The Ideal Trophy

Out of the entire lion population, the number of remaining adult male lions is considered to be around 5000. A mature male lion, aged 4–8 years, is the “gold standard” for a successful lion hunt. Weighing about 180 kg and standing about 1.2 meters tall, these broad shouldered, magnificent cats are the most sought after trophy. Estimates for hunting are difficult to confirm, but numbers as high as 500 have been reported for lions killed legally each year in hunts. The ramifications of their loss in the overall lion population are far-reaching. When you unpack the numbers it becomes abundantly and frighteningly clear that the death of a single adult male lion can have a devastating impact on overall population numbers.

The Pride

A young male lion will leave his pride some time after the age of two and begin a challenging life as a nomad. As he grows stronger and older, he will seek out new territory, and eventually, a pride of his own. Male lions will often form a coalition with one or two others in order to increase their chance of success in challenging for territory. By the age of four or five, they might become dominant pride males. A lion pride can be made up of as few as three or more than forty individuals. An average pride may be closer to fifteen. There will be one, or often two, dominant males. In a large pride there could be as many as a dozen adult females.

The lioness are generally related and in many cases, stay with their pride for life. Depending on the number of breeding females, there will also be a brood of cubs. A lioness may give birth to up to six cubs, but an average litter is three. The pride lionesses of breeding age will often have their cubs at the same time because this allows the cubs to nurse from multiple Moms.

The Sad Story of Lion Math

In the name of ego, sport and power, a trophy hunter takes aim with a high-powered rifle and kills a young male lion. (One lion dead.) This male, with his full mane, is the protector of his pride. Once killed, the pride becomes vulnerable. His coalition partner will be left to rule on his own. The threat from younger nomadic males looking for their own territory will often end in a fight to the death for this pride’s remaining male. (Two lions dead.)

For the sake of argument, let’s say the pride is twenty lions, including six adult females. Consider four of the females have an average of three young cubs. The first thing an incoming dominant male (or males) will do is kill the pride cubs. (14 lions dead.) However, a lioness’s first instinct will be to protect her cubs from rogue males. She will be fierce and in the process of defending her family she may sustain life-threatening injuries or die. Male lions will not waste their energy protecting another bloodline–they are hardwired to start their own. As long as a female has cubs she will not go into estrus. Killing her cubs resets her reproductive cycle and she will soon be ready to mate.

From the killing of one male lion for a hunting trophy the subsequent death toll for this pride could result in the loss of fourteen to eighteen lions.

Between the years 2003–2013 there were an estimated 10,000 legally obtained hunting trophies of African lions. It is little wonder then, that the overall populations have plummeted. It is currently estimated that trophy hunters legally kill between 500–600 lions a year (IUCN estimate). Apply the above scenario to only ten percent of these kills and the potential loss is staggering.

The odds are not in their favour.

“A world without the distant roar of lions at dawn, as the mists start to lift, is too terrible to contemplate.” –Dereck Joubert

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NJ

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It’s time to get serious about wildlife crime.

Some nights I lie awake remembering the moments I have spent in the company of Africa’s extraordinary wildlife. My mind drifts to a darker place and I can’t help wonder if the animals I have photographed are still alive? I wonder if they are hunting, grazing, mating, playing, fighting. Being. I lie awake wishing it was all a very bad dream…

Elephants, lions, rhinoceros, vultures, apes, wild dogs…the list goes on. They are disappearing under our watch, slaughtered for body parts to be carved into fashion accessories or sipped in magic elixirs. They are being hunted for their meat and traded for money, trapped and sold for our entertainment and amusement. Black market animal trafficking is now estimated at a staggering 7-9 BILLION dollars, not far behind drugs, weapons and human trafficking.

Sadly, the numbers do not lie. Killing animals is BIG business and we need to get serious about wildlife crime.

Elephants

Africa has lost 99% of its elephant population since the 1930’s. There were approximately 10 million elephants in the 1930’s and the African Wildlife Foundation now estimates the population closer to 470,000 individuals. While the elephant numbers dwindle, the price of ivory in China does anything but. Since 2010 the price of ivory has increased as much as tenfold.

Lions

Around the time I was born, there were an estimated 100,000 lions roaming in Africa. There are approximately 20,000 remaining. The decline is staggering.  The death of one mature male lion can have significant impact on a local population. (See The Sad Story of Lion Math) I cannot imagine a world without lions, and yet, it may happen in my lifetime.

Rhinoceros

I have been lucky to photograph both the black and white rhinoceros at a time when it is facing the most intense threat of all African wildlife. Rhino horn is more valuable on the black market than cocaine and diamonds. At $60,000 kilo, it is by far the most valuable commodity in illicit wildlife trafficking business. In South Africa the penalty for trafficking in small amounts of cocaine starts at 5 years in prison. For rhino poaching the fine is a very affordable $14k. While overall poaching numbers for rhino in Africa have declined over the past few years, the numbers are still a serious threat to the population. There were 750 slaughtered rhinos reported in 2019. According to savetherhino.org, between 2010 and 2019 there were 9441 recorded killings–that is 3 rhinos poached every day.

1 every 8 hours…

Wild Dog

The African wild dog is considered one of the most endagered animals in the world. A pack of dogs will traverse a range as big as 900 square miles. These nomadic pack animals are living on diminishing land parcels areas as human population take over more space. This has resulted in hunting challenges and inevitably, deadly conflict with farmers and herders. The reduced roaming area has led to a weakened gene pool for reproduction. Closer contact with domestic animals has introduced rabies and distemper into the wild dog population, killing large numbers of dogs.

Serious About Wildlife Crime: Humans

“Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world.” ‑Nelson Mandella

It is really is up to all of us…

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