Keep our lions Wild ‘n Free

WITH World Lion Day marked for today, the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) has called on all South Africans to be a voice for the voiceless and join the fight against keeping carnivores in captivity for petting, walking with, photo-tourism, captive hunting and the trade in their body parts.

EWT has launched a new project, Wild ‘n Free, which aims to keep carnivores in the wild by promoting the value and role of wild carnivores in natural free-living conditions.

EWT said that in recent years, South Africa had seen a rapid increase in so-called predator or wildlife parks, which were most often part of the industrial scale production of carnivores for commercial purposes. This was particularly so for Lions and Cheetahs.

Local artists WONDERboom, who were recently announced as the opening act for Guns N’ Roses’ South African tour, have thrown their support behind the campaign, and are calling on others to do the same.

EWT said a Wild ‘n Free environment was one in which large carnivores were not reliant on humans for their daily needs, were free to use open space and hunt prey naturally, and could carry out natural social behaviours like mating, holding territories and interacting with competitors. This ensured that they were functional components of a natural system.

The project was focusing on three key themes: Wild ‘n Free Space, Wild ‘n Free Animals, and Wild ‘n Free Legislation.

Senior trade officer and lead on the project Dr Kelly Marnewick said the initiative would be a success when carnivores were valued by society in a wild and free environment, with no commercial demand for captive animals or their body parts.

“Wild carnivores play an integral role in nature, where they contribute to conservation and are not vulnerable to exploitation. They do not belong behind bars,” Marnewick said.