So, you want to ‘pet’ a lion cub and post your picture on social media? Lion Cub petting is popular on Social Media, so Wildlife Matters looks at Lion Petting and why it is wrong.
You’ve probably seen the Tik-Tok and Instagram pictures of people petting lion cubs. Many people have this on their bucket lists but a little bit of research reveals that cub petting is wrong and a big mistake for animal lovers.
Cub ‘petting’ may appear harmless, but please take a minute to think it through.
Why is the cub in the ‘petting area’ and not with its mother? Is it still being fed milk?
if you ask, expect to be told the cub is an orphan and being hand raised to ‘save it’ – That almost certainly won’t be true! You see, the Lion breeders remove cubs from their Mum’s at less than an hour old. Mum is probably somewhere else on the breeder’s farm being mated for the next litter of cubs to sustain the business, whilst mourning the loss of her cubs. Yes, lions are sentient and mourn the loss of their young.
Tragically, many people stumble into the dark and murky world of lion breeding through a love of animals. It’s not easy to pick your way through the lies and myths that the lion breeders use to ‘cover-up’ their immoral business.
So, to help you make the right decisions for the welfare of the animals, here is our guide the Lion breeders ‘myths’
Lions used for petting and walking activities are rescue animals.
NOT TRUE – There may be a few injured lions that could not be returned to the wild, but the vast majority of these animals have come from one of the 160 plus breeding facilities in South Africa alone. They collectively have between 6,000-8,000 captive-bred big cats. Almost 7,000 of these are lions, whilst the remainder are cheetah, leopard and even tigers! – don’t be fooled that they have ‘rescued’ the tigers – that aren’t even native on the African continent.
The hand-reared cubs are orphaned.
NOT TRUE – Most lion cubs born on these breeding farms are removed from their mother by the staff, often within an hour of their birth. Removing the cubs from a healthy mother and bottle feeding them, habituate’s the cubs, making them completely dependent upon the breeder, but also encourages the females to breed again more quickly. A captive lioness can, therefore, produce two to three litters per year, whereas in the wild she would only have one litter every two to three years.
If that isn’t horrific enough, they then get paying visitors or volunteers to bottle feed and hand rear the cubs. Many of the volunteers have paid for the ‘privilege’ of volunteering, further lining the breeders pockets. Of course, the volunteers believe they are helping the orphaned cubs and supporting lion conservation through reintroduction programmes – but sadly, this isn’t true.
The big cats used for petting and walking are domesticated.
NOT TRUE – These lions and other wild cats are not domesticated. The process of domestication involves selecting specific characteristics you want in an animal and breeding with individuals that display these features. This process can take many generations and even involves genetic changes over time. Think about how domestic cats and dogs are still bred for specific purposes or features.
Captive big cats are habituated or dependent on humans through hand-rearing. Further conditioning of the animals takes place through the hands-on activities at the breeding centre, like cub petting and lion walks, both of which further habituate the cubs but raise more money for the breeders.
Hands-on big cat encounters support conservation; these animals are ultimately reintroduced to the wild.
NOT TRUE – Once the habituated Cubs mature they become too big and dangerous to have at the breeding centre. They are then sold to licensed dealers, who run the ‘canned’ hunts.
In South Africa alone, two to three lions are killed in canned hunts – every day. Add to that the hundreds that are euthanised every year, so their bones and other body parts can be sold for use in the Traditional Asian medicine markets and you start to understand the this is an industry. The real truth is they are ‘farming’ lions and other big cats
Many conservationists believe that captive-bred lions have little or no conservation value. Due to habituation, they could not survive, if released back into the wild. Luke Hunter, head of big cat conservation organisation – Panthera, goes further stating “captive lion reintroduction programmes in South Africa operate under a “conservation myth”.
Hands-on activities are needed to generate income for the up keep of the captive animals.
NOT TRUE – Breeding and petting farms are clearly commercial operations that generate profits from the sale of the animals. There is no need to exploit the cubs or the paying volunteers and visitors from ‘petting’ or ‘walking’ activities.
Not all Sanctuaries are bad
This is TRUE! Some sanctuaries in South Africa, such as the Lions Rock Big Cat Sanctuary, operated by Four Paws or Born Free Foundation, operate two reserves within the Shamwari area.
Both of these charities prove that you can run a sanctuary based on a strict , no breeding and no touching policies. Real sanctuaries provide ‘forever homes’ to captive-bred animals that cannot be released into the wild.
The Conservation of an Ambassador species is OK.
NOT TRUE—Ambassador species is another ‘myth’ spun by the breeding industry. Hands-on interaction with big cats of any species is wrong. They will become habituated and can never return to the wild. Petting cubs is unethical. Petting a cub condemns it to a life in captivity.
The captive breeding and petting of any wild animal is wrong. As we have seen above their ‘reasons’ are easily dismissed
We are reminded of some advice passed down by generations of Mothers – “You look with your eyes – not your hands”
Lion cubs are not yours or ours to touch or to condemn to a captive life. This abhorrent trade needs an immediate worldwide ban that is effectively administered by all countries.
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Further Reading
Lions in the care of Four Paws
Lion Conservation and Education – Lion Aid
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