PAARL, South Africa (AP) — Freya, a 6-month-old lion cub rescued from the wildlife commerce in Lebanon, poked a curious nostril out of her transport crate and sniffed the air. Glad, she took her first cautious steps in her new endlessly dwelling in a sanctuary in South Africa.

Freya’s relocation to the Drakenstein Lion Park is just a partial success story.

She’s going to by no means reside as a lion ought to within the wild. She has been given lifetime sanctuary at Drakenstein, which has taken in different lions from zoos and circuses in France, Chile, Romania and elsewhere. Some have horrible backstories of abuse, famous on placards on the sanctuary: Ares was blind and uncared for when he was rescued. Brutus had been overwhelmed exhausting sufficient to interrupt his jaw.

However as Freya settles in at Drakenstein, animal welfare teams have once more drawn consideration to South Africa’s contradictory place in the case of the species that usually symbolizes African wildlife.

South Africa, with an admirable repute for conservation and moral sanctuaries like Drakenstein, additionally has a thriving captive lion enterprise the place the large cats are bred for petting and different encounters but additionally for killing in “canned searching” experiences or for the lion bone commerce.

South Africa has particular permission by way of the endangered plant and animal commerce treaty CITES to export lion bones and skeletons, largely to Southeast Asia for use in conventional medicines. Canned searching, the place lions are chased down and shot in enclosures with no likelihood of a good chase or escape, can be authorized.

Animal welfare teams have pushed for the enterprise of breeding lions in captivity to finish. The South African authorities introduced just lately it plans to shut down the business and it’s anticipated to take two to a few years if there aren’t any authorized challenges.

It has been a stain on South Africa’s conservation model, mentioned Audrey Delsink, the Africa wildlife director for Humane Society Worldwide, which was concerned in Freya’s relocation. She mentioned it was necessary for folks to understand that the lovable cubs used for petting encounters at some South African parks — however not at Drakenstein — find yourself being massive lions shipped off to be killed.

“They’ve been pulled from their moms, they’ve been hand-raised so that you can take selfies with and revel in them, after which finally the identical lions are going to be shot for trophies in a camp from which they can not escape, after which find yourself as a bag of bones,” Delsink mentioned.

There are greater than 300 captive lion amenities in South Africa, with greater than 7,000 lions. That’s double the variety of lions within the South African wild. Campaigners towards the enterprise say it must be made extra clear to guests that the overwhelming majority of South Africa’s lions reside in cages on the earth’s largest captive lion business.

“We can’t pull the wool over vacationers’ eyes anymore,” Delsink mentioned.

As for Freya, her rescuers hope that she’s going to finally bond and reside in the identical enclosure as younger male cub Pi, who they consider is her brother and was introduced from Lebanon in April.

Pi was illegally trafficked and owned by a person who used him to advertise his TikTok account, mentioned Jason Mier, director of Animals Lebanon, which rescued Pi and Freya. Pi typically had his mouth taped shut when used for movies or selfies and was locked in a small cage at evening. He was saved as a standing image for his proprietor “to have the ability to showcase I’m highly effective, I’ve cash, have a look at me,” Mier mentioned.

Freya and Pi are the newest of practically two dozen massive cats rescued from numerous conditions by Animals Lebanon. Some have come to Drakenstein, which doesn’t enable cub petting or any shut encounters, however does welcome guests to see the lions and find out about them.

Freya and Pi wouldn’t survive if launched within the wild, so the sanctuary is the best choice for them. These concerned in Pi’s rescue mentioned they keep in mind watching the cub expertise grass beneath his paws for the primary time at Drakenstein, even when it was within the enclosure he and Freya will possible inhabit for the remainder of their lives.

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