![]() These infant cubs - isolated from their pride at a tender age - are often fed a formula meant to replace their mothers’ milk, which may lead to weakened immune system functioning and nutritional deficiencies, the researchers write. The majority of the videos studied, 61 percent, showed cubs of less than three months of age. Its authors found practices they describe as “inherently harmful to cub development,” including inbreeding, the early separation of cubs from their mothers and forcing nocturnal animals to be active during the day to entertain tourists. The study, published October 14 in the journal Animals and conducted by New York University and Four Paws, examined 49 YouTube videos taken by tourists at 11 or more safari parks in South Africa. Now, new research reveals how tourists unwittingly make life worse for these lions, despite, in many cases, a firm desire to support these animals and the conservation of their species with their travel dollars. Yet despite these announcements, the $180 million-dollar industry continues to rake in profits, with estimates of the number of lions remaining in hundreds of South African facilities ranging from 8,000-12,000 animals. In August, the government even reported an environmental minister would be working to assign a team tasked with planning an end to the industry, including paths forward for lion breeders. In 2021, the South African government seemed to signal an end to its once booming captive lion industry - from the breeding of big cats to their use in tourist attractions, canned hunts and the trade in bones and other body parts. ![]()
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