The high court has overturned a 2019 decision which classified wildlife species in the same category as livestock, ruling that the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development did not consult with other relevant organs of state and stakeholder groups.
The classification lumped Lion, rhino, zebra and cheetah, among others, as farm animals after the South African government amended the Animal Improvement Act (AIA).
The high court overturned this decision, citing that it would have compromised conservation efforts.
According to conservationists, this classification would have meant that the genes of wildlife could be manipulated for production purposes.
Livestock breeders generally use techniques like crossbreeding or line breeding to manipulate livestock genes to exaggerate specific characteristics.
‘This (classification) would have allowed breeders to manipulate our indigenous wildlife or game in a similar way that we manipulate livestock for animal production,’ Lizanne Nel, conservation manager at the South African Hunters and Game Conservation Association, told News24.
‘Our indigenous wildlife is part of our natural heritage, and wildlife should stay wild, in nature, and not follow the route of intensive manipulation and domestication as we see with livestock,’
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