Canadian zoo accreditation body bans elephant rides. Advocate says change is overdue
Decision follows cbc investigation into 2019 elephant attack at african lion safari.
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The Canadian organization that sets standards for zoos has banned elephant rides at member facilities, a decision an animal welfare group says is overdue and ends a "dangerous" practice that put visitors and staff at risk.
Jim Facette, CEO of Canada's Accredited Zoos and Aquariums (CAZA), confirmed it has made the "significant change."
"Today and going forward, elephant rides are not permitted at CAZA-accredited facilities," he said on Monday.
The move follows a CBC investigation that revealed what happened when an elephant named Maggie, which had been used for rides at African Lion Safari for years, attacked a trainer in 2019, leaving the man seriously injured.
It also found CAZA continued to allow the rides a decade after its American counterpart, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), halted the practice because of safety concerns for staff who work with elephants.
- CBC Investigates African Lion Safari ended elephant rides after 2019 attack. So why are they still allowed in Canada?
- Trainer seriously injured after elephant attack at Ontario's African Lion Safari
CAZA's decision is welcome news, said Melissa Matlow, Canadian campaign director for World Animal Protection, which had pushed for elephant rides to be prohibited.
"It's a very strong statement if the national zoo accreditation body opposes elephant rides."
But, Matlow added, the move was also a "long time coming" and it should not have taken "a person getting seriously harmed" for change to happen.
"We see [rides] as cruel," she said. "It's dangerous and it's not educational. It serves no benefit."
Activists and zoo accreditation bodies said they believe African Lion Safari was the only site in Canada offering elephant rides when the attack happened there in 2019. The zoo and theme park in Flamborough, Ont., permanently stopped the rides that same year.
Report describes elephant attacking trainer
CBC obtained a copy of an Ontario Ministry of Labour report about the incident through a freedom of information request.
It described how Maggie, an Asian elephant that was ridden by visitors to the park for 25 years, turned on one of her handlers on June 21, 2019.
![african lion safari animal abuse african lion safari animal abuse](https://i.cbc.ca/1.6105205.1626788430!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/original_780/african-lion-safari-attack.jpg)
According to the investigation, one rider was reportedly still dismounting from Maggie when she became aggressive.
The report found the elephant lunged when the handler's back was turned, blocking him into a corner and beating him with her trunk.
"Maggie reportedly also used her head, butting him in the chest and pushing his head into her mouth," it reads.
Air ambulance service Ornge told CBC in 2019 it transported a man in his 30s to Hamilton General Hospital with serious injuries following the attack.
African Lion Safari described the employee's injuries as non-life-threatening in a Facebook post shared that same day,
In a statement sent Monday in response to questions about CAZA's change in standards, African Lion Safari said it was a founding member of CAZA and, as such, "fully support and remain in full compliance of the standards that govern our park."
'Disappointing' change took so long
But Matlow said those standards are the problem, adding it's "disappointing" it took CAZA, which has accredited 28 facilities across Canada, so long to change them.
The AZA hasn't allowed elephant rides at any of its 241-accredited facilities since 2011.
Instead, its policies call for protected contact, meaning a barrier must exist between guests and elephants at all times. Even trained handlers can only be in the same space as an elephant in specific circumstances.
"It was dangerous," AZA president Dan Ashe told CBC. "We had significant record of injury, and in some cases death, associated with elephants."
Facette said CAZA is still evaluating the rest of its standards around interactions between people and elephants, especially when it comes to "entertainment." Animal welfare is the first priority, as is the safety of people working with them, he said.
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The CEO said he could not explain why the change in standards happened now, stressing he's focused on what its policies will look like going forward.
He added CBC's questions as part of its investigation provided "an opportunity" to listen to concerns.
Asked why it took so long for CAZA to align its policies with that of its U.S. counterpart, he said "Canadian standards are for Canadian facilities."
Facette also said he couldn't comment on whether or not CAZA's standards had failed the worker at African Lion Safari who was seriously hurt because he had not read the Ontario Ministry of Labour's report about the attack, which has been available since last year.
The park and ministry have dealt with the incident, he explained when questioned about why he hadn't seen it.
"Move on," Facette said. "There's no sense in CAZA getting involved in specific, small incidents that the provincial regulator is comfortable with."
![african lion safari animal abuse african lion safari animal abuse](https://i.cbc.ca/1.6105016.1626393004!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/original_780/maggie-elephant-attack.jpg)
The CEO said he rejects the premise that if CAZA's standard did not allow for elephant rides, the handler would not have been injured because the situation where the attack happened could not have existed.
"We don't know that," said Facette, adding another accident could have happened somewhere else. "It's supposition to suggest that if this didn't happen, then that wouldn't happen."
Ending rides 'eliminates' the risk
But Matlow said the dangers of rides and other interactions with elephants have long been clear.
"Obviously allowing visitors to get in an enclosure with a potentially dangerous and stressed wild animal to ride them presents serious safety risks, so removing this activity eliminates this risk," she explained.
"This risk should have been addressed a long time ago."
CBC's investigation also found the attack involving Maggie wasn't the first time an elephant at African Lion Safari had injured a person.
![african lion safari animal abuse African Lion Safari confirmed it permanently stopped offering elephant rides in 2019.](https://i.cbc.ca/1.6284487.1713790467!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/original_780/african-lion-safari.jpg)
Tusko, an 18-year-old bull elephant with a history of aggression toward other animals, crushed a handler named Omer Norton to death November 1989.
A third incident is mentioned in a newspaper report from June 1992.
It describes a 14-year-old suffering a broken leg after being stepped on by an elephant as the animals were being led away following an afternoon show.
Zoo industry is 'policing itself'
That type of parade or show where elephants perform tricks is something Matlow said her organization is calling on CAZA to end as well.
Facette said he anticipates more changes could be coming as the accreditation body weighs entertainment and educational value, though he expects they won't be brought before the board until the new year.
"I think the circus act days are gone," he said.
Matlow said part of the problem with ensuring staff safety and animal welfare in Canada is the patchwork of provincial rules that govern it, and she believes national laws are needed.
"It really is the zoo industry policing itself," she explained. "These are voluntary standards; there's no independent oversight."
- Jane Goodall backs Sen. Murray Sinclair's bill to ban ape, elephant captivity in Canada
World-renowned primatologist Jane Goodall lent her name to a piece of proposed legislation, dubbed the Jane Goodall Act, that sought to ban keeping great apes and elephants in this country, and would have barred elephant rides.
She previously told CBC that elephant rides were "very insulting" and "demeaning" to such an intelligent animal. But the act died on the order paper at the last election.
CAZA's new standards are currently being translated and aren't available yet.
Matlow said she's waiting to see them in writing before she gets too excited, adding she hopes they'll be just a "first step."
with files from John Paul Tasker
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30 lions euthanized as abuse on South African farm shocks animal rights group "to the bone"
By Debora Patta
Updated on: October 5, 2021 / 11:30 AM EDT / CBS News
![african lion safari animal abuse bloemfontein-lions.jpg](https://assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com/hub/i/r/2021/10/05/91b97915-0a64-4223-b507-2a3f7d607615/thumbnail/620x434g3/8b206186578ca913d04b8d7030a88e81/bloemfontein-lions.jpg?v=fd6e213336f58b575c9e836e95546d26#)
Johannesburg — Thirty captive-bred lions have been euthanized after they were found starving and untreated for serious injuries sustained when a wildfire swept through their compound in South Africa. One animal welfare charity called it "one of the worst cases of animal abuse" they'd ever seen.
Inspectors working for a South African branch of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) say the horrific abuse of 59 lions was discovered on a farm just outside Bloemfontein, the provincial capital of the Free State province in the heart of the country.
"The owner knew the lions got injured by the fires. For 5 days they didn't administer any medical treatment. We had no option, but to obtain a warrant to enter the property," the group said in a post on Facebook. "What we found shocked us to the bone."
The lions had been unable to escape the flames.
* 30 CAPTIVE LIONS EUTHANISED * Fire is one of the worst threats to any farm and worse when it is a captive-bred lion... Posted by Bloemfontein SPCA on Saturday, October 2, 2021
"They all laid in one spot with their paws turned upwards," reads the post, which included images of the wounded animals. "Their fragile bodies were burnt and their faces carried the devastating scars of the flames just days ago."
Some of the lions were so weak they couldn't stand up, and they were so famished that three of them turned on one of their own, killing and eating it.
Officers got a court order to search the property after reports of suspected abuse at the farm. Vets from the SPCA have been treating the injured animals for days now, but 30 of them were beyond help and had to be put down.
"The owner wasn't bothered to be present during any time of the inspection of the injuries nor during the euthanasia," the SPCA said on Facebook. "He was laughing when he was issued a warning and we didn't see him again. We issued multiple warnings for lack of water and shelter as we conduct daily inspections at the farm. The owner refuses to comply with any one of our warnings. He refuses to spend any money on these lions."
The property owner has been charged with animal abuse for failing to provide the lions with medical attention.
Inspectors continue to visit the farm regularly and they're making sure the animals get food and water and tending to their wounds. Senior SPCA Inspector Reniet Meyer told CBS News that the organization would continue to monitor the lions until the court hearing, and take further legal action if the abuse continues.
This latest incident has once again raised the issue of the legality of captive lion breeding in South Africa. At least 12,000 lions are kept in captivity in the country, four times more than its wild population. Every stage of a captive lion's life can be used, legally, to make money.
Cubs are separated from their mothers and kept in petting zoos for tourists. Adult lions are used for breeding and canned hunting tours — where they're released into enclosed areas so hunters are guaranteed a kill. And when the lions die, their bones are sold through a quota system for use primarily in Asian medicines and ornaments.
It's believed that the owner of the farm in Bloemfontein may have neglected to get the lions medical attention after the fire so that they would die "naturally," and he could then sell their bones for a profit, which wouldn't have been legal in a case of neglect.
"I have never been this angry in my 30 years at the Bloemfontein SPCA," Meyer wrote in the Facebook post. "The lion has huge status and as a country, we are supposed to be proud of our indigenous animals, but we have failed them. We cultivated an industry, legal or illegal, that misuses our animals for entertainment like hunting, bone trade, poaching, circus tricks, cub petting or keeping them in zoos or as pets. This must stop."
Born in captivity, unable to escape a devastating fire and now battling to overcome serious injuries — even the lions who survive this tragedy have never known freedom, and they likely never will.
CBS News' Nicky Parkin and Sarah Carter contributed to this report.
![african lion safari animal abuse headshot-600-debora-patta.jpg](https://assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com/hub/i/r/2024/05/17/bdcd7128-847c-4dd0-b018-aca2baf8af74/thumbnail/80x80/f37393868f7d252749cae08caacf6603/headshot-600-debora-patta.jpg?v=fd6e213336f58b575c9e836e95546d26#)
Debora Patta is a CBS News foreign correspondent based in Johannesburg. Since joining CBS News in 2013, she has reported on major stories across Africa, the Middle East and Europe. Edward R. Murrow and Scripps Howard awards are among the many accolades Patta has received for her work.
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Ontario's African Lion Safari named worst place for elephants in North America
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Miriam Katawazi CTVNewsToronto.ca Journalist
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Elephants at the African Lion Safari can be seen in this photo. (African Lion Safari website)
TORONTO -- An Ontario zoo is being called the worst place for elephants in North America due to practices that are allegedly killing and harming the animals, a new report by an international animal rights organization has found.
In Defense of Animals recently released its list of the 10 most harmful zoos for elephants in 2020, and number one on that list is Hamilton’s African Lion Safari.
The organization said the popular zoo breeds elephants for sale, causes transfer abuse trauma through repeated shipments, uses bullhooks to dominate the elephants and forces them to “perform unnatural circus tricks.”
Will Anderson, the campaign coordinator with In Defense of Animals, said that many of the younger elephants are being separated from their mothers and enduring severe stress and lifelong trauma.
“Elephant health depends on strong relationships with other elephants, but zoos are knowingly tearing apart those bonds by engaging in trafficking and transfer abuse,” Anderson said in a statement.
“Transfer abuse is just one of the traumas inflicted on captive elephants in North America, as these intelligent and socially complex animals are denied control over their lives.”
The African Lion Safari boasts of being home to the largest Asian elephant herd in “any zoological facility in North America” with 16 members.
CTV News Toronto reached out to the African Lion Safari for a statement on Thursday morning, but has not yet received a response.
The zoo says on its website that it’s participating in a number of “important research programmes on the Asian elephant focusing on reproduction and endocrinology."
“It is hoped that through this research we can better understand the biology and physiology of the Asian elephant,” it said.
“African Lion Safari’s goal is to continue its successful breeding programme for the endangered Asian elephant to conserve these magnificent animals for future generations.”
In Defense of Animals said in a statement that the African Lion Safari breeds and then sells captive elephants to zoos across North America and has a pending sale of two elephants for $1 million dollars each.
The animal rights group is asking people not to visit the African Lion Safari and the other zoos named on their list, which include the Fort Worth Zoo in Texas, the Pittsburgh Zoo in Pennsylvania and Seneca Park Zoo in New York.
The organization said the elephants in some of these zoos, including the African Lion Safari, are also being kept in barns over long, dark and cold winters.
“It is the epitome of an elephant exploitation business. This safari theme park intends to sell two mother elephants to Fort Worth Zoo thereby separating them from their two young calves,” the organization said.
“The ‘safari’ is an international hub selling adult elephants to other zoos, which receives and sends back elephants from distant zoos for years at a time at the expense of their families.”
They are now calling on the zoos to phase out their elephant exhibits and send the captive animals to accredited sanctuaries to receive the care and support they need.
“African Lion Safari is a cruel, dangerous, and profit-driven business supported by zoos,” the organization said. “Their last trip must be to an accredited sanctuary for life.”
Elephants are one of the largest of all land animals and can weigh up to 4,500 kilograms. They have the second longest life span of any living mammal and are one of the world’s smartest.
The animal rights organization said that all the stresses the elephants endure at the African Lion Safari might have led to the 2019 incident when one elephant attacked and seriously injured a handler.
A recent bill tabled by Senator Murray Sinclair last December called the Jane Goodall Act is trying to ban new captivity of great apes and elephants in Canada unless it is for the animals’ best interests.
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Ontario's African Lion Safari Tops List Of Zoos Accused Of Elephant Mistreatment
Associate editor, HuffPost Canada
![african lion safari animal abuse African Lion Safari in Cambridge, Ont. was deemed the worst North American zoo for elephant treatment.](https://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/603fb1693f0000d013a3f862.jpg?cache=hOy1W9Hgki&ops=scalefit_720_noupscale)
Update, March 5: Fort Worth Zoo announced on Friday that it cancelled its elephant deal with African Lion Safari last year, CBC reports.
A Canadian zoo known for its retro commercials is getting taken to task over the way it treats its elephants.
Advocacy group In Defense of Animals gave African Lion Safari the number one spot on its 2020 list of the worst North American zoos for elephants to live in. The group maintains all elephants in zoos should be released into accredited wildlife sanctuaries.
The zoo — which can be found on “Highway 8, between Hamilton and Cambridge, Ontario” as anyone in the province who grew up hearing their catchy ads could tell you — is accused of being “the epitome of the elephant exploitation business.”
Its alleged wrongdoings include breeding elephants to sell, which calls for separating them from their families. Sending them from zoo-to-zoo for this process is traumatic, the group claims.
“Many zoos on this year’s ... list repeatedly truck elephants between facilities for breeding to attract more paying visitors ,” wrote Will Anderson, a coordinator from the group. Even young elephants are separated from their mothers by some of the zoos on our list.”
African Lion Safari was also criticized for its use of bullhooks, sharp tools used to control animals in captivity, which leading animal welfare organizations have condemned .
The Association of Zoos and Aquariums says it voted to phase out the bullhook, a type of baton used to control elephants in captivity — and a lightning rod for criticism from animal rights advocates https://t.co/T8810uihva — CNN (@CNN) August 21, 2019
It’s also being criticized for making elephants do tricks and give rides. The animal rights group World Animal Protection (WAP) called the zoo out in 2019 for those practices.
“The animals are stressed when they’re constantly being held or patted or forced to give rides or to perform tricks,” WAP’s Canadian spokesperson Melissa Matlow told CBC at the time. “This is an unnatural activity for them.”
The zoo’s website claims African Lion Safari has the highest number of Asian elephants born in North America. It has yet to respond to the advocacy group’s list. As of last December, 22 elephants have been born there.
View this post on Instagram A post shared by African Lion Safari (@africanlionsafari)
Their grey herd frequently gets featured on the zoo’s social media, which has shown people snapshots of how its wildlife has been faring during the pandemic. African Lion Safari is currently closed for the season, but had drive-throughs available for visitors last summer .
The second-worst zoo on the list, Fort Worth Zoo in Texas, was called out by In Defense of Animals for looking to sell off two elephants, eight-year-old Nellie and Emily, 15, separating them from their family.
African Lion Safari hasn’t made the annual list before, but it’s not the first Canadian zoo to do so. Edmonton Valley Zoo nabbed seventh place last year, for its treatment of Lucy, a 45-year-old elephant with health conditions.
![african lion safari animal abuse Lucy the elephant with her handlers, circa 2009. A Supreme Court dismissed a case about her treatment in 2019.](https://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/603fbeb53f0000d608a3f87e.jpg?ops=scalefit_720_noupscale)
Activist Jane Goodall joined critics calling on the Edmonton zoo to transfer Lucy to a Tennessee sanctuary last December. However, Goodall reversed her position earlier this month following an investigation from a third-party veterinarian.
Other notables on the list include Pennsylvania’s Pittsburgh Zoo and New York’s Seneca Park Zoo.
Also on HuffPost:
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108 Neglected Lions Found on South African Breeding Farm
The animals’ plight highlights existing concerns about a controversial wildlife industry
Brigit Katz
Correspondent
![african lion safari animal abuse hsus_photo_479426.JPG](https://th-thumbnailer.cdn-si-edu.com/MfVBdHzJ43n1IMPGHuNFZa7-F4k=/1000x750/filters:no_upscale()/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/61/9d/619d9dd2-cff0-4fbe-a92c-ed8fd5434cff/hsus_photo_479426.jpg)
Last month, 108 lions were found in deplorable conditions at a farm in South Africa’s North West province, shining a damning light on the country’s captive lion-breeding industry.
According to National Geographic ’s Rachel Fobar, the National Council for Societies for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NSPCA), which enforces animal welfare in South Africa, was alerted to the situation at Pienika Farm through an anonymous tip. When inspectors arrived at the facility, they were greeted by a horrific scene. The lions had been packed into filthy, overcrowded enclosures, they had not been provided with any water, and 27 of lions were afflicted so badly with mange —a skin disease caused by parasitic mites—that they had lost nearly all their fur. Two cubs at the facility appeared to be suffering from neurological conditions that rendered them unable to walk. One was ultimately euthanized by a veterinarian.
Tigers, leopards and caracals , a mid-size wild cat, were also found at the facility in similarly dire states. Senior inspector Douglas Wolhuter told Naledi Shange of Times Live , a South African publication, that the caracals were so obese that they could not groom themselves.
“It is deplorable that any animal would be forced to live in such conditions, with such medical ailments,” Wolhuter said. “The fact that these are wild animals that are already living unnatural lives in confinement for the purposes of trade, just makes it more horrific.”
South Africa’s legal but controversial captive-bred lion industry generates tens of millions of dollars each year, Adam Welz reported for Yale Environment 360 in 2018. Concrete numbers are hard to come by, but it has been estimated that as many as 14,000 lions are being held on hundreds of farms. And from birth to death, critics say, the lions are exploited for profit.
Cubs are taken from their mothers and hand-raised by volunteers from abroad, who pay for the opportunity and are often under the mistaken impression that the lions will be released to the wild. Farms also charge tourists to take photos with the cubs and, when the lions are a little older, to go on walks with them. Once the animals get too big to safely be around humans, they are sold off for “canned” hunts, which take place in fenced areas that the lions cannot possibly escape. Many trophy hunters who participate in these events are from the United States, according to Humane Society International .
But Ian Michler, a journalist and conservationist, tells Fobar of National Geographic that the Pienika Farm lions were most likely destined for the bone trade. While lions that interact with tourists and hunters need to look healthy, the same cannot be said for animals that are being reared for their skeletons. “If you’re breeding lions for the lion bone trade, they don’t care what those lions look like,” Michler explains. “Because at the end of the day, all they’re going to do is end up in a sack, a bag of bones that’s going to go to Asia.”
Once abroad in Asian markets, lion bones are passed off as tiger bones, which are believed to have medicinal properties. The international trade of tiger parts is largely prohibited under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) treaty, but the regulations are not as strict for lions. “Lion bone leaves South Africa legally, with CITES permits, but once it arrives in Southeast Asia it is typically relabeled as tiger bone and smuggled to black markets across the region; thus the legal product feeds illegal business,” Welz writes.
The owner of Pienika Farm is Jan Steinman, who is listed as a member of the South African Predator Association Council—an organization that, according to its website, works to maintain “healthy and sustainable predator breeding and hunting industry in South Africa.” Proponents of captive lion breeding maintain that the industry helps conservation, in part by curbing the poaching of wild lions. But critics say that most breeding facilities “ have no conservation value .”
Steinman is now facing criminal charges for animal cruelty, reports Live Science ’s Stephanie Pappas. Whether this disturbing case will lead to any policy changes in South Africa is another question. Last year, the country’s Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) raised its annual lion skeleton export quota from 800 to 1,500, prompting an outcry. The government subsequently appointed a panel to review the captive breeding trade and bring the quota back down. But according to Conservation Action Trust , the DEA “backtracked on the Parliamentary Resolution to introduce legislation to end the Captive Breeding of Lions in South Africa and proposed instead to allow the industry to continue with the introduction of regulation and appropriate legislation.”
The future of the abused lions is also uncertain. After years in captivity, they cannot be released into the wild, and South Africa does not have enough sanctuaries to take all of them. “There is sadly no quick fix to re-home more than 100 lions all at once,” says Audrey Delsink, executive director of Human Society International/Africa. “It’s an extremely sad situation, with these lions the innocent victims.”
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Brigit Katz | | READ MORE
Brigit Katz is a freelance writer based in Toronto. Her work has appeared in a number of publications, including NYmag.com, Flavorwire and Tina Brown Media's Women in the World.
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Of the 1,200 zoos surveyed, researchers made field visits to 12 that showcase captive wild animals performing for or interacting with visitors, with a focus on big cats, dolphins, elephants and primates.
African Lion Safari and Jungle Cat World, both of which are located in Ontario, were among the zoos they visited.
At African Lion Safari, the organization says elephants were forced to perform tricks such as bowing, painting and lifting up a trainer. Visitors could also touch elephants and ride them on a circular track. At Jungle Cat World, visitors were able to get close enough take selfies with a variety of wild animals including cougars, tigers, lions and wolves.
Matlow cited a recent elephant attack at African Lion Safari that seriously injured a trainer to illustrate how forcing the animals to perform can be dangerous both to the animals and humans.
"Elephant rides and wildlife selfies are outdated and dangerous, as the recent attack on a trainer at African Lion Safari made clear,” Matlow said.
She added that while it’s not wrong to want to see wild animals up close, many visitors to zoos are uninformed about the cruelty that takes place behind the scenes.
"If you can see animals involved in activities they wouldn't normally do in the wild, then it shouldn't be shown in a zoo. It's not natural, it's not educational, it's cruel.”
As Canadians are learning more about the treatment of wild animals used for entertainment, their views toward the industry are changing. The study found that 61 per cent of Canadians find elephant riding unacceptable and 89 per cent believe wild animals belong in the wild. Tourism companies are responding by removing elephant rides from their offerings and Instagram now discourages wildlife selfies.
Meanwhile, World Animal Protection is pressuring Africa Lion Safari and the Ontario Minister of Labour to end elephant rides and shows at the park. The organization launched a letter-writing campaign in July that saw more than 7,700 people send e-letters to the park and the provincial government urging them to do so.
“The decision to launch our e-letter campaign came following global research we had conducted on activities that contravene professional zoo policy, and two visits to African Lion Safari, at the end of May and early June 2019,” a media release by World Animal Protection said.
“We received a lot of support and positive feedback about the campaign.”
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The end of SA’s shameful lion breeding industry – what now happens to the lions?
By: melissa reitz.
Last month, South Africa’s government took a significant step forward for animal welfare and lion conservation when the Minister of the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment (DFFE), Barbara Creecy, announced plans for a complete ban on the controversial captive lion breeding industry. But as we stare into the face of the horror created over two decades, one question remains: what will happen to the thousands of captive-bred, genetically impaired and diseased lions and cubs?
Conservationists and welfare experts have pushed to shut down the captive lion breeding industry for years, saying it is cruel, has no conservation value, and is damaging to South Africa’s international image. The industry has been exposed for the unethical ‘canned’ or captive lion hunting, the questionable tourist cub petting industry and, more recently, the lion bone trade to Asia.
Now, as processes to close the industry are unfolding, welfare activists ask: “What will become of all the lions?”
![african lion safari animal abuse lion breeding](https://africageographic.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Emaciated-lion.jpg)
The answer is not only shocking but also sobering. With so many welfare and genetic defects, more than half, if not all, of the approximately 12 000 captive-bred lions will need to be euthanised.
The unregulated captive industry has led to the inbreeding of lions, resulting in physical defects, inferior genetics, and a breeding zone for pathogens that threatens other lion populations and humans.
“We must not ignore the catastrophic consequences created by this horrific industry. Let’s hope South Africa and the rest of the world does not easily forget the shameful outcome of such animal exploitation,” says Adrienne West of Animal Survival International .
Conservationists say rewilding captive-bred lions is no solution due to their diseases, compromised genes and human habitation. And there is simply not enough wild habitat available to accommodate so many lions.
Furthermore, despite many facilities promoting themselves as wildlife sanctuaries, only a handful of true sanctuaries exist in South Africa. None have the capacity or financial ability to home hundreds of big cats.
Yet the industry must be stopped. Left unchecked, the captive predator breeding industry is a self-perpetuating animal welfare disaster. During the mid-nineties, when the Cook Report first exposed the horrific cruelty of the industry and Director of Blood Lions, Ian Michler, began his intensive investigations, there were fewer than 1000 lions held in captive facilities.
“When I started investigating, there may have been about 800 predators living in captive facilities. In 2005, I submitted a report to the government at the time, estimating that there were roughly 3500, and when we researched Blood Lions, the number was in excess of 6 000. Today it’s estimated that there are over 10 000 lions in about 300 captive breeding facilities,” says Michler.
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If the captive breeding of lions were left to continue, the number could explode to tens of thousands of genetically inferior lions living in captive squalor and destined for trophies or slaughtered for their bones.
“Captive lion breeding does not contribute to the conservation of wild lions and… legal trade in lion body parts risks stimulating demand and illegal trade, posing major risks to wild lion populations in South Africa and among vulnerable wild lion populations in other countries where poaching is on the rise,” says Dr Paul Funston, director at the international wild cat organisation, Panthera.
In addition, a recent study found that captive lion facilities create a dangerous breeding ground for zoonotic diseases, highlighting the potential health risk to thousands of tourists and staff working at the facilities.
According to Blood Lions, the first plan of action needs to be an immediate ban on captive breeding through sterilisation. Following that, there needs to be an audit to ascertain exact population numbers, the welfare of individual lions and the state of the facilities.
The audit will also reveal true sanctuaries from commercial breeding facilities. A true sanctuary provides a permanent home for animals and does not buy, sell, breed or trade-in animals or their parts, nor do they allow any human interaction.
“Strict guidelines on breeding, keeping, animal husbandry and welfare need to be imposed on such facilities, and a definition of a true sanctuary must be addressed in existing legislation.”
Environmental and animal welfare NGOs are now eagerly awaiting the DFFE’s Policy Paper to begin the process of shutting down the captive predator breeding industry.
But lion breeders and canned hunting outfitters are frantically lobbying Creecy to reconsider her decision and many fear this an attempt to bully the minister into watering down the policy report, which would be a devasting blow to such a bold move by government.
In addition, there is a concern that lion breeders may begin illegally killing their lions and pushing the illicit lion bone trade before new legislation comes into effect and clamps down.
“It’s a matter of urgency that the process is swift as we would hope that the industry is not allowed to flourish while details are being sorted,” says Michler.
![african lion safari animal abuse](https://africageographic.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/AG_White_v1_lr.jpg)
( Melissa Reitz is an investigative wildlife and environmental journalist. As the full-time staff writer for Animal Survival International , she aims to continue raising awareness to the issues impacting on wildlife and animals across the globe. Animal Survival International is a non-profit organization that acts as a voice for animals around the world to raise awareness and take action against the threats that endanger their survival. )
Supplied by: Animal Survival International
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Crisis of Cruelty in Canada’s Zoos
Animal Justice is releasing the largest investigation of zoos that has ever been undertaken in Canada. We visited nearly every zoo in Ontario—the roadside zoo capital of the country. Our video footage reveals widespread suffering, injuries, death, and troubling threats to public safety.
It’s crystal clear that animal suffering in zoos is rampant in Canada, which is why we’re urging the government to swiftly pass the Jane Goodall Act , a groundbreaking Senate bill that would protect captive wildlife.
Animals in Zoos Suffer Mental Anguish
Wild animals deserve to live free, but animals in zoos are confined to unnatural and stressful conditions behind bars. Being locked up in zoo enclosures often causes extreme psychological distress, which is made visible through unnatural, repetitive movements called stereotypies. Stereotypies can include pacing, rocking back and forth, and circling a cage. At nearly every facility we visited, we saw suffering animals exhibiting these behaviours.
Big cats and other carnivores like wolves and bears often suffer due to lack of space. These creatures have vast ranges in the wild, but in zoos, they often pace back and forth listlessly, with little else to do.
Animals Dead or Injured
At Saunders Country Critters, we found a dead rabbit decomposing in a cage with other live rabbits. This went unnoticed by zoo staff—until we pointed out. Bears are solitary animals by nature, but at Marineland, we saw bears forced to live together in a barren pit. The bears had visible gashes on their faces, which employees admitted was due to fighting.
![Bear with scars on head at Marineland Image shows bear with scars on head at Marineland in Canada as part of Animal Justice investigation](https://animaljustice.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Bear-with-scars-at-Marineland-Animal-Justice-2022-1024x682-640x480.jpg)
Zoos Pose Risk to Public Safety
At several zoos, we identified serious public safety risks, including cages that were dirty and in disrepair, cages with holes, and guests in close contact with animals. At Reptilia in Vaughan, we alerted staff that a door to a reptile cage was left open.
At Waddles & Wags, an employee described on camera how one of their tortoises escaped, and they only found out about it because a neighbour called it in.
At Elmvale Jungle Zoo, one baby lemur was easily able to squeeze through holes in the cage fencing.
And shockingly, at Bervie Zoo, one staff member gave a tour while holding a baby, and standing right next to a cranky lion.
Overall, many animals were kept in enclosures that weren’t sufficient to prevent escape, and some zoos failed to have perimeter fencing, putting the public at risk.
![african lion safari animal abuse](https://animaljustice.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Bervie-Zoo-Lion-2022-Animal-Justice-6415-edited.jpg)
Small, Barren Enclosures
Many animals are kept in cages where they have little to do all day, or that are completely unsuited to their biological needs. For instance, we saw countless birds like parrots being kept inside cages where they weren’t free to fly more than a few metres at a time. For a flighted animal, this can be incredibly stressful.
Zoos often kept animals in unnatural social groupings, such as keeping a social animal like a monkey or crocodile all alone. Or a more solitary animals like a bear, kept in a large bear pit at Marineland with other bears.
And while animals are often outside in the summer, many animals are warehoused inside tiny sheds during cold-weather months, with even less space to move around, and less to do.
![Lynx at Papanack Park Zoo. Lynx at Papanack Park Zoo.](https://animaljustice.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Papanack-2022-Animal-Justice-4552-1024x682-640x480.jpg)
Lack of Legal Protections for Captive Wildlife
Zoos in Canada are poorly regulated, and there are no federal laws, or mandatory inspections to protect animals in zoos.
Ontario is easily the roadside zoo capital of Canada, and has many zoos with exceptionally poor standards. This is because the government has allowed these subpar facilities to flourish. In Ontario, you can’t build a patio in their backyard without a permit, but you can open a zoo imprisoning dangerous, exotic animals—all without a license, permit, or oversight. Laws are so weak in Ontario that authorities can’t even close down a zoo, no matter how badly the animals are suffering.
It’s no better at the federal level. There are no federal laws or regulations protecting animals from being kept or forced to perform in zoos in Canada. Similarly, there are few rules protecting animals from being bred in Canada and trafficked around the world to other zoos, or to exotic animal dealers. At African Lion Safari, an employee admitted on camera that their elephant breeding program doesn’t result in any elephants actually being returned to the wild. Instead, it’s well-known that African Lion Safari is the North American hub for elephant trafficking—splitting up elephant families by selling off these magnificent creatures.
![african lion safari animal abuse Image shows sad-looking polar bear at enclosure in Toronto Zoo in Animal Justice exposé.](https://animaljustice.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Toronto-Zoo-2022-Animal-Justice-4103-1024x682.jpg)
While Canadian zoos have been exposed for appalling conditions, governments and law enforcement authorities continually fail to act. Even in egregious cases of suffering, charges against zoos are rarely laid. For instance, an elephant named Lucy has been kept all by herself at the Edmonton Valley Zoo for well over a decade, suffering from serious health problems. It’s considered cruel to keep elephants alone, but authorities have never taken legal action against the zoo.
One of the most troubling zoos we visited, Waddles & Wags, even claimed that they “pass with flying colours” on their biannual inspections with Ontario animal welfare authorities.
![Lion in enclosure at Bervie Zoo. Image shows lion in cage at Bervie Zoo.](https://animaljustice.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Bervie-Zoo-Lion-2022-Animal-Justice-6415-1024x682-640x480.jpg)
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- WILDLIFE WATCH
South Africa plans to end controversial captive lion industry
The country’s environment department will stop issuing permits to breed, keep, hunt, or interact with captive-bred lions.
South Africa has taken steps to end its multimillion-dollar lion-breeding industry, which supplies cubs for tourism, lions for trophy hunts, and bones for traditional medicine.
In a statement on May 2, Barbara Creecy, the minster of South Africa’s Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, acknowledged the “view that the captive lion breeding industry did not contribute to conservation and was doing damage to South Africa’s conservation and tourism reputation.”
With this announcement, the government will stop issuing permits to breed, keep, hunt, or interact with captive lions and is revoking current breeding permits. A number of factors are thought to have influenced this decision, including growing public opposition to the industry for being inhumane, possible links between legal and illegal trade in lion bones, and greater understanding of the diseases that animals can pass to humans.
It’s estimated that there are between 6,000 and 8,000 captive lions in private facilities throughout the country, but Ian Michler, the director of Blood Lions, a South African nonprofit dedicated to ending the captive lion industry, says there may be as many as 12,000.
There are about 2,000 wild lions in South Africa and an estimated 20,000 continent-wide. Their numbers have fallen by about half during the past quarter century as habitats have become fragmented and prey animals such as antelopes have become scarcer. Meanwhile, lions are coming into contact with people in rural communities more often, with deadly results for both. And according to Creecy, the legal trade in captive lion parts could increase poaching of wild populations.
Reports about South Africa’s captive lion industry have shown that the animals often are kept in inhumane conditions, such as in overcrowded spaces with poor nutrition and veterinary care. ( Take a look inside one of South Africa’s controversial lion farms. )
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Yesterday’s announcement therefore is seen not only as a win for conservationists but also for animal welfare advocates. “Thousands of farmed lions are born into a life of misery in South Africa every year in cruel commercial breeding facilities,” Edith Kabesiime, the wildlife campaign manager of the nonprofit World Animal Protection, wrote in an email. “This latest move by the government of South Africa is courageous—taking the first steps in a commitment to long-lasting and meaningful change. This is a win for wildlife.”
In some captive-breeding facilities around the country, tourists pay to pet, bottle-feed, and take selfies with lion cubs and walk alongside more mature animals. Critics say such interactive tourism leads to abuse and inhumane breeding practices such as speed breeding—the early removal of cubs from their mothers so they can produce more young.
Many captive lions are sold to hunting facilities at the end of their lives, Michler says, where they’re shot by trophy hunters, sometimes in “canned” hunts held in fenced areas. Trophy hunters keep the skins and heads, and their bones are often exported to Asia for use in traditional medicine.
South Africa set an annual quota for the number of lion skeletons that could be exported legally until 2018, when South Africa’s National Council of Societies for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals filed suit to stop the practice. That year, the government nearly doubled the department’s previous export quota, from 800 to 1,500.
![african lion safari animal abuse Picture of two](https://i.natgeofe.com/n/354b3018-f103-45e8-b26b-0f62d7ccf0de/MM9147_190720_06170.jpg)
Recommendations accepted
In October 2019, Creecy formed a panel to review policies relating to the management, breeding, hunting, and trade of South Africa’s elephants, lions, leopards, and rhinos. In a nearly 600-page report submitted in December 2020, the panel recommended that in addition to banning captive keeping and breeding of lions and selling their parts, canned lion hunts and tourist interactions with captive lions (including cub petting) should end immediately. It also recommended the destruction of lion bone stockpiles and the humane euthanasia of all existing captive lions. (Captive animals released into the wild rarely survive because they never learned how to hunt and aren’t naturally afraid of humans.)
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Creecy and the South African cabinet announced that they have accepted the recommendations.
This is “huge,” Michler says. “We believe this is a significant shift in thinking and a fairly clear mandate from the minister to everyone that this has got to be phased out.”
It’s now up to South Africa’s parliament to make the recommendations law. Given the level of support from the government already, “we don’t foresee that it’s going to be turned down by parliament,” Michler says.
The South African Predator Association, a pro-captive breeding organization, did not respond to a request for comment.
Michael ’t Sas-Rolfes, a South African conservationist and economist who served on the panel, was among the minority who favor phasing out captive breeding of lions but keeping the lion bone trade. He advocates a “cautious approach”—a reformed, sustainable lion bone trade supplied from existing stockpiles, captive lion deaths, and possibly even managed wild populations in the future—until it’s known whether the trade can be ended “without stimulating a big cat poaching crisis.” ’T Sas-Rolfes warns that closing legal markets may drive the lion bone trade underground, where it’s more difficult to monitor and regulate. “This now effectively shuts off the last official legal conduit of big cat body parts to the market, worldwide,” he wrote in an email. “Whether that matters or not in terms of prices and poaching incentives remains to be seen.” The other minority opinion favored keeping the industry but increasing regulation.
Others argue that by supplying lion bones to Asian countries, South Africa has fueled demand. According to a 2018 report from the wildlife trade monitoring organization Traffic, anecdotal evidence suggests that there is increased demand for lion bone products in Vietnam. That’s in part because tiger bones, long favored, have become ever rarer as wild populations have declined to fewer than 3,200 today. Because tiger and lion bones are difficult to tell apart, greater demand could lead to more poaching of both species.
Neil D’Cruze, head of wildlife research at World Animal Protection, says the possibility that bans could increase illegal trade “is an issue that should not be ignored—but equally it’s not one that cannot be overcome.”
The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment also accepted the panel’s recommendation that South Africa no longer press to reopen the rhino horn and ivory trades.
Wildlife Watch is an investigative reporting project between National Geographic Society and National Geographic Partners focusing on wildlife crime and exploitation. Read more Wildlife Watch stories here , and learn more about National Geographic Society’s nonprofit mission at natgeo.com/impact . Send tips, feedback, and story ideas to [email protected] .
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Living With Lions
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30 lions euthanized as devastating animal abuse uncovered on a farm
Johannesburg — Thirty captive-bred lions have been euthanized after they were found starving and untreated for serious injuries sustained when a wildfire swept through their compound in South Africa. One animal welfare charity called it "one of the worst cases of animal abuse" they'd ever seen.
Inspectors working for a South African branch of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) say the horrific abuse of 59 lions was discovered on a farm just outside Bloemfontein, the provincial capital of the Free State province in the heart of the country.
"The owner knew the lions got injured by the fires. For 5 days they didn't administer any medical treatment. We had no option, but to obtain a warrant to enter the property," the group said in a post on Facebook. "What we found shocked us to the bone."
The lions had been unable to escape the flames.
"They all laid in one spot with their paws turned upwards," reads the post, which included images of the wounded animals. "Their fragile bodies were burnt and their faces carried the devastating scars of the flames just days ago."
Some of the lions were so weak they couldn't stand up, and they were so famished that three of them turned on one of their own, killing and eating it.
Officers got a court order to search the property after reports of suspected abuse at the farm. Vets from the SPCA have been treating the injured animals for days now, but 30 of them were beyond help and had to be put down.
"The owner wasn't bothered to be present during any time of the inspection of the injuries nor during the euthanasia," the SPCA said on Facebook. "He was laughing when he was issued a warning and we didn't see him again. We issued multiple warnings for lack of water and shelter as we conduct daily inspections at the farm. The owner refuses to comply with any one of our warnings. He refuses to spend any money on these lions."
The property owner has been charged with animal abuse for failing to provide the lions with medical attention.
Inspectors continue to visit the farm regularly and they're making sure the animals get food and water and tending to their wounds. Senior SPCA Inspector Reniet Meyer told CBS News that the organization would continue to monitor the lions until the court hearing, and take further legal action if the abuse continues.
This latest incident has once again raised the issue of the legality of captive lion breeding in South Africa. At least 12,000 lions are kept in captivity in the country, four times more than its wild population. Every stage of a captive lion's life can be used, legally, to make money.
Cubs are separated from their mothers and kept in petting zoos for tourists. Adult lions are used for breeding and canned hunting tours — where they're released into enclosed areas so hunters are guaranteed a kill. And when the lions die, their bones are sold through a quota system for use primarily in Asian medicines and ornaments.
It's believed that the owner of the farm in Bloemfontein may have neglected to get the lions medical attention after the fire so that they would die "naturally," and he could then sell their bones for a profit, which wouldn't have been legal in a case of neglect.
"I have never been this angry in my 30 years at the Bloemfontein SPCA," Meyer wrote in the Facebook post. "The lion has huge status and as a country, we are supposed to be proud of our indigenous animals, but we have failed them. We cultivated an industry, legal or illegal, that misuses our animals for entertainment like hunting, bone trade, poaching, circus tricks, cub petting or keeping them in zoos or as pets. This must stop."
Born in captivity, unable to escape a devastating fire and now battling to overcome serious injuries — even the lions who survive this tragedy have never known freedom, and they likely never will.
CBS News' Nicky Parkin and Sarah Carter contributed to this report.
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Africa Alive: Lions to move to Whipsnade Zoo after enclosure damaged
![african lion safari animal abuse african lion safari animal abuse](https://www.bbc.com/bbcx/grey-placeholder.png)
Five lions from a zoo damaged during Storm Eunice have been moved to another animal park while their enclosure is repaired.
The animals from Africa Alive at Kessingland near Lowestoft, Suffolk, are now at Whipsnade Zoo.
The Bedfordshire zoo's lion habitat closed in January after keepers had to put its remaining two lions to sleep.
Africa Alive said it was "incredibly grateful" to Whipsnade for "stepping in and helping us in our hour of need".
![african lion safari animal abuse Zoological Society of East Anglia Damage lion enclosure](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/13219/production/_123316387_stormeunicedamagetolionenclosureatafricaalive-creditzoologicalsocietyofeastanglia.jpg.webp)
The Suffolk zoo is currently closed after a number of trees were felled by high winds during Friday's storm, which brought down the lion enclosure fencing .
The Zoological Society of East Anglia (ZSEA) announced it would be relocating the lions while the fencing is replaced.
The male lions Zero, Tor and Jabu and lionesses Mo and Kaya will stay at Whipsnade Zoo until May.
![african lion safari animal abuse Getty Images Whipsnade Zoo entrance](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/04DE/production/_119464210_gettyimages-1249568484.jpg.webp)
ZSEA chief executive office, Claudia Roberts, said: "We are incredibly grateful to ZSL Whipsnade Zoo for stepping in and helping us in our hour of need and agreeing to take care of the lions while their enclosure at Africa Alive is fixed.
"Both teams have been working intensively over the past few days to ensure the welfare and safety of the pride and I would like to thank all those involved in making this happen."
Veteran lioness Sarabi, who was 16 ,was put to sleep on Wednesday after a period of several months of ill health.
Head of living collections, Graeme Williamson, said: "Given Sarabi's age and her health condition, the animal management team at Africa Alive, with support from the vet, all agreed that the kindest and most compassionate thing to do, was to sadly put her to sleep."
The venue added that it hoped it would reopen this weekend after the lions had been relocated.
![african lion safari animal abuse ZSL Whipsnade Zoo Kia, Max and Neo](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/4470/production/_122602571_africanlionsatzslwhipsnadezoo-czsl.jpg.webp)
Whipsnade Zoo announced in January that its lion habitat was closed for "the first time in decades" after it euthanised two African lions, Kia and Max, as they "were succumbing to a number of age-related conditions".
It followed the death of the pair's sibling Neo in November.
Zoological manager Matthew Webb said Whipsnade was "very glad" to be able to help ZSEA and was "really looking forward to getting to know the new pride during their stay".
"Our expert team of keepers and vets are working hard to ensure that Zero, Tor, Jabu, Mo and Kaya are settled and content, and the team at Africa Alive will be giving us lots of information about their likes, dislikes and daily routine so that they feel right at home here."
It said visitors would be able to see the pride in Whipsnade Zoo's African lion habitat from Thursday.
Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook , Instagram and Twitter . If you have a story suggestion email [email protected]
Zoo shut after Storm Eunice damage
Zoo habitat closed after death of three lions, zoo to survey trees after escaped bears shot dead, brown bears shot dead after enclosure escape, attenborough warns london zoo risks 'extinction', aquarium aims to help 'extinct-in-the-wild' fish.
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IMAGES
COMMENTS
Maggie stood nearly three metres tall and weighed more than 3,900 kilograms. Born in Burma, the Asian elephant was ridden for 25 years by visitors to African Lion Safari, a zoo and theme park in ...
In Defense of Animals has published its annual list of the top 10 worst zoos for elephants, with African Lion Safari in Hamilton taking the number one spot. "African Lion Safari is a cruel ...
How we will continue to fight for elephants and other wild animals used for entertainment in Canada. The announcement of the permanent end to elephant rides is an important step to reducing the elephant cruelty taking place at African Lion Safari. However, there are still wild animals being used for tourist entertainment at venues across Canada.
The NSPCA is responsible for enforcing the country's Animals Protection Act, and Wolhuter was conducting an inspection of Pienika, one of the more than 250 privately owned lion farms in South ...
African Lion Safari described the employee's injuries as non-life-threatening in a Facebook post shared that same day, ... Animal welfare is the first priority, as is the safety of people working ...
An injured lion is seen on a farm outside Bloemfontein, South Africa, in an image posted to Facebook by the Bloemfontein Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA).
The animal rights organization said that all the stresses the elephants endure at the African Lion Safari might have led to the 2019 incident when one elephant attacked and seriously injured a ...
Now, we are thrilled to share that African Lion Safari has confirmed the permanent end to their elephant rides. This is a win for animals that was made possible by your support as more than 7,700 of you took a stand for elephants and sent an e-letter. We received a lot of support and positive feedback about the campaign as well as a lot of ...
African Lion Safari theme park in Hamilton near Cambridge has 19 of the 25 elephants kept in Canadian zoos. If Bill S-15 becomes federal law, it will no longer be permitted to breed its herd of ...
African Lion Safari is currently closed for the season, but had drive-throughs available for visitors last summer. The second-worst zoo on the list, Fort Worth Zoo in Texas, was called out by In Defense of Animals for looking to sell off two elephants, eight-year-old Nellie and Emily, 15, separating them from their family.
Last month, 108 lions were found in deplorable conditions at a farm in South Africa's North West province, shining a damning light on the country's captive lion-breeding industry. According to ...
Matlow cited a recent elephant attack at African Lion Safari that seriously injured a trainer to illustrate how forcing the animals to perform can be dangerous both to the animals and humans. "Elephant rides and wildlife selfies are outdated and dangerous, as the recent attack on a trainer at African Lion Safari made clear," Matlow said.
Left unchecked, the captive predator breeding industry is a self-perpetuating animal welfare disaster. During the mid-nineties, when the Cook Report first exposed the horrific cruelty of the industry and Director of Blood Lions, Ian Michler, began his intensive investigations, there were fewer than 1000 lions held in captive facilities.
Call Mr. Mike Takacs, President of African Lion Safari at 519-623-2620 between 10 am and 4 pm CT / 8 am - 2 pm PT and ask to leave the below message. Voicemails may be left after hours. Personalization is highly encouraged. "Hello, my name is (Your Name). The elephants at your facility have suffered their entire lives in captivity.
African Lion Safari is a family-owned safari park in Southern Ontario, Canada, located between the cities of Hamilton and Cambridge, located 100 kilometres (62 mi) west of Toronto.Guests may tour seven game reserves, with a total area of about 740 acres (300 hectares), on tour buses or in visitors' own vehicles, where animals roam freely in contained areas.
Similarly, there are few rules protecting animals from being bred in Canada and trafficked around the world to other zoos, or to exotic animal dealers. At African Lion Safari, an employee admitted on camera that their elephant breeding program doesn't result in any elephants actually being returned to the wild.
The WAP report criticized African Lion Safari, which also features other African animals, for offering elephant rides. Representatives from African Lion Safari did not respond to a request for ...
By Rachel Fobar. May 3, 2021. • 7 min read. South Africa has taken steps to end its multimillion-dollar lion-breeding industry, which supplies cubs for tourism, lions for trophy hunts, and bones ...
An injured lion is seen on a farm outside Bloemfontein, South Africa, in an image posted to Facebook by the Bloemfontein Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA).
African lion populations decreased by about 43% in the past two decades, according to the AWF. Muruthi said key reasons for the decline include human-lion conflict as people expand into hunting ...
Whipsnade Zoo announced in January that its lion habitat was closed for "the first time in decades" after it euthanised two African lions, Kia and Max, as they "were succumbing to a number of age ...