The African Lion is under threat like never before. Habitat loss, trophy hunting, and illegal poaching have reduced wild lion populations by 93% in just fifty years, leading the IUCN to list these iconic predators as "Vulnerable" to extinction. That's why I was shocked to learn that South Africa's first Biodiversity Management Plan for lions would encourage the trade in lion bones and recommend that lion populations be downgraded from the status of  "Vulnerable" to "Least Concern"! This "conservation" plan would strip South Africa's lions of the protection that they so desperately need to survive in the wild. Dr. Pieter Kat, a biologist with LionAid, a UK charity working globally to save lions, says that the plan was devised "clearly to facilitate trade, to the detriment of wild lions in South Africa".

South Africa's justification for reducing lion protections is based on bad science. Their Department of Environmental Affairs claims that there are about 1,600 mature individual lions in South Africa, and that when the population tops 1,500, the IUCN’s Red List should change the status of the species. But South Africa does not know how many wild lions there are. The last lion survey was done in Kruger National Park in 2005 - nearly 10 years ago. According to Dr. Kat, “you cannot use [that data] in any management plan as it is well beyond the ‘sell by’ date." And the Management Plan itself admits that truly "wild" lions (those outside of protected reserves) have not been studied at all. Until more research takes place, there just isn't enough information to make a good decision regarding the management of lions.

The proposed Management Plan also makes the claim that the presence of 6,000 captive bred lions within the country means that lion populations are "stable", and that most of the threats faced by other African lions “are not relevant to lions here.” Unfortunately, the vast majority of lions in South Africa are born - and die - in captivity.  Profitable lion "farms" breed the cats en masse, providing unsuspecting tourists the ability to pet, feed, and play with cuddly cubs - and trophy hunters with an easy shot once these lions are grown.

These "farmed" lions will never be released in the wild, and they serve no conservation purpose. The Plan itself admits that they are bred "exclusively to generate money". But conservation plans are meant to protect wild populations - not farm animals. It's ridiculous to apply increases in the population of captive lions to the status of lions in the wild. Dr. Kat believes that this is “..a pure attempt at manipulation of statistics to justify a commercial end.”

Indeed, the worst part of the proposed Management Plan is its suggestion that a legal trade in lion bones is an economically viable activity. South Africa plans to “promote sustainable legal trade in lions and lion products” using a regulated permit system. This is a very dangerous proposition, not only for South Africa's lions, but for all imperiled wildlife. Asian traders are becoming more interested in selling lion bones to fuel the demand for tiger products, which are becoming increasingly rare. South Africa is more than happy to meet this demand, noting in the Management Plan that there has been a tenfold increase in its legal trade of  lion products to Vietnam, Laos and China.

A South African lion breeder can get paid anywhere from $5,000 to $25,000 USD per lion shot, but can boost his earnings by selling a lion skeleton, worth between $1,000 and $2,000, to a Chinese dealer. The skeletons, once boiled into wine and bottled, could reach a value exceeding $20,000. These lion bone traders are often connected to the same criminal syndicates responsible for slaughtering rhinos, elephants, tigers, and other imperiled wildlife. By doing business with these criminals, South Africa is encouraging the poaching and consumption of the world's last tigers, elephants, and rhinos. Dr. Kat warns that “by stimulating an Asian market for lion products, increased demand will affect lions across the continent as they now have value for poachers.”

He points out that there is already significant evidence that lions are being poached for their skins and bones in Zimbabwe and Tanzania, and trophy hunting operators outside South Africa have already been approached to sell the lion bones. It is likely that criminals will figure out how to exploit a "legal" lion bone trade, as they have done in the past with rhinos. The Management Plan itself even mentions that "the lion bone trade may shift from its current base in captive lions to the poaching of wild lions for body parts."

If this Management Plan is accepted, South African's once-mighty Lion will soon become a mere commodity, farmed for profit and found only in hunting ranches.

We cannot let this happen.

Fortunately, South Africa's Department of Environmental Affairs has allowed a public comment period and is encouraging all concerned to submit their comments regarding this Plan. By signing this petition, you'll send an email to the Department of Environmental Affairs telling them that lions should not be of "Least Concern". If wild lions are to survive for future generations, we need to protect them in the wild - not the wine bottle.