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Don't sell lions, urges DA
25/11/2005 09:40 - (SA)
Elise Tempelhoff, Beeld
Pretoria - The DA on Thursday appealed to environment minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk to force the Limpopo government to abandon its plan to sell - by public tender - eight lions rescued from a canned breeding programme.
"There is a real possibility that the same farmers who wanted to use the lions for the breeding programme will buy them again to continue their abhorrent practice," Gareth Morgan, DA spokesperson on environmental affairs, said on Thursday after it became known the Limpopo department of economic development, the environment and tourism had invited tenders for the eight lions.
Morgan challenged Van Schalkwyk to intervene and show openly that he found the practice "abhorrent", as he recently said in public.
The lions had belonged to Edwin Claassen of the Sasolburg area.
He transferred them illegally (without the necessary permits) from Northern Free State to Limpopo in 2000 where they would have been used in a breeding programme.
The Limpopo government seized the lions in 2003 and took them to the Sanwild rehabilitation centre near Gravelotte.
Louise Joubert of Sanwild said on Thursday she'd already initiated legal steps against the Limpopo government and would not allow that the lions, which she'd managed to take care of for the past two years with the aid of overseas donations, would go back to the "canned hunting" industry.
She said the Limpopo government had promised two years ago that she could find "godparents" for the lions.
According to Joubert she was even willing to utilise the assistance of overseas donors to export the lions to Tanzania where they would be looked after in a reserve "for the rest of their lives".
Should the Limpopo government not retract the tender invitation, she'd go to the supreme court and apply for an interdict that will force the government to abandon its plan.
According to the tender document the lions aren't fit to be released in a reserve as they've grown "too accustomed to people".
According to Moss Tseli, spokesperson of the Limpopo department of economic development, the environment and tourism, the government would prefer to reach a settlement on the matter.
Riaan Aucamp, Van Schalkwyk's spokesperson, said on Thursday the minister could not intervene as the provinces were still in control of the industry.
"As soon as legislation controlling hunting has been put in place, it should be possible to properly regulate the industry."
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