Canned hunting is a reality in South Africa. Blood Lions blew the lid on this industry in a documentary in 2015. Now Lord Michael Ashcroft has recently released a short film and book titled Unfair Game exposing the reality of lion farms in the country.
Blood Lions estimates that currently, ‘anywhere between 8 000 and 10 000 predators, possibly more, are being held in small enclosures on almost 300 captive predator facilities across the country,’ according to their website.
‘How long can South Africa and Asia afford to ignore these serious public health warnings?’ asks Ashcroft. He posed the question in light of the coronavirus pandemic and in reference to experts warning of a major public health incident looming in South Africa and Asia as a result of the canned hunting trade.
Watch Unfair Game below. Viewer discretion is advised as the footage contains graphic content.
Humane Society International (HSI) recently released data on global imports of lion trophies. The information revealed that between 2017 and 2018, the European Union imported the most lion trophies than anywhere else in the world.
HSI’s analysis of the CITES trade data shows that between 2017 and 2018, the European Union imported more lion trophies (406 lion trophies in total) than the United States (150 lion trophies total).
Unfair Game is now available for order, and as an e-book in South Africa.
Also read:
Image credit: Screenshot from Unfair Game
