PRESS
RELEASE
7 February 2003
Enkosini Lions -
Owners Denied Access
The suffering of
the Enkosini lions continues without respite, reports the animal welfare
community. It is not enough that the lions were ripped out of their secure
and tranquil 40 acre sanctuary on the eve of High Court proceedings that would
have determined whether or not the lions had to move. It is not enough
that the 8 lions now lie panting in the blazing mid-summer heat of their bleak,
treeless, shade-less, 3 hectare enclosure, being gawked at by tourists.
The Enkosini
trustees, Kelcey Grimm and Greg Mitchell, were monitoring the health of
two of the young male lions, Nkosi and Madoda, with wildlife veterinarian Dr.
Richard Burroughs before their seizure by the Mpumalanga Parks Board
(MPB) last week. Madoda has two benign growths on his left shoulder
and Nkosi has a more serious lesion in his mouth that has dramatically
increased in size over the past two months. It is important that Kelcey
and Mitch continue to monitor their condition and report their
findings to Dr. Burroughs. Furthermore, biting flies are a terrible
nuisance in the summer months, and unless treated, the tips of the lions' ears
can be eaten off by flies. This makes the lions very uncomfortable, and
they lose condition.
For these reasons,
the Enkosini trustees requested bi-weekly access to the lions to continue their
treatment. One would have thought that such a reasonable request would
have been granted without any difficulty. Incredibly, despite the need
for the lions to be protected against fly attack, and for growths and lesions
to be closely monitored on a regular basis, the MPB has refused the
request and prohibited the owners from enjoying access to their lions at the Rhino
& Lion Park. The owners may visit 'as members of the public', but may
not tend to the welfare of their lions.
Kelcey and Mitch
then offered their support in caring for the lions and meeting the lions' meat
and veterinary costs, yet the MPB refused this involvement as well. The
likely motive for this seemingly pointless prohibition is to build up
a large food and accommodation account with the Rhino and Lion Park, and then
to present Enkosini with the bill as a final slap in the face if the Enkosini
trustees were to win their High Court case, and come to collect their animals.
The officials
contend that the lions are being adequately monitored by others such as the
NSPCA, but this is not true. Standing on the other side of the fence
gazing at the lions like tourists does not meet the welfare needs of the
animals. Without the Enkosini trustees' assistance, it will be
impossible for the Lion Park staff to apply ointments and sprays to the lions,
and closely monitor their health.
The owners have raised these lions from birth. They have spent
countless hours with these lions over the last two and a half years.
There can be no question that they are better suited to monitor and assess the
well-being of the animals than anyone else.
The standard of care of the animals at the Rhino and Lion Park has also been
questioned. A concerned member of the public, Mr Henri van Biljion, has
been visiting the lions regularly in order to check on their welfare. He
has complained to staff at the Rhino and Lion Park that there was no water in
the lion camps on occasions. Also that carcasses were left to rot without
removal, causing flies and odour. He noticed that the electricity on
the lion camp fencing was frequently left off. As a result of his
complaints, Mr van Biljion has been banned from visiting the lions again.
Where is the NSPCA in all this, one might ask. The answer is that
the NSPCA considers its working relationship with MPB to be more important than
the welfare of the 8 lions. Recently,
NSPCA Inspector Andries Venter presented himself at the branch of the Bank
which holds the Enkosini account, and demanded to be given access to Enkosini's
banking records - on behalf of MPB.
There is such a tender relationship between the provincial conservation
officials and the bureaucrats at the NSPCA that one suspects both bodies are
only waiting for the law on unisex marriages to change before one of them pops
the question.
While the romance between MPB and the NSPCA blossoms, the 8 Enkosini
lions suffer on, with only the courage of their owners and the support of the
animal welfare community standing between them and a fate worse than death -
the South African canned lion hunting industry.
Contact Details:
Chris Mercer
Kalahari Raptor Centre
Tel: 053 712 3576
Email: krc@spg.co.za