How well-meaning volunteers working in Africa unintentionally support dubious animal farms

The Stiftung für das Tier im Recht (TIR) has been intensively researching poaching and trade in live animals, hunting trophies, and illegally obtained animal products, with trophy hunting and canned hunting being major topics. Volunteers interested in working in Africa are advised to take special care when selecting projects and to avoid, by all means, farms that offer hunts.

August 7, 2018

More and more people want to get involved in animal and species conservation on site. However noble voluntary work is, it can prove counterproductive when volunteers helping in the rearing of lion and tiger cubs unintentionally promote trophy hunting. Animal farm owners often falsely claim that the cubs have been rejected by their mothers and promise volunteers that the animals will be reintroduced into the wild. Reintroduction is almost impossible, especially with regard to wild felines that have become so accustomed to humans. Instead, after rearing, the animals are used for canned hunting, which is a special and morally highly questionable form of trophy hunting, whereby animals that have been bred solely for this purpose are presented to hunters on a silver platter in a fenced-in enclosure with no way to escape.

Some 1000 lions are killed in canned hunts every year. Not only is it an animal welfare issue, hunting also promotes the illegal trade in animal products like bones and fur. Furthermore, the animals kept on these farms live in deplorable conditions:

Parent animals are kept in tiny enclosures and have their young taken away from soon after birth. They suffer from diseases, psychological stress and are exploited as tourist attractions.

By volunteering their time on these farms, people unknowingly support the hunting industry, largely because they pay to work there. Individuals seeking to do their part in species conservation would be well advised to choose projects that focus on preserving habitats. A wide range of meaningful wildlife projects can be found on the online platform "Wegweiser Freiwilligenarbeit".

There is also a Facebook group called "Volunteers in Africa Beware", which collects information to help volunteers choose a field and place of work and to expose animal farms that should be avoided at all cost.

Further information:

TIR-Project "International Wildlife Protection"

Stiftung für das Tier im Recht