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The
documentary (纪录片) Blood Lions
shows South Africa's cruel "canned" lion hunting industry. In canned
hunts, lions are raised by humans and kept in enclosed (围住的) spaces on private hunting areas. Hunters can get trophy (战利品) heads easily in exchange for (交换) fees of
up to $50,000. There are about 8,000 "ranch (a very large farm)"
lions in South Africa. So the country's hunt operators can make a fortune.
Ian
Michler was a lead character in the film. He talked about Blood Lions
last July when it was shown in Durban, South Africa. The film has since been
viewed in 185 countries. More than 50 screenings have been held at film
festivals and in meetings of special interest groups. This year, Blood Lions
will be shown at every major tourism conference in Europe and Africa.
Outside
the film, Michler and the team are running a global campaign. They are aimed at
ending canned hunts and other cold-blooded activities involving lions and other
large animals.
Australia
became the first country, in February 2015, to forbid imports (进口) of lion trophies. It was followed by
France in November. That month, Blood Lions was shown in the European
Parliament. As a result, the governments of Finland, Italy, and Spain decided
to hold their own screenings. There are a number of other countries likely to
do the same.
At
the same time, at the end of last year, the world's leading group of African
lion researchers offered an important suggestion. They advised that any
analysis of the present state of wild lions in South Africa should not include
its thousands of "ranch" lions. Wild lions in South Africa now number
some 3,000. There are around 20,000 wild lions in Africa.
"The
great majority of lion populations in Africa have been reduced," says Hans
Bauer, lion researcher at Oxford University's Wildlife Conservation Research
Unit. "It's important to stress that South Africa's ranch lions are a
horror that has nothing to do with lion protection. These lions should never be
taken into account in any serious analysis of the state of lions in Africa."
