photo: Julie Hartz
You just want to cuddle them. You mustn't, of course, because they're dangerous.
Unless they're drugged. Then they can't put up much of a fight, and you can shoot them like tin ducks at a carnival.
This, believe it or not, is an actual sport referred to as "canned lion hunting."
Big, tough heroes, shooting drugged animals. Manly men! Womanly women! Powerful hunters defeating the wild beast!
Sheesh. Somebody's got an ego problem, and it isn't the lions.
There's a lot of information in this post, based on a press release which I've edited. Thanks to Susan Campisi for the information. She's been working tirelessly to organize the March 15th rally in Los Angeles. I hope you can go.
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LOS ANGELES, CA On Saturday, March 15, 2014, over 46 major cities around the world join to rally to raise awareness of the “canned lion” hunting industry in South Africa, to educate the public about how endangered lions are in the wild and to advocate for legislation to protect them.
Speakers at the Los Angeles rally include actress and wildlife advocate Tippi Hedren, Founder and President of the ROAR Foundation and the Shambala Preserve, Martine Colette, Founder and Director of the Wildlife Waystation and designated wild animal expert for the city of Los Angeles, and Matt Rossell, Campaigns Director for Animal Defenders International. Members of The Tokens will sing their ageless 1961 hit song “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.” [The Tokens are not confirmed as of this posting, but there will be music.]
Marchers will walk down Wilshire Blvd in a funeral procession in memory of all the murdered lions to the South African Consulate, then return to the La Brea Tar Pits for the rally.
Canned hunting is a legal practice in South Africa where lions are bred in captivity, trapped within enclosures, then shot and killed as trophies. Lion cubs are hand reared at these murder farms, where unknowing volunteers habituate them to humans. When large enough, these lions are confined, often drugged, and killed by bullet or arrow in canned hunts. Their heads are imported to the US, Europe, and other countries and their bones sold to countries all over Asia for bogus “medicinal purposes.”
Today there are fewer than 4,000 lions left in the wild in South Africa, but more than 8,000 held there in captivity. The demand for lion bones through Asia is posing an increasing threat to wild lions. In 1970 there were 200,000 lions living in the wild around the world; today only about 20,000 remain. Lions will be extinct in less than twenty years if action is not taken today.
People around the world are calling for the South African government to ban canned hunting. Other goals of the global march are to:
Change the listing of lions under the Endangered Species Act from “threatened” to “endangered”
Ban canned lion hunting around the world
End the export of lion bones to China where they are used for “medicinal purposes”
Prohibit the import of lion trophies to USA, EU, and other countries
Educate the public about how threatened lions are in the wild
Advocate for legislation to protect lions
MARCH & RALLY DETAILS
WHEN: Saturday, March 15, 2014 | 11am - 2pm
WHERE: La Brea Tar Pits, 5801 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036. Front of the George C. Page Museum at the lion statue.
DETAILS: The march begins at 11am. Marchers will walk down Wilshire Blvd in a funeral procession in memory of all the murdered lions to the South African Consulate then return for a rally. Rally begins appx. 12:15pm.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Global March for Lions
Campaign Against Canned Hunting, co-founded by Chris Mercer
Los Angeles March for Lions Facebook Event Page (Go here to sign up for the LA march. 247 signed up as of this posting!)
Global March for Lions Facebook Page
Chris Mercer's PSA “Roar For a Cause”
Radio interview with Chris Mercer about Canned Hunting
Global March For Lions – Trailer Documentary Short
Tippi Hedren’s ROAR Foundation
Animal Defenders International
Martine’ Colette’s Wildlife Waystation
The Token’s hit song “The Lion Sleeps Tonight”
The Tokens
Background on the song The Lion Sleeps Tonight, written by South African Solomon Linda
BACKGROUND
Tourists Lured to South Africa to Take Part in Shameful Trophy Hunts
Why Are We Still Hunting Lions?
Threat to Conservation: Lion Bone Trade on Rise
Canned Hunting: The Lions Bred for Slaughter
Louis Theroux’s BBC show “What’s the Value of a Lion?”
Fish in a Barrel, Lions in a Cage
The Captive Wildlife Safety Act
