One of the most mind-blowing things about South Africa is its wildlife. Have you ever watched the National Geographic channel on TV? It’s like that, but with the added thrill of getting malaria (for real- if you go to Kruger Park, take malaria medication). There are kabillions (rough estimate- I’m not so good with numbers) of different animal species to see, but the Big 5 captivate most visitors. For those of you not familiar with the term, the Big 5 are elephant, cape buffalo, leopard, lion, and rhino. Some people add hippos to make it the Big 6. The term was coined by early European hunters in the area, who deemed these animals the most dangerous to hunt. All of these animals will kill the hell out of you if luck isn’t in your favour. I’ve been charged by elephants several times, and once by an angry hippo on the Zambezi River, so if you think it’s just PEOPLE who don’t like me, guess again. Anyway, because people are people, of course someone at some point in history said, “Those insanely dangerous animals are dope. But know what would be even DOPER? Let’s try to tame some of these motherlovers and let people touch the crap out of them.” And from there, the animal interaction industry in South Africa was born.
When we first arrived in South Africa, we immediately found out about several places that would let us interact with animals. And not just ANY animals- freaking LION animals. On literally our first day here, we sped to the Lion Park to overdose on cute. You didn’t think they’d let us pet ADULT lions, did you? That’s ridiculous. More about the adult lions later. The Lion Park delivered exactly what we were expecting- we got to cuddle and hold a ridiculously adorable lion cub. This is something we didn’t get to do every day in Canada. Cool. Coolcoolcool.
Less than a month later, we heard about the Elephant Sanctuary. Are you kidding me? We’d get to interact with ANOTHER one of the Big 5, and this time, fully grown? Count me in! We went and got to touch, stand beside, and take pictures with a completely docile giant. We opted not to ride on them, even though that was an option, because we’d heard somewhere that riding on them was kinda bad somehow. Cool. Coolcoolcool.
Here’s the thing though: we screwed up. And here’s why.
You Can Pet A Lion Cub- But You Really Shouldn’t
Have you ever heard the term “canned hunting?” Basically, it’s when docile animals who are accustomed to humans are released into larger enclosures and then “hunted” by people for huge sums of money. Lions are the primary target of this kind of hunting. And yes, while even a lion who is used to people can handily kill the crap out of a human, they typically don’t have the inherent fear of humans that truly wild lions do, meaning they are much easier to find and shoot. But these are BIG lions. What does this have to do with petting lion cubs?
Well, those cuddly little cubs at petting facilities usually end up getting their asses shot. There’s the connection. Big lions are grown out of little lions. There needs to be a constant supply of big lions, because science generally dictates that something can be killed only once. Luckily, there is no shortage of tourists who are willing to pay to hang out today with tomorrow’s target.
Dang.
And before I come across as some kinda sissy, know that I support hunting. Real hunting. Free range hunting. You know, where an animal isn’t accustomed to humans and can escape (I know that some people will send me angry messages for that, but whatever. It’s the internet. You’ll find something else that will outrage you even more in less than two minutes). But raising lions for hunting is all kinds of problematic. The cubs are removed from their mothers far too early. The mothers are treated like breeding machines, pumping out cubs far more often than they would in the wild. And when they dry up and can’t have any more cubs, guess what happens? That’s right, they get to live out their lives peacefully on a retirement farm. Hahahaha. Actually, they promptly get sent off for discount hunts, because just like in the human world, females aren’t nearly as valuable as males.
And let’s see…what else? Oh, the cubs are traumatized because they aren’t able to relax properly. There is no scientific evidence that handling lions contributes to conservation. Captive bred lions aren’t able to be released into the wild. And there is no evidence to support the notion that allowing people to shoot captive-bred lions prevents wild lions from being shot. The list goes on and on. But don’t take my word for it- you can read about it yourself here, and here.
What About Elephant Interactions Though?
Ya, what ABOUT those. Certainly THEY aren’t part of the canned hunting industry. Correct- they aren’t! Instead, the elephants that you get to touch and ride are subjected to physical torture at LEAST to get them trained, then emotional torture for the rest of their long, long lives. Cool. Coolcoolcool.
Know why elephants let us touch them and ride them? It’s not because they’re domesticated or tame. It’s because they’re scared of getting hurt. In no way do these animals get to exhibit normal behaviour, which is to ignore us or to trample the begeebers out of us. I could go on and on, but several websites do that much better than I could. You can read more about it here, here, and here.
We had friends visiting us in October. The idea of an elephant interaction came up, and my 7-year-old son said: “but it’s SO much better to see them in the wild where they’re happier!” If a young kid can realize this, so can we.
I mean, you COULD pay the money to interact with a sad, abused elephant, or you could go see them in their truly natural state, which I can tell you from experience is MUCH more exciting.
We didn’t touch him. But he ALMOST touched us.
So Now What?
Still want to see animals? No problem. Kruger Park is chock full of em. So is Pilanesberg. And there are tons of other places to see animals in their natural habitat- Google can help direct you.
If you’re dead set on seeing big cats, there are still options for you. Both Panthera Africa and Big Cat Sanctuary Lionsrock run true rescue operations. You just won’t be able to touch the cats.
And as if all that isn’t enough to convince you, TripAdvisor has now stopped selling tickets to attractions that let tourists interact with wild animals, and even Tourism South Africa has openly condemned animal interactions.
To wrap things up, here’s a couple of lists for you:
Animals You Should Interact With
- Dogs
- Cats
- Your kids (sometimes)
- Bunnies
Animals You Shouldn’t Interact With
- Lions
- Sharks
- T-Rexes
- Your kids (sometimes)
- Elephants
- Most of them
So yes, like I said, we screwed up. I can’t change the fact that I contributed to the animal interaction industry, but I can definitely not do it again. And I can have better experiences seeing these animals in the wild, which is exactly what I did with all of the below pictures. Enjoy!
Didn’t pet it.
Also did not pet.
Not gonna lie. Totally wanted to pet.
Too stabby to pet.
Hard pass on the pet.
Too stompy to pet.
Totally hugged. Didn’t regret.
Too horny to pet. Didn’t wanna lead him on.
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Really love this article, as I too have made the mistake of supporting these petting zoo’s .
I did a lion walk @ https://www.zorgfontein.co.za and its really worth it. The lions are well treated and left to roam freely too.
I would recommend the earliest slot, as many people do not book and you end up with a private tour at normal rates.
I can tell your kids are really going to miss SA when you come back.
My kids will definitely miss this place, as will I!
I don’t want to be a Debbie Downer, but any place that offers lion walks is part of the problem. I’m sure it’s an amazing experience, but the lions used for these walks are generally part of the canned hunting cycle. You can read about it here: http://www.cannedlion.org/lion-walks.html
There’s a ton more online about the negative aspects of lion walks.
I definitely don’t want to come across as preaching! I just want the right information out there.
Thanks for taking the time to read the post!
Hi Zorgfontein is not an ethical place to touch animals. In fact it’s the opposite. Please don’t do animal interactions
That would imply that there are ethical places to touch wild animals. I think not.
Love reading your blogs .. keep the adventures coming!
Thanks Shannon! As long as I’m here, I’ll keep posting!
Fantastic! I learned something and shared it on my page. Really enjoy your posts. –
Thanks Jeff- I’ve definitely learned a lot about the industry since I first arrived- pretty eye opening for sure!
Nice to read a humorous post about canned hunting and not an overzealous one as I have gotten on my Facebook page before:-)
I’ll have to read up on the elephant story though. It was my impressions that the elephants at the elephant sanctuary weren’t put there as a tourist attraction, but rather ended up there because they were abused or “difficult” or whatever elsewhere, and this was a place where they could live in peace, as in “sanctuary.” Would hate to stand corrected as I did love being “kissed” by an elephant on my birthday the time we went there…
Oh man, I hate to be a bubble burster, but no matter how the elephants may have ended up there, the way they are treated is incredibly cruel. I can help you with sorting through the info. This document is very thorough: https://nspca.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/welfare-of-elephants-in-captivity-in-south-africa-jun-2015.pdf
Look through pages 8-13 that talk about the different types of contact and what facilities use. Elephant Sanctuary uses free contact- which is bad.
Then pages 26-27 talks about the effects of elephant back riding, which Elephant Sanctuary does. The whole document is very enlightening, but those pages are super relevant.
In short, ANY facility that lets you interact with wild animals is a bit of a bummer. Wish I had happier news!
Thanks Phil. I will update my ancient blog post about the Elephant Sanctuary to that effect and post a link to this article. Yes, big bubble buster, but thanks:-)
Good post – no more blood lions
Agreed- it’s crazy that this kind of thing goes on right under our noses.
Another true rescue lion park one can visit is Drakenstein Lion Park. It is close to Paarl/Franschhoek. Reasonably price (-+ R50). Every lion has a history about where they were saved from. A lot of then saved from the international circus industry. They are doing great work! Obviously always in need of support, volunteers or donations. Every visitor’s fee contribute…nice educational outing for families! http://lionrescue.org.za/
Thanks for this, Rita- I checked them out and they’re the real deal. Good to know!
Great post. Thank you!
Thanks for this! Lions Rock rocks! Emoya Big Cat Sanctuary is another great place where abused lions go to retire.
I enjoyed this post so much, because you have raised an important subject, which so many people know too little about. If through your post you have made people more aware of just how unethical wild animal interaction of this type (petting) is, then you will have made a contribution towards protecting lions from exploitation. The more people are made aware of the fact that a petted lion cub WILL be destined to either a life of permanent captivity or death by hunter’s bullet, the more people will shun these places. With no income these petting ‘zoos’ will no longer be able to exist. However don’t be fooled into thinking that if you are no longer able to pet a lion cub anywhere, that they won’t still be bred in captivity for the hunt! The public is simply not allowed into these breeding facilities. Since lions are NOT on the endangered list, it is unnecessary to breed them in captivity, so people should be suspicious of any place that breeds lions, or accepts lion cubs that have been bred in captivity. (I am not talking about the centres that properly look after rescued lions. Those places HAVE to exist for the sake of the future well-being of abused lions, and they also depend largely on donations.)
I, too, handled a little lion cub many years ago at the Lion Park. When I look at the photo now I am quite ashamed, because I NOW know of the lot of that poor little cub. But, at the time, I didn’t know better. No-one was telling me then that my enjoyment of holding a cute lion cub was actually stripping that animal of its wildness. That my brief pleasure would lead to a lonely existence for the lion, if not its unnatural and premature death at the hand of another human being.
The ONLY two options available for these lions are a life of permanent captivity or the hunter’s bullet. The cubs are taken from their mothers when very young, so never learn how to become completely self-sufficient hunters, or be part of a pride.
However, people should not be put off visiting or volunteering at ethical wildlife rescue centres. In Pretoria, for example, Rietvlei Nature Reserve has a lion enclosure where the public can get very close to the rescued lions, and watch them from a game viewing vehicle (you cannot drive to the enclosure yourself – you need to book a tour). They do not allow the lions to be ‘petted’.
If people want to become more intimately involved with wildlife conservation there are excellent ethical centres such as Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre and Moholoholo near Kruger Park. In the Eastern Cape the luxury private wildlife reserve, Shamwari, has excellent wildlife conservation programmes for volunteers. The (British) Born Free Foundation has a sanctuary at Shamwari, and in the past lions rescued from zoos oversees have been sent to feel the African soil under their paws and the sun on their backs for the remainder of their lives.
The Anne van Dijk Cheetah Centre to the north west of Pretoria (near Hartebeespoort Dam) is also a great place to visit – they breed, amongst others, cheetah and wild dog – both Endangered. In Namibia there is the well-known Cheetah Conservation Fund, founder and director being American live-in conservationist Dr Laurie Marker.
Thanks Phil. Met your mom last week and saw her Africa album, as we are going to Kruger in May. Just starting to check out your blog but enjoyed this article. Lion petting is definitely not on our agenda. Was thinking about the David Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage in Nairobi though. How legitimate is it that these animals are released back into the wild after so much human contact?
I had never heard of the orphanage, but I did a quick google search, and it seems pretty legit. Unless I hear differently, I would think it’s a good place to support!
We visited there in 2011. The most amazing place. I adopted an elephant ($50 a year and they send you updates on progress, pics, extracts from the keepers’ diaries, etc). Adopted another two for my mom and a friend for their Xmas presents for few years. They progress the orphan ellies from the Nairobi nursery to other areas of Kenya when they’re old enough to start the reintroduction process. It takes years for them to be fully integrated. I think the most incredible thing about it all is the dedication of the keepers. They literally give up their personal lives to save the orphans. They sleep next to them in the nursery shelters at night and when the time comes, they move with them to the other side of the country to be with them for the years it takes for them to be fully in the wild again. And there are so many stories of ex-orphans coming back to say hello-sometimes just checking in or coming for a top up of food or water in a drought, but often to get help and healing from a poachers arrow, or, most incredibly, to proudly show off their newborn wild born baby to their human family. Just an amazing organisation. 🙂
That sounds so great! I’d love to check it out one day.
Great post and so needed! People have no idea what they’re supporting. I’m a biologist living in Senegal and we have 2 lion walk facilities here, Bandia Reserve and Fathala, both owned by the same family. I try my best to educate people about what they’re supporting and will share your blog. Keep posting!
I really enjoy your writing style and humor.
Having founded two wildlife sanctuaries (vehemently opposing animal interaction) which I managed for many years I believe I have a good understanding of this industry as a whole. I call it an industry because it is exactly that, an industry built on wildlife products, with fierce competition…and believe me when I say that there are no rules when attempting to eliminate competition…nothing is sacred…not even the animals…it is all business and profits.
A few years ago I had a serious fall out with the CEO of a sanctuary group which are very vocal and anti any form of animal interaction. This group operates under the umbrella of a Non Profit Company but with closer inspection, their sanctuaries are all registered Pty Ltd`s and registered as profit generating businesses. Their annual financials are not open to public scrutiny, because they are profit orientated, they do not contribute to conservation and quite frankly they are using the “hands off, anti animal interaction” activism approach as a marketing tool. It is a business decision…nothing to do with animal welfare.
Same goes for the makers of a film about the horrors of canned hunting. No new evidence was shown, it was all old footage and same old info…but it brought a lot of fame to the film maker and as a result saved his failing tourism overland company…not a single cent to date has been utilized to save a single animal from canned hunting.
During the past two years, I investigated many of the animal rights activism orgs, and without exception they are exploiting animal welfare , human emotion and blatant lies as a way to generate substantial income either directly or from spin off businesses. Let me be frank, these orgs and individuals cannot afford the closing down of animal interaction facilities…their existence relies solely on waging war on the animal interaction facilities and the latter receive tons of free media exposure. Both ways…it is big business driven by profits!
What is of more concern is that activists are not afraid to use blatant lies to rile up emotion of supporters, not a single animal rights activism org or individual contributes or are involved in conservation projects, their claims are not backed by fact, research or science, their financials are a closed book and they spend none to very little time in the field doing their research.
Believe me when I say…both sides lie their asses off to generate business. The interaction facility will tell you the animals go back to the wild, which is seldom if at all true. The activists will tell you lion cubs and sub adults on walks, will go the canned hunting industry. This is not true, the Predator Breeders Association and hunting orgs forbid animals from petting or zoos be used in hunting operations.
Yes, elephant training methods were terrible in the past…but the past few years it has been subjected to scrutiny and new Norms and Standards prohibits any cruel training methods.
I am not pro any form of animal exploitation, but I have worked with lions, tigers, jaguars, cheetah, leopard, elephant, rhino and almost all species of wildlife in captive situations and my experience has taught me that some animals enjoy interaction with humans…and some not.
I can not bring myself to make peace with lion breeding farms, but my research has proven that genetics bred at some of these farms exceed that of wild populations by far, it is a scientific fact…and a group of 5 captive bred lions have been released into the wild in a research project in Angola. They are hunting and fully self sufficient.
What to do:
My advice to a visitor to any wildlife facility, offering interaction or opposed to it, is to get yourself updated with the 5 Freedoms of wildlife to ensure that animals are treated correctly…and then make the decision to support or not. Do not believe the stories dished up by either side…look at the animals, look at the people working at the facility, is their a mutual respect between the guide and the animal. If a lion or jaguar etc charges the guide/s or show signs of unprovoked aggression, then your guide is a dishonest bullshitter. Don`t fall for reputations of people, managers, guides…look at their relationships with all the animals and the reaction of the animals towards them…and then make your decision.
My 5 cents worth.
Thanks so much for the detailed and balanced comment! I definitely agree that it’s incumbent on tourists to research the places they’re going to spend their money on. So many unethical businesses all over the world.
Do you have any intel on UKUTULA ?
Read so many thing good & bad that i find very hard to judge as an outsider…
They claim to definitely not support / provide
lions for canned hunt.
But who wouldn‘t say that…
Oh man, I looked into that place a short while ago. The owner claims that they don’t breed for the canned hunting industry, but they can’t explain what happens to all their cubs that grow up. And if you do a quick Google search, all kinds of nasty stuff comes up. I’d totally avoid that place.
Wild animals are wild. Fullstop.
We in RSA are taught this from an early age and it stays with us always.
Welcome visitors to our beloved shores either do not know this and were brought up differently or expect that cuddly animals they see in the wukd ti be cuddly. They are not!.