lizamoss

Right now, from what I understand, South Africa's laws towards canned hunting are fairly wishy-washy. Is the country any closer to taking a firm stand on the issue of canned hunting and outlawing the practice?

On a related note, some places in the world have outlawed the general public interaction with large predators like big cats at places like parks and circuses. Do you know if there's any considerations being made in South Africa to outlaw cub petting attractions?

Re. your wish of getting close to a big cat -- please make sure to do your research on the truth behind cub petting and canned hunting. (Seeing lions from a distance in the wild is much more rewarding anyway!)

First thing, I really respect and support the work you do and the awareness you create about cub petting, canned hunting, and lion conservation.

With that in mind, what is your knowledge and opinion of the exotic pet trade problem so rampant in North America, especially the United States? Lions and other big cats, along with animals like primates and bears are regularly bred and sold as house pets to a vast majority of people who have neither the knowledge, accommodations, or money to properly care for these animals.

Some individuals see your interaction with the predators on your sanctuary as inadvertently fuelling the demand in North America for these kinds of exotic pets. That viewers of your videos leave wanting to do the same thing as you do, in turn mistaking lions for big cuddly house cats rather than wild animals that they can raise from infancy and interact with with no problems.

In short, what is your opinion on this and does it influence you in any way when presenting yourself and your work to the public?

Lions are currently listed as "vulnerable" on the IUCN Red List. The biggest threats to wild lion populations are: - habitat loss / human encroachment - human-wildlife conflict (people killing lions in retaliation for the cats preying on livestock) - poaching (lion bone trade to Asia) - trophy hunting

The best thing you can do to help is to spread awareness of the issue. Post informative articles and links on social media and tell people you know about why lions are in trouble. You can also donate money to lots of worthwhile non-profits and conservation projects that are dedicated to saving lions and other big cats.