Wildlife petting in the spotlight after attacks

THREE wildlife attacks last month and this month have prompted conservation groups and SA Tourism to seriously re-evaluate the wildlife petting industry.

“This is a real issue because these sorts of attractions have been around for a long time,” Endangered Wildlife Trust carnivore conservationist David Marneweck said.

“These attacks are bound to happen‚ and are something we have worried about from the get-go.

“These animals should be wild. It seems we only value them if we can touch them or interact with them personally.

“We need to change the phenomena where wild animals have value outside of captivity.”

Two attacks happened within 10 days last month at the Emdoneni Lodge in Zululand, where a 14-yearold boy from New Zealand and an exchange student from Macau‚ China‚ were attacked by a cheetah.

Also‚ an 11-year-old boy from Johannesburg was attacked by a tame lion on a farm where his grandmother lived in Lephahale‚ Limpopo.

According to Beeld newspaper‚ he has been pronounced brain dead.

Newly appointed South African Tourism chief executive Sisa Ntshona has expressed his intention to eliminate wildlife petting and close interaction with wild animals.

Ntshona said he unreservedly supported anti-petting efforts.

Marneweck said while game reserves such as Emdoneni had done good conservation work‚ conservation should be their first priority.

Emdoneni runs a cheetah project that cares for injured and orphaned cheetahs.

Marneweck acknowledged that these reserves could promote animal conservation‚ and still operate as a business.

“It’s important to note that coordinating reintroductions to the wild should be the first priority,” he said.

“These places seldom contact us to coordinate a release. They say these animals are going back into the wild‚ but we know that rarely happens.”

Legislation was passed in 2015 prohibiting groups from removing large carnivores‚ such as cheetahs‚ from the wild in South Africa. – TMG Digital/TimesLIVE.

‘ We only value them if we can touch them or interact with them