Hats off then, if you will, hats off and applause; applause for the greatest conservation miracle in the history of South Africa; in the history of the world even. Thousands of square kilometres reclaimed for wild habitat, millions of wild animals raised and settled, long list of species saved from extinction. Pass the bouquets, but not to the South African government, great as their own contribution to conservation has been, but to the workers of this particular miracle. All – the game farmers of South Africa.

 The statistic boggles the mind:

• 1960: Three game farms in South Africa. Now: 10,000 game farms in South Africa
• 20 million hectares of game farms (10 times the size of Wales)
• 16 million head of game
• More than R2 trillion in capital embedded in South African game farms

 And who pays for all this magnificence? Eco-tourists, sure, but not all that much. Buyers of the 140,000 tons of game meat on the market every year pay for it. But far and away most of the money generated by game farms in South Africa comes from the wallets of hunters.

Entrepreneurial farmers started breeding game for prey for hunters.

These farms are maintained by money coming from hunters.

 Millions of animals thrive on game farms, including sable and roan antelope, bontebok and black wildebeest. And lion. Game farmers have had spectacular success in breeding lions for the hunting market. During the time in which Kenya’s lion population declined by 80%, lions in South Africa increased from less than 3,000 to approximately 11,000. Because of these game farm lions almost no wild lions are hunted or poached in South Africa.

The brilliant success of the game farm lion is not celebrated as it should be. Breeding and raising lions is an intensive and complicated business. A small number of unscrupulous and opportunistic breeders have given anti-hunting pressure groups the opening to attack the entire business.

 There is one organization which is labouring ceaselessly to clean up the captive-bred lion industry and produce superior animals for the hunting market. The South African Predator Association, using an innovative accreditation system together with genetic research, stock bookkeeping, tagging and investment in conservation, is striving to set and maintain standards for the ethical breeding and enhancement of the lion species.

 Every animal lover is faced with the simplest of choices:

Ban hunting and kill the game industry or stand with SAPA and save the lion.

Source: Issued on behalf of SA Predator Association