South Africa's lion-petting industry: We spent three years investigating and here's what we found

An investigation into South Africa's lion petting industry found that all 34 commercial captive lion venues studied received low scores for the living conditions of the animals. The venues, ranging from zoos to tourism spots where people can interact closely with the big cats, housed between 250 to 5,000 square meters of enclosures.

Cubs were often kept in crates or small pens, while adults were confined to small spaces. The study, conducted over three years, revealed that lions were kept in substandard conditions, lacking sufficient shelter, stimulation, and natural environment. The research, conducted by conservation and animal welfare experts, highlighted the lack of coordination in legislation across provinces and the limited capacity of nature conservation authorities to monitor these facilities.

Despite the industry's size, there is a dearth of scientific data on lion welfare. The study aimed to bring light to the poor living conditions, restricted mobility, and early separation of cubs from their mothers, all of which contribute to stress and poor health in the animals. Interestingly, venues with better welfare conditions for lions tended to hold fewer big cats, including tigers, leopards, servals, and caracals, suggesting that more research is needed to understand this correlation.