Comments for Walking with Lions

Mar 04, 2010

This letter clarifies this issue
by: Shearwater Adventures

About the Shearwater Lions

Shearwater started operating walk with lions at Victoria Falls in September 2005. The well being of the lions in our care is a primary concern of the Shearwater team.

The lions that Shearwater use in their Walk with Lions activity at Victoria Falls come from, and belong to, The Lion Park in Harare.

The facts pertaining to the utilisation of the lions are as follows;

1. All of the lions are owned by the Lion Park.

2. A portion of revenue generated at Victoria Falls is paid to the Lion Park which helps them sustain their facilities.

3. All the lions are bred in captivity and hand reared.

4. Generally the lions come to us at an age of around 3-4 months.

5. Generally the lions are returned to the Lion Park at an age of around 18 months.

6. Since starting in September 2005 the Victoria Falls operation has used a total of 16 lions of which 8 are currently based at Victoria Falls.

7. Once the lions have outgrown the operation in Victoria Falls they are returned to the Lion Park in Harare where they are either used for advertising and film making purposes, captive breeding, or released into the Lion Park.

8. We have a clear understanding with the Lion Park owners that none of the lions used at Victoria Falls will ever be used for hunting of any kind. We have made it quite clear to the Lion Park that we will dissolve our Joint Venture with them should we have reason to believe that they are in breech of this understanding.

9. In addition, we have insisted that if any of the lions which have been used at Victoria Falls are sold onto other operators, that those operators must not be in any way associated with canned hunting. Accordingly the Lion Park are to advise us should they at anytime sell a lion that has been used at Victoria Falls and to advise Shearwater of whom it is being sold to.

10. All of the lions ever used by Shearwater at Victoria Falls are still at the Lion Park in Harare with the exception of one lion which died of natural causes. None of them have ever been sold onto other operators and none of them have ever been used for hunting.

11. In an attempt to further assist the Lion Park in the future, Shearwater are currently developing plans to establish a Lion Sanctuary at the Victoria Falls Private Game Reserve which will accommodate a significant number of older lions. This will reduce the burden on the Lion Park in terms of caring for these lions and will also give the lions a comfortable and fitting environment in which to spend the remainder of their days.

12. We are aware that a number of other organisations are investigating the feasibility of releasing captive bred lions back into the wild. We support these efforts and if such a scheme can be a success we would not hesitate to seek the same for the lions used at Victoria Falls.

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