Nearly Half-Ton Shipment of Lion Bones Discovered in South Africa

White lion cubs held in captivity in South Africa. (Wikimedia Commons)

Law enforcement arrested three people on October 8 after they discovered an illegal shipment of 342kg (742lbs) of lion bones. Uncovered in O.R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa, the shipment was equivalent to nearly 38 lions. Officials suspect that the shipment was headed for Malaysia. The three people held in custody are all foreigners.

In South Africa, government policy does not prohibit the trade of skeletons of captive-bred lions to supply southern Asia. However, such trade is internationally outlawed by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora because the International Union for the Conservation of Nature classifies lions as a “threatened” animal population.

The value of lion bones is derived from its usage in South African tourism and traditional Asian medicines. The South African government weakly enforces policies regarding the lion bone trade, threatening lion populations to satisfy international demand. 

Furthermore, canned hunting, the practice of breeding lions in confined areas for hunting purposes, has long held an integral place in South Africa’s economic landscape. As of 2019, there are around 8,000 to 10,000 captive lion cubs and over 250 breeding facilities. 

The Born Free Foundation, an animal rights group from the United Kingdom, launched a petition in response to these discoveries. The petition, pressing the South African government to ban canned hunting, has over 100,000 signatures. Policy head Dr. Mark Jones said, "The seizure of a large number of lion bones at Johannesburg airport raises real concerns about the impact of increasing demand for lion bones in the Far East. While international trade on bones and other body parts from wild lions is illegal, demand is being fuelled by the legal export of bones and skeletons derived from the 8,000 or more captive-bred lions in South Africa, under a quota system.”

Singapore Airlines was formerly the sole airline for the transport of lion bones, but company ended this practice in September 2018. However, unless the South African government makes policy changes, the incentive to breed, hunt, and sell lion bones will remain steady.