South Africa: Promote Humane Tourism, not Canned Lion Hunting

South Africa attracts tourists who want to experience wildlife up close: some who want to observe and take pictures of the animals, and others who want to kill them. Many of these trophy hunters participate in canned hunting, where they are guaranteed a kill because the animal is trapped in a small enclosure with no hope of escape.

The lion is a popular target for these trophy hunters and thousands are captive bred and reared in South Africa for this very purpose. They become accustomed to humans only to be lured in and shot at close range. It is estimated that around 1200 captive lions die this way every year in South Africa.

TAKE ACTION
This past May, South Africa’s Minister of Tourism, Marthinus van Schalkwyk, launched the first National Tourism Sector Strategy. In his strategy, van Schalkwyk calls for a growth in responsible tourism, yet nowhere does he mention canned hunting. The practice of canned hunting is certainly not “responsible” and continuing to allow these operations to exist will ultimately hurt the country’s tourism goals. The South Africa Department of Tourism is welcoming comments on the new strategy until July 30th. Please let them know that their responsible tourism goals should also include humane tourism. The strategy should aim to improve South Africa’s image abroad by stopping unsustainable and cruel practices like canned lion hunting.

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