Lion body parts are traded for use in so-called traditional medicine. It is believed that, in Southeast Asia, wild lion bones and other body parts are increasingly sought after, perhaps to replace now extremely scarce tiger products, and also as a result of a booming Asian community living in Africa.
Unfortunately, international commercial trade in their body parts is still legal. In fact, canned hunting facilities in South Africa have been exporting worrying volumes of lion body parts to Southeast Asia. Legal sales may mask a much bigger illegal trade, and the availability of legal lion bones in Asian markets may increase demand and incentivize the poaching of lions in Africa. Born Free USA believes that African lions should be uplisted to Appendix I of CITES in order to bring an end to the legal trade and assist enforcement efforts to stem the illegal trade in lions.
Learn more about Born Free USA’s successful quest to list the African lion as Endangered under the Endangered Species Act »
Lion meat
A surprising and appalling trend has spread in restaurants and bars across the U.S.: the offering of lion meat in the form of burgers and tacos, and on pizza. There is a complete lack of government oversight for this unregulated industry of raising, butchering, processing, and eating lions. In response, Born Free USA undertook a year-long investigation into the sale of lion meat for human consumption.
Read our article, “Lions on the Menu: A Deadly Delicacy” »
