A country well known for its diverse and beautifully rich wildlife will soon be known as the country who massacres their indigenous and endangered animals.

‘The government has proposed changes to South Africa’s meat safety legislation, suggesting that threatened species such as rhinos, elephants, cheetahs and giraffes end up on dinner plates. In February, it proposed expanding the 35 “domesticated animals” and “wild game species”, the commercial slaughter of which is already regulated under the MSA to a new list of more than 90 local and non-indigenous species. A legislation has already been passed for wild and endangered animals to be farmed and the list of these animals includes: “Cape buffalos, mountain zebras, lions, giraffe, white and black rhinos, cheetahs, a large number of plains game in addition to curiosities like ankole cattle, water buffaloes, Tankwa and veld goats, bulldogs, keeshonds, pugs and rottweilers, as well as all other species of animals not mentioned above, including birds, fish and reptiles that may be slaughtered as food for human and animal consumption”.’

This change in legislation will allow for these wild animals and threatened species to be farmed and slaughtered like domestic farm animals such as cows, goats and sheep. This will allow for the most majestic, wild animals to be reduced to just another product on the market- the animals you were once in complete awe of as kids, will be found on shelves in cans and polystyrene packs when you go to the stores with your kids. The dogs and companions you know and love, who are a part of many families, will soon be sold for human consumption if you don’t act against it. Already endangered animals will be put further at risk, with their lives made to be considered unimportant and dispensable- they will soon go extinct rather than being conserved.

‘We are particularly concerned by the inclusion of threatened species, especially rhinoceros, which have not been typically harvested for meat, and the lack of clarity around how ‘animal products’ are covered by the act, especially in relation to conservation implications due to illegal trade in high-value products.’

If this change is made, it will potentially create zoonotic spillover health risks for humans as well as from wild animals like wildebeest to domesticated animals such as cattle.

We as a country will not stand for this. We call upon government and President Cyril Ramaphosa to protect South Africa’s wildlife. We call upon President Cyril Ramaphosa to make ethical decisions for this country’s future rather than planning its destruction.