250 Starving Lions Found In Raid On Trophy Hunting Farm
Ingogo Safaris is a notorious wildlife hunting company. In addition to hunting, the company breeds captive animals with the goal of enabling rich hunters to hunt, with a focus on killing lions. It is difficult for many people to understand that such an industry exists, but it is in reality. The farm is located in the southern African province of Limpopo and has 250 captive lions. However, since they were focused on earning money on lions, their concern for lions was low, so they were extremely malnourished.
Owned by farm owner Walter Slippers, lions are housed indoors, making them easy targets for cordial tourists.
Concerned people from the neighborhood took some photos from the farm and sent them to Drew Abrahamson, CEO of the Capture Africa Foundation. Abrahamson had received similar photographs before, but they were not as awful as the new ones. He points out that such a thing cannot be expected of humans to leave captive lions and not take care of them at all, so their bones can be seen under the skin.
Hungry Lions left unattended
The owner used the excuse that the pictures that were submitted were allegedly old, which was not true as the South African National Council of the SPCA (NSPCA) confirmed the same. According to NSPCA Wildlife Unit Manager Isabel Wentzel, the farm had lions just as they were shot and sent to Abrahamson.
Mr. Slippers further justified himself in failing to find helpers who would take care of the lions when he was hospitalized. He adds:
“While I was in the hospital, the community helped me. I have no brothers or fathers who could help me while I was in the hospital.”
Investigation of starving lions
In the investigation, as Wentzel points out, they cooperated with the local SPCA in Louis Trichardt, Makhado, who visited the farm. The local SPCA visited all the facilities and based on what they saw issued an official warning.
According to Wentzel, the appearance of lions indicates that they are not getting the right amount of food.
The NSPCA advised the Slippers
– To ensure the introduction of feeding regimes, including each individual lion
– To provide veterinarian records for each lion and expect further inspections.
If the owner does not adhere to these tips and finds himself in a similar situation, Wentzel points out that he may be sentenced to criminal charges for animal cruelty, but they believe it will not happen.
The South African Professional Hunters Association (PHASA) protects starving lions
Stories like these and documentaries like Bloody Lion contribute to the fact that such lion troubles are taken into account and thankfully the canned hunting industry is now facing greater attention.
PHASA voted and with the majority of votes, they did not want to participate in the hunting of captive lions. Currently, members are now forbidden from participating in the cafe’s lion hunt.
Forbidden Lion Trophies
The importation of trophy lions by the United States is forbidden unless it can be proven that the killing was for conservation purposes, which is another victory for protecting animal rights. Since about 70% of hunters visit U.S. farms, this is a big blow for them and the hunting industry.
Protection against starving lions
The Humane Society International and their representative, Masha Kalinina, point out that there are 200 known lion breeders in South Africa who own between 6,000 and 8,000 captive lions in such facilities. Masha emphasizes that these lions are purely bred for finance.
If the number of wild African lions in the world is known to be less than 20,000, according to Abrahamson,
“It’s time to pay attention to both breeders and hunters individually so they can’t hide behind the industry as a whole.”
He further adds that it is time to face reality regarding their exploitation.
Sources