Watch: Why you should never pet a lion in captivity [video]

The Born Free Foundation recently released a video to encourage people in helping them ensure South Africa’s lions are born free and stay wild.

The foundation, who made it their mission to ‘Keep Wildlife in the Wild’, also aims to stop lions from being kept in captivity.

They said:

“Most lions in South Africa are born and raised in captivity. Keepers charge tourists to hug and take photos with them. Then, when they grow too big for cuddles, they’re sold to trophy hunters and shot in private game reserves. Not only is this cruel and inhumane practice legal, but it’s flourishing in South Africa. We want to stop this.”

The Bitter Bond Animation

Born Free released the video in September to make people aware of the ‘great betrayal’. This betrayal refers to lion farming and canned hunting.

According to Born Free, canned hunting is the hunting of wild animals, mostly lions, in a confined area from which they cannot escape.

In South Africa, it is not only legal, but it is also reportedly flourishing.

It is said that eight thousand or more captive-bred lions and other predators languish in around 250 breeding facilities, where they are exploited for profit at every stage of their lives.

Unwitting paying volunteers are recruited to help hand raise captive-bred lion cubs, on the false premise that they will be released into the wild as part of a lion conservation initiative.

“Tourists pay to take selfies while petting cute cubs or walking with lions. Ultimately many of the animals will be transferred to canned hunting facilities to be shot by paying trophy hunters, and their bones and other body parts will be sold into local and international trade.

“The animals involved are habituated to people from an early age, often through being hand-reared and bottle-fed, so they are no longer naturally fearful of people, making them easy targets for a rifle or bow when it comes to the hunt.

“Born Free believes that if South Africa is to be regarded as a responsible and ethical custodian of its wildlife, and a country that cares about wildlife elsewhere in Africa and across the globe, urgent action needs to be taken to bring an end, in an intelligent and humane way, to the captive breeding and canned hunting of lions, and the sale of their bones and skeletons into international markets.”

Visit Born Free to find out how you can help over here.

The Life of a Canned Lion, according to Born Free:

This is why you should not pet a lion in captivity:

• Cubs are born and raised in captivity
• Keepers go on to make money by charging tourists to cuddle and take photos with the cubs
• Later, when they are too big they are shot by trophy hunters and sold into local and international trade