South Africa Closing on Lion

[archeryblackdog]

Hello to everyone, I am new to the Website and this is my 1st post, I do have spend some time now browsing the site as an observer and I have found alot of useful information as well as many interesting opinions. I am sure that I am posting this question in the wrong forum if so please forgive my lack of knowlage on the forum and let me know where to relocate it to.

I have gone safari hunting once (which is something that I alooked forward to for 30 years) and I am going for the second time early next year, on my first safari i was very lucky and for my second safari i was really looking to emphasis all my energies towards a Lion.

My outfitter called me a couple of weeks ago saying that they will close or that they are closing Lion Hunting in South Africa, and therefore I shall really look at making my hunt early in the year before all oportunities are gone.

I tried to look up information about the matter but I have not been able to locate any, do anyone have any insides of the actual facts?

Thanks for all your input!!

 

[enysse]

That isn't exactly true. They are working things through the court system...but as I understand it now...lions have to be released in the fence area for 2 years before you can hunt it. The problem there is that the lion could escape (lose of income $22,000 for a male, $6000+ for a female lion), plus all the plains game animals you have to feed them for 2 years. A lot of operators are going to quite raising pen lions.

The funny thing is most PH's are happy to get rid of these hunts. It raises the lion price up big time and they can make more money.The people that continue raising lions and releasing them with very good fences are going to really make out if the lion doesn't go on the CITES list and exports are stopped. I may take hits for saying this but it's pure greed.... If people wanted a lion and didn't want to pay a arm and leg to hunt....and wanted to complete the Big 5 the pen way was a good way to do it. I had no interest but a lot of people stuck on the "Big 5" did.

Anyway getting rid of animals...just so a few can make more money...because they have less competition...SUCKS!!!:shocked:

 

[LouisB]

Enysse you are right about your comment about the procedure they are following with the matter. It will still take some time but I think it is very bad for Lions in general.

If we stop the breeding of Lions to hunt on 4000 ha of property we will put a lot of pressure on the Wild Lions so this will lead to better prices for the hunts yes but there is another side to the story. Don’t get me wrong I am the first guy to say hunting a totally wild lion is worth every penny it is an experience that you can’t actually buy with money, but I feel that we are looking at this all wrong maybe the captive Lions are doing the species a serves? There are just not enough Lions to go around and that is a fact.

What happens to the wild population? We put the wild lions under a great amount of pressure and over hunting will defiantly be a result in some countries.

I say leave the bread Lions alone they serve a purpose, they protect the wild ones and make sure that there will always be places like Zambia and Tanzania with good healthy wild lion populations. So is this really in the best interest of all Lions, Bread and Wild?

 

[enysse]

I agree whole heartly Louis there are not enough lions to go around. It's a law of supply and demand...and there are not enough out there to meet the demand. And for the record I've heard hunting lion on foot in an enclosure can be tough hunt. An raising lions in enclosure can take the pressure off the wild lions. The fact that this law was changed over greed and money.....and not what was best for the lions bothers me the most.

 

[LouisB]

That is the sad times we are living in enysse we can't do too much about it I am afraid.

Hunting a Lion on a 4000 ha farm can be very much of a challenge from what I have heard from some of the experienced SA PH's would have to say I have not done a hunt like that myself but if done properly I would like to experience it.

Hunting the big cat's in Zambia last year has got me a bit spoiled but it is only for the reason that we have the captive ones that there still are places in this world left to hunt them in the wild. This is a sad day for all Lions I feel captive or wild.

A lot of people will lose their jobs, captive lions will be euthanized because of the fact and wild Lion's will get a lot of attention to their detriment.:thumbdown: