DOOMED TO DIE
Auctioned to hunters
HUNDREDS of thousands of people are campaigning to save a rare white lion from being auctioned off to trophy hunters.
Almost a quarter of a million animal lovers have signed a petition to stop Mufasa from being taken from his wildlife sanctuary in South Africa by conservation officials who could sell him off.
In 2015, the Wild For Life rehab centre in Rustenburg took him in when he was rescued as a cub from his owner who had bought him illegally. But when vets at the hub applied to release the endangered creature – one of 300 left in the world – into a wildlife park in Limpopo they were knocked back by government ministers.
Vet Tjitske Schouwstra owns Wild For Life and was told by chiefs that they wanted to auction Mufasa to raise funds.
And she fears that because Mufasa is infertile, the only value he would have is to be a quarry for hunters.
Secret
In 2015, American dentist Walter Palmer sparked global outrage by paying £40,000 to shoot Cecil the lion in Zimbabwe.
Vets and campaigners have whisked Mufasa away to a secret location.
A spokeswoman for the sanctuary said: “We are very concerned for his safety.
“Obviously the illegal trade in white lions is huge so we have him in a secret location.”
She explained that the ministry had sought a court order to get their hands on the animal and her charity was trying to secure a counter court order.
Hollywood A-listers have joined the fight.
Animal lover Ricky Gervais stormed on Twitter: “Shame on the pathetic sadist who pays the money to shoot this animal and shame on the snivelling coward who accepts the money too.”