Annually, thousands of tourists flock to South Africa to experience our unique wildlife. But behind this booming industry is an ugly truth, many wildlife encounters support the mistreatment of iconic species, such as lions. Tourism plays a vital role in job creation and contributed over R130-billion to the economy in 2017, about 2.9% of the total gross domestic product … [Read more...]
Racing Extinction: “Half of all species will be gone in 100 years”
The man behind the Oscar-winning film The Cove is back with a new eco-thriller that goes undercover to document the plight of endangered animals. Thirty years ago, Louie Psihoyos watched in horror as two young children were killed a few steps in front of him. On a blue-sky day near a market in Perkiomen, Pennsylvania, he noticed a family walking hand-in-hand beside the road … [Read more...]
Are captive-born predators fit for release into the wild?
The Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) is growing increasingly concerned about the proliferation of captive facilities holding a range of carnivores in South Africa for the sole purpose of tourism and financial gain. We urge the public to consider a few facts when visiting any of a number of these facilities that hold lions, Cheetah, Leopards, Wild Dogs, hyena and even some exotic … [Read more...]
Fate of wild cats at predator park unclear
Confusion surrounds the future of a number of wild cats which were reportedly darted during an attempt to remove them from the Jugomaro Predator Park, in Limpopo, on Wednesday afternoon. One of the owners of the park, Justin Fernandes, made an impassioned plea for help on Facebook when he heard one of the tigers had been shot by the men darting the animals. Fernandes and … [Read more...]
People vs. poachers
Global activism site Avaaz recently got Thailand's Prime Minister to promise to shut down her country’s ivory trade. But for every victory, there are hundreds more animals facing extinction, and time is running out. To truly win, they need to grow a team focused on beating the poachers and profiteers. Every day, a long list of majestic creatures are cruelly slaughtered by … [Read more...]
