Their is an abhorrent industry in South Africa ~ farming big cats, mainly lions, but even tigers!!
On these farms, lions are bred & bred & bred (much like puppy farming & we all know how we despise that in the UK) the cubs are removed from their mummies as soon after birth as they are found ~ certainly rarely more than four days old.
Volunteers are conned into hand raising these cubs, they are told the cubs are orphans, but this really isn’t the case, mummy is pacing & calling from her cell on the farm. To anybody wanting to volunteer ethically, research, research, research !!
Volunteers take care of the cubs that manage to survive ~ many do not a) because they are so interbred or b) because they have not received mummies colostrum, so often they are sickly & weak with low immunity.
Once they are mobile, they are into the tourism industry, tourists can visit centers & cuddle, play & take pictures with these cubs.
Once the cubs are too big for this activity, they carry on their journey in the tourist industry, but now it’s ‘walking with lions’.
Once the ‘lions’ become too big & too strong for this, it’s back to the farm, please do not believe their first two job’s were enjoyable for them, their lives should have been one of freedom, not torn away from mummy before their eyes had even opened to be used as a product to stroke human ego’s ~ HOWEVER ~ that part was positively idyllic compared to what’s next.
Back at the farm they may be chosen for breeding OR they may pass go & move to the final stages of the process.
Do you know what a ‘trophy hunter’ is ?? yet another type of ‘human’ who needs their ego stroked, but not by cuddling little cubs, but by ‘hunting down’ & shooting lions, either with cross bows or guns. ‘trophy hunting’ is an abhorrent past time as it is, but in the case of these farmed lions, they never stood a chance, they will be selected from their pens, more often than not drugged & dumped in the ‘wilderness’ only this wilderness has fences, there is no escaping their fate. These lions have been hand reared, if someone whistles they stand & look, if they hear a vehicle, they have no reason to fear it, afterall, it usually means lunch!! This is not a fair fight, it’s slaughter & these are the kind of people who like to slaughter lions for their own ego
This guy will explain the ‘hunt’ to you
The lions which are not chosen for the ‘hunt’ face an even more undignified death, if you can even imagine that, their path is to Asia ~ but just their bones, they are stripped & their bones are LEGALLY sold to Asia for their perverted potions, oh & ‘tiger bone wine’ classy huh. Whilst this is a ‘controlled’ industry, the government has just upped the 800 skeleton quota to FIFTEEN HUNDRED
SO YES , the opportunity to ‘cuddle a cub’ or ‘walk with a lion’ sounds like a once in a life time opportunity ~ BUT PLEASE understand what your money is funding ~ DEATH, no if’s ~ but’s or maybe’s ~ those cub’s will be slaughtered for human greed ~ do you want their blood on your hands ?? I IMPLORE YOU ~ please do not feed this industry ~ think of THEM ~ not YOU !!
I would suggest Richard Peirces book ‘Cuddle Me ~ Kill Me’ or watch the film ‘Blood Lions’ make an informed decision !!
The Wildlife Volunteer 