicated chairman of ALWG, and Tammy Hoth for her hard work to organise the meeting. Delegates are grateful to the Namibian authorities, and especially management of Etosha National Park, for hosting this event.

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Wikipedia Lion Population and Conservation Status
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lion
Main article: Lion hunting

The Asiatic lion, whose habitat once ranged from the Mediterranean to north-west Indian subcontinent, is today found only in the Gir Forest of Gujarat, India. It is estimated that only 320 Asiatic lions survive in the wild.[141]
Most lions now live in eastern and southern Africa, and their numbers there are rapidly decreasing, with an estimated 30–50% decline over the last two decades.[2] Estimates of the African lion population range between 16,500 and 47,000 living in the wild in 2002–2004,[142][143] down from early 1990s estimates that ranged as high as 100,000 and perhaps 400,000 in 1950.
Primary causes of the decline include disease and human interference.[2] Habitat loss and conflicts with humans are considered the most significant threats to the species.[144][145] The remaining populations are often geographically isolated from one another, which can lead to inbreeding, and consequently, reduced genetic diversity. Therefore the lion is considered a vulnerable species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, while the Asiatic subspecies is endangered.[146] The lion population in the region of West Africa is isolated from lion populations of Central Africa, with little or no exchange of breeding individuals. The number of mature individuals in West Africa is estimated by two separate recent surveys at 850–1,160 (2002/2004). There is disagreement over the size of the largest individual population in West Africa: the estimates range from 100 to 400 lions in Burkina Faso's Arly-Singou ecosystem.[2] Another population in northwestern Africa is found in Waza National Park, where approximately 14-21 animals persist[147]
Conservation of both African and Asian lions has required the setup and maintenance of national parks and game reserves; among the best known are Etosha National Park in Namibia, Serengeti National Park in Tanzania, and Kruger National Park in eastern South Africa. The Ewaso Lions Project protects lions in the Samburu National Reserve, Buffalo Springs National Reserve and Shaba National Reserve of the Ewaso Nyiro ecosystem in Northern Kenya.[148] Outside these areas, the issues arising from lions' interaction with livestock and people usually results in the elimination of the former.[149] In India, the last refuge of the Asiatic lion is the 1,412 km2 (545 sq mi) Gir Forest National Park in western India which had about 180 lions in 1974 and about 400 in 2010.[25] As in Africa, numerous human habitations are close by with the resultant problems between lions, livestock, locals and wildlife officials.[150] The Asiatic Lion Reintroduction Project plans to establish a second independent population of Asiatic lions at the Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.[151] It is important to start a second population to serve as a gene pool for the last surviving Asiatic lions and to help develop and maintain genetic diversity enabling the species to survive.
The former popularity of the Barbary lion as a zoo animal has meant that scattered lions in captivity are likely to be descended from Barbary lion stock. This includes twelve lions at Port Lympne Wild Animal Park in Kent, England that are descended from animals owned by the King of Morocco.[152] Another eleven animals believed to be Barbary lions were found in Addis Ababa zoo, descendants of animals owned by Emperor Haile Selassie. WildLink International, in collaboration with Oxford University, launched their ambitious International Barbary Lion Project with the aim of identifying and breeding Barbary lions in captivity for eventual reintroduction into a national park in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco.[153]
Following the discovery of the decline of lion population in Africa, several coordinated efforts involving lion conservation have been organised in an attempt to stem this decline. Lions are one species included in the Species Survival Plan, a coordinated attempt by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums to increase its chances of survival. The plan was originally started in 1982 for the Asiatic lion, but was suspended when it was found that most Asiatic lions in North American zoos were not genetically pure, having been hybridised with African lions. The African lion plan started in 1993, focusing especially on the South African subspecies, although there are difficulties in assessing the genetic diversity of captive lions, since most individuals are of unknown origin, making maintenance of genetic diversity a problem.[16]
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[Richprins]

The report contains some contradictions, for example as to the number of wild lions in SA, and the people taking lion into Botswana but catching lion in Botswana and bringing them back to SA?

Anyway, the first and last comprehensive lion census in Kruger was done years ago, by Dr Gus Mills, and surprisingly found 1500+ lions to exist between the Olifants and Sabie rivers alone! I see no reason for this to have changed, as lion are not poached (although the extended wet cycle may have had an effect)? One can add the rest of Kruger and the private reserves in the Lowveld and other Parks and Game farms, so the number should be very high!

The canned lion bunch are not to be found around every corner, as it is very expensive to come here and hunt lion, in whatever form, so there is a finite market.

Regarding the genetic influence, I also don't understand, as those bred do not return to the wild, obviously!

The parrallels drawn with legal rhino horn trading can be discarded, imo, for the moment, as there is a vast discrepancy regarding numbers and time elapsed and size of market and corruption and Mozambique and poaching etc...also lion breed like rats in the right circumstances...but that is for the moment....