he growing appetite for 'conservation holidays' has shone a light on the dark – and poorly regulated – industry of lion farming, where felines are destined not to be 'released into the wild' - but to be shot by trophy hunters and their bones exported to Asia for use in traditional medicine.

A South Africa without lions – one of the iconic Big Five species – is unimaginable. But we could soon face a world without these magnificent African ambassadors, as the breeding of lions for commercial purposes continues to flourish, said FOUR PAWS.

Evidence is emerging of the growing threat to wild lion populations of targeted poaching for lion body parts – teeth and claws.

In 2019, animal welfare inspectors visited Pienika Farm, a captive-lion facility in the North West province of South Africa.

In the wake of the bow-hunting of Mopane the lion, we searched for some literature and expert commentary on the sustainability of the trophy hunting of free-roaming lions in Africa, particularly around Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe.