Award-winning, internationally-acclaimed South African documentary, Blood Lions, is now freely available for worldwide public viewing to further increase awareness around the exploitation of captive-bred lions and other predators in South Africa.
The film, which premiered in 2015, debunks false claims made by the South African predator breeding and canned hunting industries.
This public unveiling is part of a global, collaborative effort to raise awareness about South Africa's captive predator breeding, 'canned' hunting, live trade, and lion bone industries, as well as activities such as cub petting, lion walking, and voluntourism.
The film has been viewed by millions of people in over 180 countries and territories and has been subtitled in six languages.
In May 2021, Minister Creecy of the Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment made an unprecedented statement that marked a significant and long-awaited step towards altering the status quo of the commercial captive lion breeding industry.
In her statement, she stated: ‘’The High-Level panel recommends that South Africa not breed lions in captivity, keep lions in captivity, or use captive lions or their derivatives for commercial purposes." I have requested that the department take appropriate action and ensure that the requisite implementation consultations are conducted.’’
Immediately following the overwhelmingly positive global response to the release of Blood Lions, the Blood Lions Campaign was established as a ‘’call to action’’, with the ultimate goal of putting an end to the captive lion breeding industry.
The Blood Lions Campaign team stated in a press release: ‘’It would take time, but we were confident that with the commitment of our small but dedicated team and the incredible support of our followers, benefactors, and partners worldwide, we would be able to make a difference and effect meaningful change.’’
The film exposes the practices of the captive lion breeding industry in South Africa, reveals the commercial tourism trade and the human-manipulated life cycles of the lions, and demonstrates how thousands are bred solely for the purpose of being killed in ‘’canned’’ or captive hunting operations and/or for the Asian bone trade.
Ian Michler, an acclaimed environmental journalist and safari operator, and Rick Swazey, an American hunter, expose the realities of South Africa's multimillion-dollar predator breeding and canned lion hunting industries in this documentary.
The film also exposes the fact that thousands of tourists and volunteers who visit South Africa are largely unaware that their money contributes to the fraudulent and exploitative use of these animals.
In South Africa, captive-born cubs are frequently separated from their mothers within days of birth. Breeders assert they are orphaned and will be rewilded in the future.
However, this is untrue, as the purpose of this practice is to bring the mothers back into oestrus (to become fertile) more rapidly, resulting in intense breeding cycles in which they give birth to up to four times more cubs than wild lionesses.
Many of the cubs are placed in petting enclosures at 3 to 4 weeks of age to provide photograph opportunities for paying tourists, while internationally paid volunteers hand-rear and bottle-feed these allegedly ‘’orphaned and abandoned’’ cubs.
As the animals mature, they are frequently sold to facilities for use in interactive tourism activities, such as 'walking with lions,' and many may also be mistreated in the advertising and film industries. The majority of these activities are offered under the guise of conservation, with emotive tales that the cubs were abandoned, orphaned, or their mother did not produce enough milk.
Blood Lions was released to the public at a crucial moment for the big cats, as a Ministerial Task Team appointed by Environment Minister Barbara Creecy is identifying voluntary exit options and pathways for lion owners from the captive lion industry.
In addition to supervising the implementation and monitoring of this voluntary phase-out, this panel of experts will be compelled to oversee its implementation.
Michler suggests that ‘’the Ministry should be given assistance during the process of closing down, as this must occur as soon as possible.’’ South Africa's conservation and tourism reputation continues to be tarnished with each passing year, as thousands of lions and other predators continue to suffer.
Blood Lions is accessible for free on YouTube.
Environment