September 15, 2010
It took me a long time to think about what I wanted to say about Boskoppie. The two weeks I spent there was a very interesting experience that tested all of my personal boundaries. I will split the experience into a few posts focusing on different aspects. I have dedicated this post to the larger issues surrounding lion breeding centers and will make subsequent posts on volunteering at Boskoppie and all the amazing baby animals I worked with.
The trip was organized through i-to-i, but I have chosen to wait until the end of my journey in December to review i-to-i as I want to get a better feel for their services. The only way I can find to describe the experience is a complete roller coaster or being hooked on a drug- the highs are so amazing, but the lows are dangerously, depressingly, frighteningly low. It’s funny because the lows I was expecting like cleaning up a lot of poop and total lack of sleep I actually dealt with just fine and they didn’t really bother me, it was the lows I couldn’t imagine like the endless hours of chopping up carcasses and the absolute total lack of direction or supervision in dealing with dangerous baby lions and tigers that I found shocking and appalling. I also was not prepared for the crushing racism that was a constant, making me feel embarrassed to be white because it somewhat related me to the people spewing it. I was told repeatedly TIA meaning “This is Africa,” but it just made me feel sick to my stomach, it is people who say TIA who keep things the status quo. For change to occur people must speak up and say no this is not the way it has to be- this is wrong. Going from the major cities like Johannesburg or Cape Town to Kroonstad made me feel like I was in a time machine getting a strange peak into the warped world of Apartheid, but it isn’t an elaborate ruse or living museum it is the way the still live.
One of the most fascinating things for me at Boskoppie was to gain a greater knowledge of how conservation in South Africa works. Conservation has been commoditized and breeding centers have become businesses with each endangered species carrying a price on his head not for being killed, but for being released into a game park as a new blood line. It was a concept I knew next to nothing about, and from speaking with others back at home I can say with confidence it is not something most westerners know about. It is a fascinating idea though. At first I was completely conflicted by it- a bit appalled at the trade and tourism of these endangered animals, but then as I thought about it more I began to think that it is a smart concept. At it’s very base it is the same idea being used around the world for conservation: locals should conserve their natural resources and wildlife and in return you will gain tourist dollars. The idea is being used in South America, East Africa, India, every place where there is a clash between local people and their wildlife environmental NGO’s are teaching natives that conservation brings tourism. Teaching the Masai warriors not to kill lions because lions=tourist dollars in East Africa is just a small example of how this works. The idea of breeding centers is just the same idea, but on a much larger scale. People who used to be farmers and hunters are now turning their attention to endangered species and making a nice profit breeding them and then releasing them into game reserves like Kruger. Having multiple breeding centers around SA means that new bloodlines can be traded and created to keep a healthy lion population alive.
The concept becomes more complicated however when tigers are thrown in the mix. An ecologist by the name of John Varty thought up the concept to bring the extremely endangered Bengal tiger over from India to breed and build up a larger population in the plains of South Africa. The idea has been very controversial and the introduction of a new species can cause horrible ripple effects down the food chain. It is called species introduction and if you want to know how bad it is ask any Australian about the Cane Toad and you will get an earful. For an American, just think of Yellowstone when we removed the wolf and the entire ecosystem changed, species removal and introduction have similar cataclysmic effects. However there are less than 1,400 wild tigers in India right now- that is a 97% drop in the last century. A tiger is worth more dead than alive in Asia because Chinese poachers can cell every bit of them from their claws to their meat and their hides to their whiskers, their bones are especially valuable as they are used in ancient eastern medicines. There are even some tiger farms in parts of China where an estimated 5,000 tigers are being raised only to be slaughtered for parts. It is a disturbing and stomach churning thought. However there is a very different kind of tiger farm where tigers are being raised in South Africa as a type of genetic reservoir where they can breed and eventually be released into game reserves in South Africa and maybe one day back to India when poaching is more under control. Varty has successfully taken two young Bengal tigers from a zoo in Canada and with some work, released them into a reserve in the Free State.
The idea of a monetized system to save endangered species may sound great as I described it above, but there is a flipside that must be taken into account. Not everyone is getting into the business to save the animals, many are looking at them with big dollar (or rand) signs above their heads and one can forget what is best for the species in the long run. All the animals I worked with at Boskoppie are hand reared, which makes them much easier for humans to work with, but the more human interactions they have the harder it will be for them in the wild. There also seems to be little structure or overseeing of the practice around SA and untrained people end up coming into contact and sometimes ownership of these animals. The tigers at Boskoppie were brought in for tourism and while the breeding is great for the species no plans of releasing them are in sight. Although the animals never go to zoos or circuses, I still worry about what the end goal is of commodifying these lions. The owner of Boskoppie’s son is a hunter, which I was very surprised by and although I have not seen it with my own eyes, I was told by the other volunteers that he has a rhino head in his house along with other trophy heads. The idea of an endangered species here seems ridiculous, no one seems to care about the long run and apparently permits can be purchased to kill anything- IUCN redlist be damned. It’s very upsetting to hear, and I feel very helpless in any effort to stop it. Some of the other volunteers kept looking at me pityingly and saying TIA. They told me to ignore it and enjoy the experience, but I feel that’s rather selfish. This is where the idea of monetized conservation and voluntourism becomes complicated. Many of the volunteers were there to play with cats, not thinking about how their actions make a difference in the long run. And while that’s great- enjoy your holiday- volunteers should try and look at the bigger picture and think about how our actions play a role in the larger scheme of protecting these animals.
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Update 2012:
I get a lot of comments on this post so I wanted to write something back to all the people who leave angry comments here. I am sorry if I have offended you, but this is a personal travel and photography blog and this was my opinion of my experience there. i-to-i marketed this trip incredibly poorly and misleading as a conservation program, which it is obviously not. I have heard so many different opinions from different people about Boskoppie and the breeding program in general in South Africa and I am not going to change my mind that it is not in the best interest of the lions and there is most definitely harm being done here. The only place I would go back and support would be the SanWild Sanctuary and I implore you all to educate yourselves on the truth of SA breeding centers and canned hunting before you post angry messages here about how much you loved cuddling with the cubs and how wrong I am about SA breeding centers.
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Quite a story.
I'm considering working with I-to-I for a trip to work with pandas in central China. Can you recommend working with them based on your own experience?
Many thanks,
Richard
Sounds like the canned hunting industrie… 🙁
Following my first comment..
Look at the video on: http://beta.mnet.co.za/carteblanche/Article.aspx?ID=4243
In part 2 there's something about Boskoppie..
Greetings,
Sarah
Hi Sarah, thanks for posting that video!! I actually was interviewed via email and spoke with the reporters about my fears and concerns its wonderful to see Peter and Ingrid caught on film in their lies.
Hi Sarah, thanks for posting that video!! I actually was interviewed via email and spoke with the reporters about my fears and concerns its wonderful to see Peter and Ingrid caught on film in their lies.
I am spending three weeks in boskoppie volunteering in june/july but having read this I really don't want to go anymore!! Any tips/coping strategies that would make my time easier?
Don't EVER go to Boskoppie! It is run like a concentration camp!
Don't go with i-to-i! They don't pick you up from the airport and do not care for your safety in a foreign country!
If you do decide to go to Boskoppie, its much cheaper to go direct through them – i-i are very good for inspiration but I found they were not that helpful and I agree with the last comment – they drop you off at a youth hostal which is out of the way and considering what you pay they should have put people up at a decent hotel near the airport.
Doesn't only SOUND like canned hunting, it IS. No, I repeat: NO hand-bred feline like these are sold to game reserves. They're sold to be cowardly shot at close range…
Doesn't only SOUND like canned hunting, it IS. No, I repeat: NO hand-bred feline like these are sold to game reserves. They're sold to be cowardly shot at close range…
When cubs are taken away from mothers to be hand reared you know something is VERY wrong. Facilities like this hide behind the term 'conservation' to bring in paying volunteers but this is certainly not what it is. The cubs are tamed to be sold for canned hunting and people are foolish enough to pay for this to happen. PLEASE PLEASE reasearch facilities properly first before visiting.
I volunteered through Worldwide Experience at the Shamwari Game Reserve. Amazing and a truly real conservation experience. While I was here they had two white lion cubs in their rehabilitation centre which had been rejected by their mother. The vet nurse was the ONLY person to hand rear them, and as soon as they were on solids they were kept away from humans to ensure they were raised as real wild animals. This is the only way cubs should ever be reared. Minimal human contact. So they can go back to the wild as they are meant to be.
Daughter has booked a trip with i-to-i for 2 weeks starting June 5th. I am ready to pull the plug based on what I've read here. Can anyone comment on recent experiences at the Lion Park? Thanks very much.
Daughter has booked a trip with i-to-i for 2 weeks starting June 5th. I am ready to pull the plug based on what I've read here. Can anyone comment on recent experiences at the Lion Park? Thanks very much.
Ive been to Boskoppie about 3 years ago. I was supposed to be there for 6 weeks, i left after 3 weeks, even though i didnt get my money back.
The only nice things there were the baby tigers, and the very sweet dog Roxy (Jack Russel).
At the time i didnt know about canned hunting, i do now. And i believe they are definitely involved in canned hunting.
The older tigers/lions are in another enclosure. The volunteers were supposed to go inside to clean. However when they bite u (and they do!) you are supposed to hit them until they stop.
The other volunteers didnt seem to have a problem with that, but their pants were torn anyway.
I refused to go into their enclosures because i wasnt comfortable with hitting them (or any other animal for that matter)!!!
So if you are thinking about going there, i would highly suggest that you do NOT go there.. Please!!
There are other places where u can volunteer that are not involved in canned hunting.
I love South Africa, and ive been there 5 times, and more to come..
If you'd like to know more about Boskoppie and/or other placed to volunteer in SA, feel free to email me: willow83@gmail.com
Ive been to Boskoppie about 3 years ago. I was supposed to be there for 6 weeks, i left after 3 weeks, even though i didnt get my money back.The only nice things there were the baby tigers, and the very sweet dog Roxy (Jack Russel).At the time i didnt know about canned hunting, i do now. And i believe they are definitely involved in canned hunting.The older tigers/lions are in another enclosure. The volunteers were supposed to go inside to clean. However when they bite u (and they do!) you are supposed to hit them until they stop.The other volunteers didnt seem to have a problem with that, but their pants were torn anyway.I refused to go into their enclosures because i wasnt comfortable with hitting them (or any other animal for that matter)!!!So if you are thinking about going there, i would highly suggest that you do NOT go there.. Please!!There are other places where u can volunteer that are not involved in canned hunting.I love South Africa, and ive been there 5 times, and more to come..If you'd like to know more about Boskoppie and/or other placed to volunteer in SA, feel free to email me: willow83@gmail.com
I was planning on going to Boskoppie during this holiday season after a visit to my dad. I asked my ex-husband to call them to find out if any of the animals are drugged in order to facilitate touching them as there would be no way that I would go there if this was the case. The lady at reception was quite taken aback by this question and very adamant that they did not drug any of their animals in any way. After speaking to my daughter and her boyfriend last night, I now know that most of these places, especially in the Free State, participate in canned hunting, which is something I am also TOTALLY against. This morning I decided to do some research and I am so thankful to have come upon this page. You have made my decision not to go there very clear-cut and I want to thank you for posting about your experience. I would've hated myself for going if I had only found out about Boskoppie after the visit. Please know that the TIA thing is not something that all of us South Africans participate in. There are many of us who feel the same way you do about places who condone that nonchalant type of behaviour; no matter the industry. Thank you, again, for taking the time and putting in the effort to assist those of us who haven't experienced what you have!
Best regards
Angela Klaasen