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Unlocking the Cage on Canned Hunting: An interview with Blood Lions's Pippa Hankinson


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Reproduction thanks to Pippa Hankinson ©Roger and Pat de la Harpe Photography.



Previously, in the blog post “In a Cage the Lion Sleeps Tonight”[1], I looked into the canned hunting industry in South Africa, the industry which sees around 3 times more lions in captivity than the wild, subjected to horrific conditions and brutal ends to their short lives by hunter’s bullets for the profit of a lion farmer. I explained how one of the reasons for the prevalence of this industry is due to the legislative gaps, which in turn creates enforcement issues. However, as quoted previously, “just because the lion doesn't roar, doesn't mean it is sleeping”, and in Blood Lions’s Pippa Hankinson we can certainly find this quote to be true. Pippa kindly allowed me to do an interview with her to talk about her important and inspiring work at the charity Blood Lions. As someone who has been at the very forefront of the canned hunting industry, Pippa is one of the best people to help us to understand how exactly we can unlock the cages for these lions and to educate ourselves further on this issue.


Blood Lions: A Background:

Blood Lions was started after Pippa Hankinson visited a private lion breeding farm to understand more about the canned hunting industry. Her findings were so “disturb[ing]” that Pippa had to take action. With the help of talented people and kind supporters, Pippa and her team put together the documentary Blood Lions®, which she explains about below. Since then Blood Lions has grown into a world recognised charity, with a successful campaign- The Blood Lions Campaign- A Call to Action, which has raised the alarm on the canned hunting industry and has opened the eyes of many people to the horrors lions in South Africa are facing.


Pippa’s perspective on canned hunting:

1. What do you think is the main driver for the continued growth of the canned lion hunting industry? 

“The canned hunting industry grew because of an increased demand for quick, affordable hunting ‘holidays’ after which the client was guaranteed - in just four days - to leave with his or her lion trophy. In our short clip entitled ‘What is Canned Hunting’, Paul Stones, CPHC-SA (Custodians of Professional Hunting & Conservation),mentions that a genuine wild lion hunt in Africa costs in both time and money, so in order to make it affordable and to “speed things up they created these breeding practices where lions are raised and released, and these hunts take place in a far shorter time period”.

Thanks to the incredible support of our partners and organisations all over the world, the good news is that the canned lion hunting industry has apparently declined in the last four years. Having said that, the practice of captive breeding of lions and other predators has increased due to other exploitative activities. These include interactive tourism activities such as cub petting and “walking with lions”, as well as the rapidly increasing demand for the body parts of these magnificent creatures to be exported to SE Asia to supplement the “tiger bone industry”. Their bones are used in traditional medicines such as “tiger bone wine” and “tiger bone cake”, as well as for “tiger bone jewellery”.”


2. What do you think is the perception of the industry within South Africa and abroad, and why? 

“There is a growing group of both national and international professional hunting, conservation and tourism organizations who are opposed to captive predator breeding, and who would like to see the industry closed.

From a hunting perspective, canned hunting is considered unethical by many hunters, hunting bodies and hunting conventions around the world. As there is no chance of “fair chase”, captive bred lions cannot evade the hunters as they might be able to in the wild. In the last two years, we have seen South African (canned) hunting organizations expelled from hunting bodies in Europe and the USA, and they have also been prohibited from exhibiting or selling their hunts at many of the international hunting fairs. We saw a breakaway from the Professional Hunting Association of South Africa in 2017 due to PHASA’s supportive stance on canned hunting. Many of their key members resigned to establish The Custodians of Professional Hunting & Conservation – South Africa (CPHC-SA) in order to distance themselves from the captive hunting industry, and to “promote ethical and responsible hunting” instead.

Moreover, recognised international conservation organisations, including the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature), Panthera in the USA and the ALWG (African Lion Working Group) have all stated in no uncertain terms that the “breeding and hunting of lions has no conservation value”, and that it should be stopped. Many believe that the industry actually increases demand, which in turn exacerbates poaching and the illegal trade in live animals and body parts. World Animal Protection recently released a report in which their research showed that users prefer bones sourced from “wild” animals, as opposed to those from captive bred populations.

Similarly, key global tourism bodies have also come out strongly that cub petting and ‘lion walking’ are amongst the wildlife tourism activities which are considered to be unethical and therefore avoided. Pages 20 to 24 of the recently published SATSA Captive Wildlife Tourism Guidelinesand Tools draw a clear “line in the sand” around what sort of wildlife tourism is ethically and morally acceptable, and what is not.”


3. What is the most challenging thing about trying to face such a difficult industry, especially given your difficult role in filming the documentary Blood Lions? 

“At a national level, one the most challenging things about this industry is that the industry has not been officially audited or properly regulated. In spite of mounting pressure from around the world, the breeding industry remains legal in South Africa.

Regardless of the Promotion of Access to Information Act, 2000 (which give the public the constitutional right of access to any information held by the State) obtainingreliable and accurate information and statistics is virtually impossible. Most of the relevant departments either do not respond or the enquirer is fobbed, with the result that most PAIA requests come to naught. When filming we had no option but to rely on information provided in previous reports and/or by our interviewees.”


4. Do you think weak legislation is one of the main factors in the growth of the canned hunting industry and do you think legislative change would be realistic, or even successful in restricting, and hopefully ending the industry? 

“Inadequate legislation certainly plays a critically important role, as is evident in the examples discussed above. There is no doubt that industry should be properly audited and regulated by government and the provinces, who allow this industry to proliferate.

South Africa currently has approximately three times more lions in captivity than in the wild. Although the number has been officially stated as being 7 979, it is widely estimated that there could be as many as 10,000 to 12 000 lions and tigers being held across the country. These animals are kept in small enclosures on what has been recorded as 366 captive breeding farms. Initiating a ban on the breedingof lions and tigers in captivity would mean that no additional animals would be introduced, thereby working towards ending the industry over time.

The welfare of wild animals bred in captivity in South Africa falls between the “legislative cracks” i.e. between the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries (DEFF) which legislates according to biodiversity objectives, and the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) which legislates primarily around the welfare of farmed animals. The mandate for the welfare of wild animalsin captivity falls to the NSPCA Wildlife Protection Unit which has little support and extremely limited resources, with only three Wildlife Officers to monitor the industry country-wide.

Furthermore in May 2019, the then Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries issued an Amendmentto the Animal Improvement Act, 62 of 1998, which now includes 33 wild mammal species under these regulations. This Amendment effectively makes it possible to treat iconic species including rhino, lion, cheetah and giraffe in the same manner as farm animals such as cows and sheep. The decision to amend the AIA has raised alarm bells for a number of reasons, including the fact that it was not made in collaboration with DEFF, or through any type of public participation process.

For species such as lion and rhino, it would seem that this Amendment will play right into the hands of unscrupulous wildlife breeders, many of whom are involved in the lion bone trade, and rhino horn trade.  According to Dr Ross Harvey, the inclusion of these animals in the AIA is of further concern as the Act does not govern how they should be slaughtered, or what kinds of health or welfare considerations will be observed.”

5. How did Blood Lions come into being, what spurred you into action to take on such a difficult challenge? 

“The motivation to make the Blood Lions® film came some years ago when I visited a captive lion breeding farm in South Africa for the first time. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but was horrified to discover nearly 100 of our most majestic and iconic of wild species being held captive in rows of small enclosures in shocking conditions. It was clear that the lions were being mass-bred.. The stress of the animals was palpable and it was clear that very few welfare or conservation protocols were being adhered to. Even to my inexperienced eye, inbreeding was evident, with many of the animals displaying physical abnormalities.

On returning home, I immediately set out to find out more about the predator breeding industry, and what was going on behind the high fences of the farms hidden away from public scrutiny. It quickly became apparent that few people were aware of the full extent of the industry, and I felt strongly that the world needed to know. A film seemed to be the most expedient way to create global awareness around what I perceived as being total exploitation. I was not a film maker by profession, so I knew I needed a very special team who not only had the skills to help me, but who also shared my vision.

A small but incredibly passionate and dedicated team came together and we immediately started filming. Working tirelessly for two and a half years, we travelled around South Africa visiting numerous captive predator breeding farms, and conducting interviews with experts linked to all aspects of the industry. Since the Blood Lions Premierin 2015, the TV version of the documentary has been aired in approximately 180 territories/countries around the world, and is available globally on DVD and VOD.”


6. What has the public perception of Blood Lions the film been as a whole? What reviews have you had both positive and negative from differing groups of people? 

“Blood Lions has had an overwhelmingly positive response from the global public. The number of supporters on our Facebook page now exceeds 90,000, and the film – together with our combined digital media platforms - has reached millions of people around the world. To date, we have received close to R54m in pro bono media coverage in just four and a half years, which is amazing. Of course, those who support captive predator breeding, or have vested interests in the industry, have attempted to discredit both the film and members of the team.

When I started my research for the documentary, I found most people that I spoke to had little knowledge about the captive lion breeding industry in South Africa, and those who did know about it (and in some instances even visited the petting/walking facilities) were horrified to think they had been duped into believing they were visiting or supporting bona fide conservation projects.

Two classic examples of this type of messaging are a) that “the cubs are orphaned” and that b) “the older lions will be rehabilitated into reserves”. However, as we know, cubs are forcibly removed within a few days of birth to encourage the mothers to go back into estrus. This practice enables them to breed up to five times more often than lionesses in the wild Furthermore, to our knowledge, no captive bred, human habituated lions have ever been successfully “re-wilded” into completely natural habitats.”


7. What is the most fulfilling part of being a part of Blood Lions and being a part of the documentary? 

“The most fulfilling part of being part of Blood Lions is that I have learnt… and continue to learn… so much. It has been an honour to work with my production and campaign colleagues, as well as our global partners. I am continually inspired and humbled by their passion, dedication and commitment, and grateful for their energy and unstinting support.

Despite numerous challenges, it is also hugely gratifying to know that together we have been instrumental in giving these majestic creature a “voice”. Global awareness is growing exponentially, and visitors and volunteers are becoming more and more equipped to make responsible choices when visiting our beautiful country. There is no doubt the “tide” is turning, and the world is moving away from all forms of unethical tourism and hunting practices.”


8. If you can single out the most frustrating part of working on the documentary what would it be? 

“The most frustrating part of working on the documentary was three-fold. Firstly the frustration and horror of seeing our most iconic of wild species reduced to a mere commodity in what were mostly appalling conditions with little regard for welfare or conservation protocols. Secondly the obstruction by many of the breeding farms was very challenging, as was the inability to access reliable and accurate information. The industry is tightly knit, and this was clearly illustrated when the manager of the first farm we visited phoned the neighbouring farms to encourage them to refuse us the right of entry - despite visible tourism signs welcoming visitors listing their daily activities and entrance fees. “


9. What can people do to help? 

There are many ways which we ask the public to help spread our ‘message’, including:

2. Not to support facilities that breed, trade or allow exploitative human/wildlife interactions;

3. To sponsor bona fide scientific projects conserving lions in the wild;

4. To follow Blood Lions on our social media platforms and tell everyone what you have learnt;

5. To contact us if you would like to host a screening of the Blood Lions film;

6. To report any exploitative activities with captive animals that you know of;

7. Todonateto the Blood Lions campaign

8. To sign:

- our “YouthForLions”Pledge (if you are under 35 years)

- our “BornToLiveWild”Pledge (if you are a tourism organisation)



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10. Any other comment you would like to make regarding the work of Blood Lions and the canned lion hunting industry. 

“I would like to thank all our global colleagues and partners who work alongside us so tirelessly to end this industry. Together, we will continue to raise awareness with the aim of reducing the demand for canned lion trophies and lion bone products, as well as exploitative tourism activities such as cub petting and ‘walking with lions’. We urge those who do not know about this industry to visit our website, social media platforms and YouTube channel for more information and for up to date news:


“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter”: I cannot express how grateful I am to Pippa for the time she has taken out of her busy and demanding schedule to provide such detailed, thoughtful and helpful answers to all of the questions which I sent over. I have learnt a lot from Pippa’s answers, and I hope that that can be true for all who take the time to read this blog. Pippa took herself out of her comfort zone, knowing that she needed to know more and understand more in order to make positive change for the lions we all see as the Kings of Pride Rock and the savannahs. Without people like Pippa, we would not have the positive change that these lions so desperately depend on us for. So please, take a few minutes from your day and sign the Blood Lion’s petition, read some of the materials Pippa has so kindly provided and be the change you want to see in the world. As my life quote says (and my About page too!), “small ripples of kindness turn into great waves” and one of Pippa’s favourites “our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter”, so now is the time for us to find our collective roar and use it to make change.


 
 
 

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