The documentary Blood Lions exposes South Africa’s controversial “canned” lion hunting industry. In canned hunts, captive-bred, often hand-reared lions are confined in enclosed spaces on private hunting reserves, guaranteeing marksmen easy trophy heads in exchange for fees of up to $50,000. With approximately 8,000 “ranch” lions to draw on, South Africa’s hunt operators can make […]
Tag: canned hunting
POLL: Can lion trophy hunting support conservation?
The recent illegal killing of Cecil, one of Africa’s most famous lions, has increased calls to outlaw trophy hunting. It’s also caused some in the hunting community to reevaluate their positions on the contentious issue, even as other hunters dig in and say killing individual animals can help the wider population. A number of mainstream […]
POLL: Should lion canned hunting be banned?
Up to 7,000 lions are living behind bars in South Africa. Raised in captivity on private breeding farms and hunting “reserves,” some of these animals are petted as cubs by tourists, who can also walk alongside or even feed more mature lions. Eventually, many are shot in “canned” hunts, in which lions are pursued and […]
Will Big Game Hunters Trade Bullets for Tranquilizer Darts?
On a cold morning in late February, Chip Wagner stalked an African bongo, an endangered antelope with a striking striped coat. Only Wagner wasn’t in Africa; he was on a hilly game ranch in South Texas. And he wasn’t using his usual bow, but a dart gun, which he had never shot before. “It’s like […]
POLL: Should lion canned hunting be banned in South Africa?
International indignation over the canned hunting of lions in SA is growing, writes Martina Polley. Lions are majestic animals, the alpha predators of the African bush. We think of them as roaming wild and free across the plains. But this is far from the reality. South Africa has a population of about 2750 lions in national […]