It took two days to track and capture the seven starving lions, five males and two females, after they were spotted scouring for food in local villages.
JON LOCKETT: Emaciated lions broke free from cages at a game reserve in South Africa which breeds animals to be shot by wealthy trophy hunters. Cops took two days to track and capture seven big cats – five males and two females – after they were spotted scouring for food in local villages… The country’s leading animal welfare organisation confirmed it was currently bringing charges against the park’s owner Walter Slippers. He has repeatedly been investigated over allegations he keeps the animals in squalid conditions. Slippers reportedly has 72 lions on his farm where he is said to feed them a giraffe every two to three weeks. The shocking case highlights a lack of monitoring of the highly-controversial captive lion industry, say campaigners…
Douglas Wolhuter, from the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NSPCA), said Slippers should never have been given a permit to keep big cats in the first place. “Not only was the fencing wholly inadequate but the welfare of these animals has consistently been compromised,” he said… Animal welfare group, Four Paws, is one of the organisations working to put an end to the captive lion industry… They even have their own sanctuary called LionsRock which is dedicated to rescuing abused lions and other big cats. There are around 260 farms across South Africa that breed lions purely to satisfy the desires of wealthy hunters. And every year, thousands of tourists travel to the region just to kill exotic animals and take home their carcass as a trophy. SOURCE…
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