The cubs are taken from their mothers within hours of their birth.
Generally they are raised by people who do not know their fate, volunteers pay their fee to raise ‘orphan’ cubs & believe they are doing a good thing, BUT if you come across the opportunity to raise ‘orphan’ cubs, please be assured that they are not, they have been taken from their mother & will end up shot.
Inbetween being cuddled by tourists & their death, they will also be used to go on walks with tourists when they are too big to be cuddled.
When too big & strong, they will go back to the farm where they were bred, the REALLY sickly (they are all sick due to intensive breeding, a shallow gene pool & lack of their mothers colostrum) will be shot & their bones sold to Asia as a substitute to the lack of tiger bones, the better specimens will be placed in an online catalogue, where ‘hunters’ will be able to choose their trophy.
Trophy lions will often be drugged before being released into the large enclosure where they will be shot by the ‘hunter’. Often food will be left, so the farmer will know where they lion will be, the lions are still fairly tame, if the farmer was to whistle, the lion will stop, as in ‘normal’ circumstances that could indicate lunch is on its way.
The ‘hunter’ usually inexperienced, will often not kill the lion with their first shot!!
The ‘hunter’ will pose with the corpse of the lion & proudly post this macabre picture on social media, they (I say they because females also take part in this) will want to take their trophy home & have it stuffed, if they are returning to a country which does not allow this kind of import, they will be encouraged to ‘disguise’ the skin by wrapping in it in something ~ including antelope skins ~ to get it into their country !!
THIS is the life of a farmed lion in South Africa
PLEASE
do not volunteer to raise lion cubs
do not visit facilities which offer cub cuddling or lion walks
DO NOT BE A ‘HUNTER’ it is not big or clever & basically makes you an asshole!!
Let’s work together to end this ~ STOP THE MONEY & the industry will surely collapse !!
The Wildlife Volunteer 