Threats to Lions & Lion Conservation

[Lisbeth]

From Hansard:

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
(For written reply)
QUESTION NO. 259
INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO. 2 NW280E
DATE OF PUBLICATION: 18 February 2011
Mr M J Ellis (DA) to ask the Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs:
(1) What quantity of Panthera leo was exported in the years (a) 2009 and (b) 2010 under provisions of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites) in the categories (i) live, (ii) skins, (iii) bones, (iv) trophies, (v) specimens, (vi) bodies and (vii) skulls;
(2) what quantity of Panthera pardus was exported in the years (a) 2009 and (b) 2010 under provisions of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites) in the categories (i) live, (ii) skins, (iii) bones, (iv) trophies, (v) specimens, (vi) bodies and (vii) skulls;

259. THE MINISTER OF WATER AND ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS ANSWERS:
Exports from RSA
(1)
Lion - Panthera Leo
Category - 2009
Live 121
Skins 131
Bones 156
Trophies 741
Specimens 70
Bodies 4
Skulls 122

Category - 2010
Live 153
Skins 46
Bones 1623
Trophies 592
Specimens 0
Bodies 43
Skulls 41

*CITES reports for 2010 will only be submitted on 31 October 2011, therefore provinces have not captured information on all permits issued during 2010.

(2)
Leopards – Panthera Pardus
Category - 2009
Live 62
Skins 71
Bones 2
Trophies 58
Specimens 209 (hair samples)
Bodies 1
Skulls 90

Category - 2010
Live 1
Skins 6
Bones 1
Trophies 10
Specimens 0
Bodies 0
Skulls 5

*CITES reports for 2010 will only be submitted on 31 October 2011, therefore provinces have not captured information on all permits issued during 2010.

[Richprins]

Some interesting news!

(Lowvelder)


KNP lioness hunted for research
Hazyview Herald reports on a "lion hunt" in the Kruger National Park with the Ajubatus Foundation.

28 October 2011 | Mariana Balt


Being invited to attend a "lion hunt" in the Kruger National Park (KNP) seems like a total anomaly, except if you are familiar with the work of the Ajubatus Foundation.

Ajubatus, founded by Mr John Dyer, is involved in several supportive projects for the conservation of wildlife. The demographic study of lion populations in the KNP, one of the most extensive lion research studies undertaken to date, is one of them. This project is the result of increasing concern over the prevalence of bovine tuberculosis (BTb) in lion populations in the reserve.

This "hunt" was executed by foundation workers, in cooperation with Dr Marcus Hofmeyer and his veterinary wildlife team of the KNP, who were responsible for darting and fitting a lioness with a tracking collar in the Nwaswitshaka area. And not just any collar, but one exclusively developed by

Mr Werner Myburgh and his team at Ajubatus Technologies in Nelspruit.

It has several advantages over the others used to date, in that it has a much longer battery life, makes use of modern satellite technology and is developed at a much lower cost. Dyer himself was present during this effort to share in the culmination of another successful project driven by the foundation.

With everything ready for the operation, and the targeted pride spotted near a road, the convoy of vehicles set out last Tuesday at dusk. With an impala carcass as prey, and the broadcast of a buffalo-calf distress call, the pride was lured until the targeted lioness was near enough to be darted and immobilised.

She was transported some distance away from the rest of the pride, which indulged in their free meal from a safer spot (safer that is, for the humans who were about to embark on the scientific research procedures) and the team set to work - taking blood samples and body measurements, examining her for any abnormalities, and branding a distinctive mark on her rump.

With all tests done, it was time to fit the new collar, which alas, was a bit too big to fit snugly around her neck, so adjustments had to be made. Soon the antidote was administered and the team anxiously waited until she awoke. She scanned the vicinity for a while and then drowsily set of into the bush.

The demographic study of lion populations aims to investigate the factors influencing carnivore dynamics that could lead to localised extinction. Lion predation on buffalo has spread the disease into prides, predominantly in the south of the park and to date, 10 prides have been darted and radio- tracking collars fitted to representative females in each pride.

Next, it will involve a monitoring period and finally the project will focus on a survey or focal sampling, to re-estimate the populations and structure within the defined study zones.

This study will allow scientists to evaluate how lion dynamics have changed across varying areas of BTb prevalence and to introduce the appropriate management plans. Eventually, it should lead to recommendations to guide decision-making through the development of a demographically based threshold of potential concern, to ensure lion persistence within sustainable develop-ment and management of the park.

The Ajubatus concept of providing specialist research into endangered species was first mooted in the mid 1990's with initial emphasis being placed on the cheetah, Acinonyx jubatus, from which the name Ajubatus was derived.

In 2006, the foundation also identified a need for research on the African penguin and a far-reaching approach ensured that funding was provided for the takeover of the Sea Point Lighthouse in Cape St Francis and the development of a marine-bird hospital and rehabilitation facility.

[serval]

Remember the thread on the yellow forum "Sabie Game Reserve" that seems to have disappeared ?

http://safaritalk.net/topic/7682-caveat ... th-africa/

In preparing an overall lion trophy hunting report for Africa as a whole, I was again reminded of some very strange happenings in South Africa. It has to do with the numbers of “wild” lion trophies exported over the past ten years, and the paltry few lions available to make up such exports. Let me explain.

South Africa, according to various reports, has anywhere between 2130 and 3852 wild lions. In case you should be worried, all these lion populations are behind fences. There have been a number of “private reserves” established, one of them next to the Sun City entertainment resort, where lions have been introduced from Namibia to add entertainment to game drives. Then there are a few National Parks with lions - notably Kruger that boasts over 2000 lions within the very large reserve. And then of course there are “game ranches” that offer lion hunting, but these are all derived from a captive population of well over 4000 lions specifically bred for trophy hunting. CITES (the Convention on Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora – a watchdog organization that is supposed to strictly regulate trade in endangered and vulnerable species and that is about as effective as an umbrella in a hurricane) therefore has two categories of lions exported as trophies from South Africa: “ranched/captive bred” and “wild”.

Now if you should happen to peruse the CITES trade website (perhaps when there is nothing good on TV) you will see that South Africa exported a total of 2651 “wild” lion trophies between 2000 and 2009 when reliable records end. This is a puzzlement. You see, South Africa just does not have that many wild lions in hunting concessions. Sure, some of the concessions directly bordering on Kruger Park allow trophy hunting (good deal, they took down the original border fence between Kruger and the concession, so wildlife flows in and out – one minute in a hunting area, next in a protected area). Also, some of the private reserves allow trophy hunting of their excess lions (not advertised to the tourists). But that, really, is about it.

There is not much of a price difference between hunting a canned lion versus a “wild” lion, but “real” hunters turn up their noses at any lion that has a sniff of captive breeding – they want what they are promised – a wild one, and not a “wild” one within the past 2 or 3 days. South Africa has fast and loose designations – according to their regulations, any captive bred lion turned loose in a field with a few antelopes is “deemed” to be wild. So last week it was a captive animal and a few days later it is wild. Quite convenient.

But let’s give the hunters the benefit of the doubt. Are there any “wild” lions to be hunted in South Africa? In any truly wild population, about 15% of the lions are adult males, about 35% adult females, and the rest subadults and cubs. So if you take the wildly optimistic figure of 3852 wild lions in South Africa, that means only 578 are adult males. Then say that optimistically that 5% of those males occur in hunting concessions (contiguous with National Parks) - so 29 males provide an average trophy offtake over the past ten years of 265 “wild” trophies per annum. I should point out that South Africa also exported 3024 “captive/ranched” lion trophies over the past ten years to 2009.

You are by now beginning to get my point. A famous parallel could be made with Burundi, a densely populated country that perhaps had a handful of elephants (some say one). From 1973 to 1982, 300 tonnes of ivory were exported from Burundi to Belgium (before the 1990 ivory ban). Later, Burundi was allowed to export another 89.5 tonnes of stockpiled ivory by CITES. Quite amazing how so few can provide so much.

So where do all those “wild” lions exported from South Africa come from? There are three explanations. The first is that those lions are regularly placed in South Africa by aliens from a distant planet. We can sort of dismiss that possibility with apologies to those who firmly believe aliens walk among us. The second is that the lions are hunted illegally in neighbouring countries like Zimbabwe and Mozambique and declared in South Africa as resident lions. That has some degree of possibility. For example, there is evidence that in 2007 19 lions were shot but official CITES export numbers from Mozambique show only 15 exported from that country. In 2008, trophy fees were paid for 22 lions, but only 18 exported from Mozambique. The third, and most likely, is that captive bred lions are sold to clueless clients as “wild” lions. It’s quite easy really – bring a client to a hunting “concession”, let him slog around for many days, secretly buy a lion from a breeder, set it out in the area, and then lead the client to it. Presto chango and the rabbit comes out of the hat. Virtually every single lion hunted in South Africa was bred in captivity. Going home and boasting you went on a “dangerous game” lion hunt in South Africa and registering your “wild” trophy for the SCI record books is a fallacy and a delusion.

It is a wonderment that CITES and other relevant authorities have not picked up on this discrepancy. I will surely lose sleep over all those poor clients (71% of South African “wild” lion trophies end up in the USA, a country seemingly stuffed with gullible hunters). South African operators and professional hunters have played you well. Caveat emptor for all you credulous clients who will doubtless flock to the next SCI convention in 2012 and sign up for some more “wild” lion hunts in South Africa. Those of you with “wild” trophies, perhaps consider a lawsuit for having been sold falsely advertised goods, and SCI – take all those “wild” lions hunted in South Africa off your record books, recall your awards and rings and whatever other “honours” you bestow. You have all been duped.

[Toko]

Mail & Guardian: SA breeders embrace growing Asian demand for lion bones

Apart from the ethical concerns : Does breeding lions affect wild lion populations

[Lisbeth]

There are no more tigers left, so now they start on the lion

Leaving out the ethics, morals and sentiments.............why do they have to hunt them? They just kill them!! No!! they want to earn double, so they organise a lion "hunt" and then they sell the bones. This is disgusting

[Lisbeth]

Sorry Toko, my post certainly does not answer the question, but if lion bones reach a certain quotation value, lion poaching will certainly increase!!

[Poplap]

[Penga Ndlovu]

This is an extract out of the M&G article that I posted this morning - I keep going back to it to read it again because I keep thinking to myself - "surely he never said that!"
-------------------------

But Professor Pieter Potgieter, chairperson of the South African Predator Breeders’ Association, defended the industry saying there is little difference between breeding lions and any other mammal. "Chickens are killed by humans. How are lions different from them?" he asked.

"In principle a lion is not more or less than a crocodile, an ostrich or a butterfly. It's a form of life. Breeding animals for human exploitation is a natural human process," he said.

Potgieter said that breeding and hunting lions was only deplorable in the eyes of the public because a "sympathetic myth has been created about the lion as the king of the animals".

He justified the practice, saying the export of lion bones is a legal trade authorised by the department of environmental affairs and denied that South Africa's approach to captive breeding and canned lion hunting was feeding into the Asian demand for lion bones. "I don't think that market is being created by the South African situation. That would happen anyhow and the more the Asian tiger gets extinct, the more people will try to get hold of lion bones as a substitute," he said.

[Sprocky]

That would happen anyhow and the more the Asian tiger gets extinct, the more people will try to get hold of lion bones as a substitute," he said.

You don't get "more or less extinct"!

The technology is available, why don't the eastern countries that have a demand for Lion and Tiger bones clone and produce their own Lion and Tiger without resorting to driving other countries animals to extiction???

[Flutterby]

the more the Asian tiger gets extinct, the more people will try to get hold of lion bones as a substitute," he said.

And that's when the poaching will start...exactly the same situation as the rhino!!!!