Student 1
Student
English 1B
May 10, 2015
Bred for the Bullet
With their golden coat blending into the savanna grass combined with incredible strength lions are made to be the ultimate predator. They are the true hunters in the wild and have often been referred to as kings of the jungle. For this reason lions fear no other species except for humans. Humans are not designed as strong as lions but with guns full of bullets waiting to be shot the lions become the prey and humans the predator. People hunt lions in two different markets; trophy hunting and canned hunting. Although these markets entail different rules they target and kill lions for money. Trophy hunting is a legal act that tourists, typically wealthy tourists partake in, in which hunting a lion out in the wild is permitted through a hunting block and when a lion appears they murder the lion. Trophy hunters usually kill a grown male lion that has a pride and cubs to protect. Upon killing the lion, the head is cut off and exported to the place of desire, the meat is distributed among the African community and the money is ‘donated’ to help conservation. On the contrary canned hunting is killing a lion that has been hand-raised by humans and is hunted in an enclosed area. This is also legal and generally the lion is drugged, lost because it’s never been out in an open field before and confused by the human’s rifles because the lion does not suspect that the species that protected it for so long will take its life away. Both hunting markets share the same incentive and by killing the lion they are crushing their brave, strong and powerful meaning and both hunting markets need to be banned from
Africa because they are contributing to loss of lion population.
Africa has allowed for trophy hunting to be a staple of entertainment for tourists. If one can pay for a ‘trophy’ one is welcomed in Africa. Africa masks trophy hunting with an image

Student 2 that it is a conservation mechanism. Its incentive is to boost the African economy by giving back to wildlife and communities. It’s presented in a way that it’s preserving the species because wild lions are hunted in rural areas and if these areas are not used they will be used for something else. The hunting area will begin to look appealing to the African government and will no longer be a national park open to animals. Another perspective trophy hunting enthusiasts hold is if a lion happens to kill live stock of local pastoralists the farmer will kill several lions out of anger.
The trophy hunter believes if they hunt and kill one lion the community will benefit from the money and the rest of the lion pride will be rushed out of the area in order to learn that the farm territory is now unsafe. The article “Trophy Hunting and Conservation in Africa: Problems and
One Potential Solution” by Peter Lindsey, highlights the preservation role of trophy hunting.
Lindsey states: “Trophy hunting can play a role in endangered species conservation and in the rehabilitation of wildlife areas, permitting income generation without jeopardizing wildlife population growth. For example, hunting revenues played a key role in the recovery of white rhinoceros populations in South Africa and are facilitating the rehabilitation of the Coutada hunting areas in Mozambique.” (Lindsey et. al, 1). Yes, trophy hunting helped conserve white rhinoceros however, killing one animal to save another is not a solution. Hunters should not decide if an animal’s life is more valuable than the other because they are incomparable; they are mutually exclusive. Trophy hunting is not a well regulated market and this leaves plenty of room for excessive hunting to occur as well as insecure tracking of funds .
Trophy hunters hide under the conservation mask but their mask is rapidly falling apart because studies have shown that killing lions for a trophy is connected with their loss of population. In the article “Possible relationships between the South African captive-bred lion hunting industry and the hunting and conservation of lions elsewhere in Africa” by Peter

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Lindsey, they argue against the conservation incentive: “Elevated demand for lion trophies could confer negative conservation consequences where lion hunting is poorly regulated and/orwhere quotas are excessive. Lion off-takes have already been shown to be excessive in parts of
Cameroon, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe and elevated offtakes could exacerbate the situation” (Lindsey et. al, 9). Lion populations have dropped by more than 50% ( The Con in
Conservation ) and clearly trophy hunting and the easy opportunity to hunt excessively is a contributor to this crime against nature. Hunters view this as a sport and the industry owners view this as business and unfortunately the lions are left to succumb to their greed. The hunters usually kill a male lion that has a pride to fiercely protect and this terribly disrupts the pride’s dynamics because without a male lion to protect them against invading males the pride will most likely lose their cubs.
Disrupting such profound dynamics in wildlife poses the question of who is contributing to this hate crime. Americans are the primary exporters of lion head trophies. In a study conducted by Peter Lindsey, 76 hunting operators were surveyed as well as 154 clients. The study showed that 106 clients were Americans and 48 were German. One of the factors noted in the article was “The United States is the largest market for African hunting safaris, and most hunts are sold at hunting conventions” (Lindsey et. al, 3). The U.S allows for hunting operators from South Africa to sell the hunting permits in conventions on behalf of the Dallas and Houston
Safari Clubs and the Atlanta Africa Hunting Show. The Dallas Safari Club offers an exaggerated amount of clients for the reason that it is one of the largest hunting conventions. On their website they state their mission is,
“Our conservation and education efforts today ensure that future generations will enjoy watching and hunting wildlife tomorrow.” Their mission statement supports the idea of conservation but their statement is deceiving because they are educating

Student 4 people to watch and love these animals to one day kill them. Their statement does not make sense and perfectly reflects how misleading the trophy hunting market is. Trophy hunters have developed such a fascination for lions that they feel it is beautiful to have a dead lion’s head hanging on their wall. Meanwhile anti-hunters are left seething knowing that American trophy hunters celebrate killing the lion by smiling big for the camera while the lifeless body of the lion is propped up to face the clicking shutters. South Africa is the main culprit of killing lions with their lack of government protection for these beautiful animals, but the United Sates having more possibilities and opportunities are directly feeding the African government’s evil intentions.
One may argue that Unites States in not satisfying the African government’s intentions and that hunting lions is not harming anyone. However, trophy hunting is contributing to the drop in lion population and eliminating this species profoundly disrupts the ecosystem. Derek
Joubert an award winning filmmaker and conservationist shares the reason why lions are such an integral part of wildlife in the article, “Opinion: Imagine a World without Lions.” Joubert states:
“Ecologically, lions play a pivotal role in the ecosystem. Without lions to prey on them, for example, the buffalo, hyenas, and other mid-range predators on the plains where I live would have soaring populations. Buffalo would become dominant and, absent the lion threat, would be content to stay in one place, making them more vulnerable to existence-threatening parasites.
Predators keep prey vital” (Joubert). I completely agree with Joubert; lions were put on this earth for a reason and with generations of the fittest surviving and procreating they have earned their stay. Lions are on top of the food chain and removing them causing a negative domino effect on the rest of the predators and prey. Joubert continues to propose why lions are so valuable, “Financially, ecotourism generates around $80 billion a year for Africa, which feeds into local communities and economies. Few people I know would bother coming on safari if

Student 5 they knew they would not see the king of the beasts. Without lions, expect increased poverty, poor health, poaching, desperation, and greater pressure on Western countries to support Africa via aid programs. So saving these animals should be a global mandate” (Joubert). I agree with
Joubert when he states that helping these animals should be a global mandate. Western countries have a sufficient amount of issues and adding this one will not go over well politically and will raise several issues that western countries are not ready for.
Joubert also raises an excellent point when he states that ecotourism bringing in $80 billion will dwindle away upon loss of lion population. Trophy hunting is legal because of the conservation tool and its ability to bring in money to help wildlife and communities. However, ecotourism brings in far more money for the communities and wildlife. Ecotourism not only benefits the surrounding populations it also benefits wildlife populations because it is safe, friendly and doesn’t involve loss of precious lion life. Trophy hunting is an oxymoron in itself and excessive hunting is a reoccurring issue due to lack of regulations. Regulations such as, hunting quotas, hunting blocks and age limits are enforced but not well monitored. In Tanzania they reduced quotas from 520 to 315 in 2012 and introduced age restrictions of a 6 year minimum to ensure that the male lion has fathered at least 1 litter of cubs. (Lindsey et.al, 4).
Though, this is headed for a positive direction there are several issues with this new restriction.
The hunting operators usually hunt at night so the tactics they use to distinguish a lions age will be hindered by lack of light. The lion is usually facing away from the hunter in order to guarantee the kill and if the hunting operator wishes to see the nose or the mane as an age cue the operator will fail to see it. (Lindsey et.al, 6). This restriction is meant to help conserve the lion population and the operators are an integral part of it, but some hunting operators do not

Student 6 have the ability to age lions correctly (Lindsey et. al, 8) and without this skill they may hunt a young lion and that lion’s chance to father cubs will be taken from him forever.
Hunting operators have a lot of power over tracking and hunting lions. They are also involved with hunting quotas and determining how many lions will be hunted per season.
Hunting quotas are another restriction meant to help conservation and Lindsey addresses how this number is derived: “Lion quotas are typically based on the opinion of state wildlife agency representatives and hunting operators, using past utilization of quotas, and with guidance from status reports where available. In Namibia, Mozambique and Zimbabwe, reports of human-lion conflict are also purportedly used to inform quotas, with higher quotas allocated to areas with higher levels of conflict” (Lindsey et. al, 4). The method of setting a hunting quota seems promising even though it leaves a lot of freedom to the hunting operators but Lindsey counteracts the hunting quota restriction: “Several countries have large ‘fixed’ quota, meaning that operators are charged for a proportion (40–100%) of lions on quota, irrespective of whether animals are actually hunted. Such a system is likely to encourage utilization of the entire fixed portion of the quota regardless of sustainability and potentially result in the harvest of underage individuals” (Lindsey et. al, 9). Yes, Lindsey is correct because this system does encourage for hunting operators to violate age restrictions and when they violate the age limit they are influencing lion population. Hunting operators are interested in satisfying their greed and to do so they can easily lead the hunter to the trophy regardless of age. Another issue Lindsey acknowledges is the hunting of females: “The hunting of females is permitted in Namibia, The hunting of females creates a risk that dependent cubs will die, removes the most reproductively productive individuals, can increase the vulnerability of prides to loss of territory to neighboring prides and can render cubs more vulnerable to infanticidal males” (Lindsey et. al, 9). The

Student 7 hunting of females is only permitted in Namibia the other African countries have realized it is an even crueler crime against nature to hunt the mother of cubs. Regardless, if it’s a male or female being hunted, they should not be hunted because it is an unfair playing field and a juvenile game hunter’s play. Trophy hunters feel that they are participating in a real sport because they endure the rural areas for more than 10 days but they are no different than any other hunter, in particular a canned hunter. They both kill the lion, they contribute to loss of lion population and they both believe they are actually participating in a sport.
Canned hunting begins with the female lion at a breeding farm. The lioness is stripped of her natural tendency to be an exceptional hunter and forced to be a cub producing machine.
According to the documentary The Con in Conservation , in the wild a lioness will carry one litter of cubs every two years but in a breeding farm a lioness carries cubs three times a year. This is physiologically possible because the cubs are immediately taken from her within 3-10 days in order to bring her back to estrus. ( The Con in Conservation 2013 ) This is physically exhausting for a lioness because it is a very unnatural path for her body to take and it is also mentally draining to have her cubs taken from her so suddenly. Breeding farms are directly correlated to the cub petting industry where there are thousands of cubs without mothers wandering around aimlessly. Breeding farms charge a fee to have tourists play with lions. The tourists have no clue that they are funneling money into a dangerous and cruel world. Breeding farms also target volunteers because the cub’s natural beauty lures them in under the impression that they are helping these ‘orphaned’ animals by playing with them and feeding them; this is also thought to be a conservation project. They have no clue that the cubs they are showering with love are raised to be hunted. Volunteers pay a fee to participate in hand raising these cubs and the fee they pay is said to be given to a conservation purpose. In the documentary, a volunteer paid

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3,000 a month and 1/3 was supposed to go to conservation but never did. ( The Con in
Conservation 2013 ) The volunteers are trained to be like the mother of the cub and hand raising these cubs ensures that the future mature lion will not fear humans when it is being hunted and it also ensures a steady influx of cubs since the mother is away from her offspring. The documentary also stated that, “Department of Environmental Affairs says that South Africa has over 170 breeding farms and in South Africa it's estimated that there are only 2,800 lions left in the wild, while there are 5,000-6000 lions in captivity.” ( The Con in Conservation 2013 )
Breeding farms are excessive in South Africa, thus there is an excessive amount of lions behind fences with inadequate diets and health care. There is something very disturbing about the idea that there are thousands of captive lions not fulfilling their natural role while there are only
25,000 endangered wild lions left in Africa. ( The Last Lions 2011 ).
Captive lions are raised to be hunted in an enclosed area and they are usually sold by the landowner of the breeding farm. The breeding farm sometimes is exclusively a breeding farm and the landowner doesn’t market hunting rights directly in this way they feel that they are not a part of the canned hunting market. However, if their lion is sold to be hunted they are equally responsible for the spirit that dies when a bullet is shot through a lion’s body. Canned hunting can be considered crueler than trophy hunting because the lion is chosen personally by the human to hunt while the lion is unknowingly trusting of humans. The lion is then released into a fenced in area several days prior to the hunt to get acclimated to its surroundings. In 60% of cases lions are released ≤ 7 days before the hunt (Lindsey et. al, 14). The days of release are said to ensure that the lion will have a fair chance in surviving the hunt. This is an absurd idea because the lion has been nurtured by humans all its life and lacks natural instincts that will help it survive. In the documentary, Karen Trendler a wildlife specialist, explained that the hand

Student 9 raised lion is released from cage, the lion may be drugged so he is in a certain position to shoot, or they put out bate to draw the lion there -to the hunters. (The Con in Conservation 2013).
Canned hunting offers no chance of survival for the lion and this is promoted with a 99.2% success rate. The success rate, the inexpensive price for a canned hunt and the easy access to the hunting area contribute to the ever-growing canned hunting market in South Africa (Lindsey et. al, 18). Americans, Europeans and Germans are not the only ones participating in this odious sport because Asia has become a faithful client too.
Traditional Chinese medicine contained tiger bones but Asia has wiped out their population in the forests and are looking at lion bones. Unfortunately for lions they are now a part of Chinese wines and medicines for arthritis. Lindsey shares the role Asia plays as a client of the canned hunting market: “Asia is a prime exporter of lion trophies and there are likely to be large numbers of lion bones available for export from captive lion breeding institutions from lionesses and non-trophy males that are not hunted as trophies, and as by-products from animals shot as trophies” (Lindsey et. al 20). The canned hunting market uses every part of the lion and almost leaves no evidence that the lion even existed. Asia is becoming a partner in crime with
United States and is equally to blame for the exploitation of lions. Fiona Miles, the director of
Four Paws an animal rescue organization, shares how lion bones can be obtained: “Permits are being issued to lion breeders to euthanize lions specifically for the bone trade.” ( The Con in
Conservation 2013 ). Killing lions specifically for their bones should not be allowed, apart from being unethical their purpose is not true because lion bones do not help with arthritis. Miles brings to light that the lions she has rescued from captive breeders actually have arthritis because they were deprived of their mother’s milk when they were cubs ( The Con in Conservation 2013 ).
Lions are the true victims that need medicine to help with their arthritis. Chris Mercer, Director

Student 10 of non-profit Campaign Against Canned Hunting also discusses the rising issues of the lion bone trade: “The lion bone trade is a dreadful threat to wild lion population because there trade is starting to take off now and it's going to grow exponentially [now] the Chinese having emptied the forest of tigers and are now turning to the plains of Africa and they are going to empty the plains of Africa of our lions as well; because traditional Chinese medicine practitioners believes that the bones of a wild lion are more potent than those of a captive bred lion” ( The Con in
Conservation 2013 ). Mercer brings up an excellent point, wild lions will not only have to fear trophy hunters they will have to fear the Chinese traditional medicine industry. The lion bone trade will soon contribute to the loss of lion population.
Canned hunting surpasses the threshold for being unethical and leads to the question of why is this allowed in South Africa? Miles states the canned hunting industry’s role, “Captive lions are supposed to support conservation by keeping wild lion population stable and helping by preventing poaching. That in fact is not happening because studies have shown that lions born in captivity cannot be released into the wild” ( The Con in Conservation 2013 ). I agree with Miles, captive lions cannot be released into the wild and if they were released into the wild they would most likely die due to years of the human print. It’s ridiculously confusing for both hunting markets to hide under the incentive of conservation when they are wiping out thousands of lion lives. Captive lions nearly have no laws protecting them because they are considered farm animals by the Department of Agriculture, which regulates their welfare ( The Con in
Conservation 2013 ). A lion as a farm animal is another ludicrous attachment to canned hunting because lions are not meant to be domesticated. Lions are the symbol of strength and power in the plains of Africa and are meant to roam free like its ancestors did. Canned hunting also presents another crime against nature when it interferes with lion genetics. The documentary

Student 11 commented on this issue: “Conservationists say that genetics of captive bred lions are also considered to be unhealthy because of the inbreeding on farms which will make them unsuitable to be released back on the wild” ( The Con in Conservation 2013 ). The excessive inbreeding of lions is a manipulation of their genetics because the female is forced to breed three times in one year rather than one and this entire process insults natural selection. “Natural Selection” by
Darwin best illustrates what a lion in the wild is supposed to undergo to survive and evolve.
Natural selection creates variety so when a fit male lion and a strong lioness mate their cubs have the best genes and are equipped to endure a lion’s hard life. Darwin explains Mother Nature and her role behind natural selection: “Nature cares nothing for appearances, except in so far as they may be useful to any being. She can act on every internal organ, on every shade of constitutional difference, on the whole machinery of life. Man selects only for his own good; nature only for that of the being she tends” (Darwin 901). Darwin is correct when he says man selects only for his own good because the lion breeders disregard vital components to swapping genes. Mother
Nature has created variation tailored to specific animals for a precise reason-she wants her animals to survive and pass on their best genes. Mother Nature knows best and canned hunting violates her structure. A lioness needs time after a pregnancy to become pregnant once again and when she is obligated into estrus she is starting off not at her physically fittest. The lioness is not offering her best and the male lion she has a partner has lived behind fences his whole life, is fed an unhealthy diet and does not practice his true hunting skills so they produce a variety of cubs with weak modifications to survive. Darwin supports this idea best when he states, “Natural selection will modify the structure of the young in relation to the parent, and of the parent in relation to the young” (Darwin 904). Canned hunting sets up the cubs for failure in the wild because these lions can never survive in the real lion world- their genes will not allow it.

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Breeding farms are playing the role of Mother Nature but she is not meant to played with she is meant to be respected and the genes of her being are not intended to be manipulated. In the wild lion partners usually choose to mate with each other and many other important factors are taken into consideration. Lions in captivity are not given this opportunity and it is no wonder that the cubs on breeding farms are usually sick.
One may argue that a lion life is not as precious as a human life and because it’s an animal, humans can rightfully exploit the lion. This argument brings up the question of what can be perceived as a life. Humans are a species and lions are a species, just like us, lions have a beating heart pumping blood to tissues, lions have shown to be self-aware in a recent study, lions have a nervous system similar to ours and their brain might not be as well developed as ours but they still feel love, pain and hunger. A lion life is important and their being has a purpose.
Respecters of lion life consider these social cats deserving of their birth right to prosper in nature with their pride. Trophy and canned hunters have a distorted perception of lion life similar to the men in the cave from “Allegory of the Cave” by Plato. The men in the cave believed the shadows on the wall were their reality when in fact they were objects from a distance manipulating their vulnerability by creating simple shapes. Some may say that the men in the cave were ignorant to believe this as reality and the hunters can easily be considered ignorant for many reasons. Ignorance in believing hunting lions is a sport, beauty in having their head hung on a wall, hunting as a conservation tool and fun in hunting a hand raised lion in an enclosed area. Though the men in the cave can be perceived as ignorant they were truly the victims of this distortion just as the lions are the true victims of both hunting markets. The men were chained from childhood and knew nothing of the outside world. Captive lions are kept behind fences and know nothing of being a true lion or of the outside world. A captive lion’s perception of life is

Student 13 dark and all a lie. A lion lover can only hope that someone escapes this lion dystopia to find the light.
Africa needs to be held accountable for the destruction of lion lives. Africa has been given the opportunity to have these fascinating creatures roaming their grassland and their lack of protection for lions is harming their lives. Trophy hunting and canned hunting need to be banned because they are impeding Mother Nature’s role and are contributing to loss of lion population. Lion population may seem mundane to some but the lion symbol impacts our everyday lives. For many years lions have been the king of all beasts and their image has been made into mascots, sculptures, and figures that surround our daily activities. Lions are everywhere and for a specific reason because they prove to be the bravest, the strongest, and the most resilient. Their deep meaning has seeped into our lives by giving us courage and strength.
Lions are also some of the most loving creatures. They love, grieve and feel real emotions in the same way that humans do. Their species matters and society should care that they are being hunted in the wild and should feel remorse that they are being hand raised to be shot. Society needs to care because nature composes our life. Nature is an integral part of the way we live and has been a part of this world much longer than our own species. Mother Nature can be very cruel but she has a plan and humans have no place interfering with her beings or her ways. Africa must recognize that a pride of wild lions are worth so much more than lions behind fences or a lion that is dead. A lion that is alive prospers in the wild even if it’s simply lying on the savanna grass it contributes to our life because their mere presence exudes power.

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Annotated Bibliography
Student Studentson
Lindsey, P., et al. "Possible Relationships Between The South African Captive-Bred Lion
Hunting Industry And The Hunting And Conservation Of Lions Elsewhere In Africa."
South African Journal Of Wildlife Research 42.1 (2012): 11-22. Academic Search
Complete.
Web. 5 Apr. 2015.
The article discusses the differences between trophy hunting which is legal and cannedhunting also known as “Captive bred lions” which is illegal. It clearly states the differences but shows how both markets overlap. The article is based off a study in which hunting operators were surveyed as well as the clients that took part in hunting lions. The article shares data about the clientele’s nationality, their preferences, their perception of the two markets and shares data as to how much money it costs to kill a lion. This article has great data about where the “trophies” are exported to and where lion bones are exported to.
I plan on using this article to discuss the differences of both markets. I also want to use it to support my argument that “trophy hunting” does not help conservation of the species and should not be legal. As far as canned hunting I want to use this article to shed light on the fact that South Africa is the primary location (but not the only one) because it offers
99.2% success rate of killing the lion and it is also the cheapest because it offers a
“packaged deal” for clients. I will also talk about what would happen to lion populations if canned hunting were banned.

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Lindsey, Peter Andrew, et al. "The Significance Of African Lions For The Financial Viability Of
Trophy Hunting And The Maintenance Of Wild Land." Plos ONE 7.1 (2012): 1-10.
Academic Search Complete . Web. 5 Apr. 2015.
The article examines several countries that practice trophy hunting; Zimbabwe, Namibia,
Tanzania, Zambia, and Mozambique. The article discusses the importance of lions to these countries in the trophy hunting market. It shows that some countries will suffer more than others if Lions are banned from hunting but still Lions attract the most money from hunting. The article states that if lions were banned from hunting it could actually result in a loss of habitat. This industry works like a domino effect and the article address how.
There are no other articles discussing “Canned hunting” so I had to settle for the “Trophy hunting” articles but they are intertwined so it is fine. I’ll use this information to show what impact lions have in all 5 countries and how important they clearly are if everyone wants to hunt them. I’ll discuss the possible regulations trophy hunting has in some countries like Tanzania that has an age limit. I also will mention the important of Lion quota and how it differs from country to country.
Lindsey, Peter Andrew, et al. "The Trophy Hunting Of African Lions: Scale, Current
Management Practices And Factors Undermining Sustainability." Plos ONE 8.9 (2013):
1-11. Academic Search Complete . Web. 5 Apr. 2015.
This paper views the extent of lion hunting in Africa, the way it is managed and addresses issues that weaken the sustainability. It discusses the positive and negative impacts of trophy hunting. The article is of data collected by hunting operators of

Student 16 different countries for the exception of South Africa because they partake in “canned hunting” primarily. The article clearly states what lion quotas are and how quotas for different countries are reached as well as the regulations needed for hunting quotas. The article also proposes some regulations to help manage excessive hunting.
I plan on using information regarding how the hunting operators do not always follow the hunting quotas and how they are implemented to fight excessive hunting which is correlated with loss of lions. I also want to discuss the recent age restriction in some countries and show how it helps fight excessive hunting when it is actually used. A lot of information that I will use from this article are the restrictions from different countries that are used for trophy hunting.