EMS FOUNDATION APPEALS FOR AN END TO THE TRADE IN LION BONE

Zoonotic diseases, or those contracted by humans that originated in other species, account for a large share of human infectious illnesses. Mixing species of wild animals increases the risk of diseases mutating and growing more virulent as they spread in unregulated markets.

In cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong there is little sign of markets catering to gourmands seeking “ye Wei” or “wild flavours”. But in provincial cities and in some parts of Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and other South East Asian countries, those determined to eat such exotic dishes can find all sorts of creatures for sale: pangolins, badgers, salamanders scorpions, hedgehogs and wolf puppies.

Lion bones are being used as an alternative to tiger bones in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Tiger Bone Wine has been used in TCM for a thousand years or more for the treatment of rheumatism, although there are no known medicinal properties. Over a thousand lions are killed annually in South Africa for this trade. The trade is not regulated and as is explained in our letter to Minister Creecy there are no health and safety regulations in place. This trade is putting the lives at risk of the South Africans employed in this bizarre trade. As has been clearly demonstrated with the SARS virus and now with the new CORONA virus trading in lion bone with unknown medical consequences is irresponsible to say the least.

The EMS Foundation has written an urgent letter to the Botswana government in order to try and save elephants that are being auctioned in a trophy hunting auction in Gabarone, 7th of February 2020.

BOTSWANA TO SELL SEVEN HUNTING PACKAGES OF TEN ELEPHANTS EACH

The Botswana government has demonstrated to the world that it does not care that elephants play a critical role in maintaining healthy ecological systems, nor does it seem to understand that killing off prime elephant bulls undermines the very basis of its successful ecotourism economy.

The Botswana communities are extremely dissatisfied at the process in which these elephant hunts are being marketed. There was meant to be a tendering process rather than an auction but clearly there is no governance capacity.

The qualifying criteria explicitly excludes tourism operators or Foundations, such as ourselves that do not necessarily want to hunt elephants but do desire to fund non-consumptive conservation in Botswana.

Please read our request to the Director of Wildlife and National Parks in Botswana for a revision of the qualifying criteria to enable us to bid on the hunting packages on the 7th February 2020 with the express intention that the elephants in these packages are not hunted should our bids be successful.

© Copyright EMS Foundation 2020. All rights reserved.

A GUIDE and TOOL by SATSA, The Southern Africa Tourism Services Association. This guide is SATSA’s response to a mandate from the industry facing radical movement against “animals in captivity for human enjoyment”

Download PDF Guide

Photo credit: SATSA

© Copyright EMS Foundation 2019. All rights reserved.

“The state of captive lion breeding in South Africa and the Economics thereof”, by Dr Ross Harvey, econimist.

On the 22nd of October, economist Dr Ross Harvey presented to the Portfolio Committee (PC) an analysis called “Bred for the bullet: Why big cats should not be bred in captivity”, which was a summary of the current state of the predator breeding industry in South Africa in an effort to empower portfolio committee members to hold the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries (DEFF) to account.

16 October 2019

The Zimbabwe National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ZNSPCA) has been denied access to the country’s captive elephants, reportedly about to be sent to captive facilities in China. This suggests that welfare concerns are being ignored. The ZNSCPA is constitutionally permitted to access any part of the country if they suspect cruelty to animals. An urgent chamber application for access is likely to be submitted today.