Elephant and cheetah experience: exploring Zimbabwe’s culling legacy

FOR over 25 years, the Elephant and Cheetah Experience in Victoria Falls has been a hub of conservation, tourism and adventure.

This unique facility offers visitors the chance to interact with some of Africa’s most iconic wildlife, blending education with unforgettable experiences.

Located near the Zambezi National Park gate, the facility is home to domesticated lions, cheetahs and elephants, making it a near-complete showcase of the Big Five, missing only buffalo and rhino.

Founded by wildlife expert and director Mr Basil Steyn, the Elephant and Cheetah Experience began as a sanctuary for orphaned and drought-stricken elephants.

Over the years, it has expanded to include cheetahs and lions, transforming into a must-visit destination for both local and international tourists.

The facility now boasts a herd of eight elephants comprising three bulls and five females, two cheetahs and three lions, many of which were rescued and rehabilitated.

Guided by a mission of conservation and ethical animal interactions, visitors can walk with elephants, interact with cheetahs and lions and learn about the challenges facing these majestic animals.

Mr Steyn, one of Zimbabwe’s pioneers in elephant training, has built a dedicated conservation-oriented team. The facility employs over 50 people, 85 percent of whom are male due to the physically demanding and potentially dangerous nature of the work.

Elephant and Cheetah Experience marketing manager, Ms Janice Ncube, who has been with the organisation since 2011, said the facility is committed to conservation and adherence to Zimbabwean laws.

“The whole idea is conservation alongside leisure and tourism. While some critics argue that walking with lions or riding elephants is controversial, we operate under strict guidelines set by the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) and Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (Zimparks). We believe in what we do and are regularly inspected to ensure ethical and sustainable practices,” she said.

During a recent visit by a Chronicle news crew, Ms Ncube explained the diverse preferences of international tourists.

“Americans love riding elephants, while Indian and Chinese clients enjoy interacting with the cats. Locals are all-rounders,” she said.

Vice President Dr Constantino Chiwenga’s wife, Colonel Miniyothabo Chiwenga in August visited the facility with the 2023 Miss Universe World Sheynnis Palacios and interacted with the animals.

The elephants, cheetahs and lions each have unique names and stories. For example, Boniface, the oldest elephant at 44 years, was rescued as an orphaned calf. Sondelani, named after a farm in West Nicholson, was born there. Zuva and Nicky, the cheetahs, are ambassadors for conservation efforts aimed at addressing declining populations.

The three lions — Gundu, Rita, and Thuli — also play vital roles in the facility’s conservation narrative.  For just US$120, international tourists can enjoy close encounters with these animals, including feeding and walking with elephants. The facility also offers discounted rates for locals to encourage domestic tourism.

Beyond tourism, the Elephant and Cheetah Experience is deeply involved in community outreach. The facility provides free educational trips for schools and has adopted Chimbombo Primary School as part of its corporate social responsibility.

“The animals, particularly cheetahs, are integral to the conservation efforts and educational activities aimed at teaching guests about the delicate balance of wildlife ecosystems and the importance of protecting these majestic animals,” said Ms Ncube.

“Their presence helps raise awareness of the declining populations of such species and the importance of protecting their habitats. We aim to foster a culture where animals are seen as more than just potential dangers.”

Ms Ncube said by showcasing their beauty and importance, they hope to convert future poachers into conservationists. Despite its successes, the facility faces challenges, including misconceptions about ethical wildlife interactions and bureaucratic hurdles.

“Elephant and Cheetah Experience started as Elephant Experience and has been running for over 25 years. We introduced the cheetah and lions three years ago hence the name changed. It’s a pity, some people don’t understand us on the conservation side because they think what we do is controversial,” said Ms Ncube.

Ms Ncube also expressed concerns about travel agents inflating package prices, making the destination seem expensive.
However, the local market has been a lifeline.

“If it wasn’t for locals, December would be a low season for us. We do have internationals but the local market boosts us. They not only visit but also promote us online, giving us invaluable exposure,” she said.

“We are trying to inculcate a culture of not seeing every animal as a potential danger. Clients get to walk with the elephants in the bush for 30 minutes and after that, they feed them because we use the reward system.”

Ms Ncube noted that locals often visit during public holidays, while international tourists come during the tourism peak season.

“There are special packages and discounted rates for locals to encourage domestic tourism and allow Zimbabweans to enjoy these unique experiences at half the international price,” she said.

“While the animals are domesticated, elephants feed freely in the bush and are penned at night. Cheetahs and lions only come out when there are clients.”

Ms Ncube said the Elephant and Cheetah Experience is more than just a tourist attraction, but a conservation hub, working tirelessly to protect Zimbabwe’s wildlife heritage.

Source: Elephant and cheetah experience: exploring Zimbabwe’s conservation legacy (31/12/2024) 

Captive Victoria Falls elephant used in tourism tramples handler to death

Leonard Ncube, Victoria Falls Reporter

A 40-YEAR-OLD man who was employed as an elephant handler by a tour operator in Victoria Falls was trampled to death by an elephant on Saturday while rounding up a herd for penning.

Mr Jorum Ndlovu of 1043 Chinotimba suburb died on the spot following the attack.

His workmates Messrs Misheck Ncube and Nyasha Phiri tried to scare the jumbo away by throwing stones at it but their efforts were in vain, police confirmed. Rangers from the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority shot dead the elephant.

Police officer commanding Victoria Falls District, Chief Superintendent Tadeus Madondo said a young bull elephant charged at Mr Ndlovu and trampled him to death.

“I can confirm that an elephant handler employed by Wild Horizons was trampled to death by one of the elephants. On July 7 at 8AM, Jorum Ndlovu, in the company of Misheck Ncube (42) and Nyasha Phiri (23) who both reside at Wild Horizon Camp drove seven domesticated elephants from the pens to the grazing area in the Wild Horizon sanctuary,” said Chief Supt Madondo.

“At around 11AM the three were ordered to drive back the elephants to the stables as there were some tourists who wanted to do a ride. As they are were driving them, two young elephants started fighting and other female elephants joined in.”

Chief Supt Madondo said the two young bulls fled in different directions as the bigger elephants charged at them.In the process, one of the elephants charged towards Mr Ndlovu who took to his heels.

“The elephant charged in the same direction of the handler who fled and it pursued and trampled on him. His two colleagues threw stones at the elephant to scare it away and by the time they got to where he was lying he was already dead,” said Chief Supt Madondo.—@ncubeleon

Source: Domesticated  Victoria Falls elephant tramples handler to death (10/07/18)
More: Victoria Falls Elephant Handler Trampled to Death By Jumbo (10/07/18)

More (external links):

SA’s elephant industry under pressure to end elephant rides (10/06/17)
The truth behind elephant back riding in South Africa (25/11/16)
Can elephant tourism be ethical? (The Telegraph, 02/02/16)
Breaking Africa's elephants (pdf report, World Animal Protection Canada)

More captive elephant incidents (from this blog):
'Domesticated' elephant shot after trampling handler, Victoria Falls (03/02/18)
Captive elephant used in tourist elephant-back safaris kills handler (Livingstone, Zambia) (02/04/13)
Elephant-back Safaris “Simply Accidents Waiting to Happen” Warns Top Tourism Insurer (10/05/17)
Captive Elephant Used In Tourism Safaris Kills Handler In Victoria Falls (19/12/08)

'Domesticated' elephant shot after trampling handler, Victoria Falls

The incident happened on Wednesday morning at Dibamombe Safari Lodge 32km from Victoria Falls town.

The elephant, called Dojiwe, was shot and killed by Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority rangers after the attack on Thursday.

A witness and co-worker said the elephant turned against James Tshuma and their manager, as they were chasing it away from a maize patch in the garden.

“After opening the paddock, Dojiwe went to the garden instead of going to graze. Our manager [Hazel] Palmer, together with Tshuma, then led her out and she complied. As they were leading her out, she hit Palmer with her trunk and that is when Tshuma tried to reprimand her, but she immediately turned on him,” Stephen Tshuma said.

“It lifted him up before throwing him to the ground and trampling on his feet and goring him all over his body. He was badly injured.

“It then left him after noticing the feeding cubes that he had dropped scattered all over and that’s when we took him to hospital and he was transferred to Bulawayo.”

Dojiwe, the elephant, was popularly known for her adventurous and friendly behaviour towards tourists, who would visit the site to marvel at her kneeling down and kicking the ball, among other tricks.

Tshuma said it was their first time to witness such behaviour since her adoption.

Last year, another domesticated elephant called Mbanje from Adventure Zone was shot after trampling its handler to death.

Animal rights activists condemn elephants capture and rides, arguing that the practice is cruel and should be banned.

Source: Jumbo tramples handler, shot dead after attack (03/02/18)

More: Elephant tramples handler in Victoria Falls (03/02/18)
Domesticated elephant shot after trampling handler (03/02/18)

Tourism players resist pressure to end elephants rides

MOST tourism players in Victoria Falls have not heeded an international ban on elephant training, exhibition and rides, arguing that the prohibition order would drive them out of business.

By Nokuthaba Dlamini

The ban came into effect on December 31 last year.

Employers’ Association for Tourism and Safari Operations Association president and Shearwater Adventures spokesperson, Clement Mukwasi said operators had slowly transitioned, but it was now business as usual.

He said companies were not abruptly ending the elephant activities, but instead they were introducing programmes that would eventually see the retirement of these animals.

“We hear their call, but there are lots of things to consider before complying.

“We need to strike a balance between terminating someone’s job and elephant activities because, if you look at the Zimbabwean Constitution, we are not committing any offence, so this may be applying in their countries or it is just a moral call,” he said.

“Also, regarding tourists, there are some who enjoy walking with elephants, riding and feeding them and that boosts our industry, so we cannot just wake up and comply. Tourists enjoy such activities, so we need to strike a balance.

“We are actually working on scientific evaluation programmes of retiring elephants, as it includes monitoring them, as others may need rehabilitation and adaptation to bush life so that they don’t become a danger to the community or fail to survive on their own.”

According to operators’ reports, such activities have stopped in Botswana and South Africa and pressure is now on Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Zambian tour operators, who offer elephant rides, advertised that they would stop on December 31.

Adventure Zone, Elephant Express and Shearwater are some of the companies that offer elephant rides in Victoria Falls while Lion Encounter does lion walks.

Source: Tourism players ignore elephants ride ban (11/01/18)

More: Tide turns against tourism elephant rides (05/12/17)

Pressure on Zim to stop activities involving wild animals (16/06/17)

Zambian operator to phase out elephant-back safaris (17/01/17)

Download: Breaking Africa's Elephants - Exposing the rise of cruel tourist rides World Animal Protection Canada [pdf download, external source]

More from this blog: elephant-back safaris : captive-animal interactions

Tourism players ignore elephants ride ban

MOST tourism players in Victoria Falls have not heeded an international ban on elephant training, exhibition and rides, arguing that the prohibition order would drive them out of business.

The ban came into effect on December 31 last year.

Employers’ Association for Tourism and Safari Operations Association president and Shearwater Adventures spokesperson, Clement Mukwasi said operators had slowly transitioned, but it was now business as usual.

He said companies were not abruptly ending the elephant activities, but instead they were introducing programmes that would eventually see the retirement of these animals.

“We hear their call, but there are lots of things to consider before complying.

“We need to strike a balance between terminating someone’s job and elephant activities because, if you look at the Zimbabwean Constitution, we are not committing any offence, so this may be applying in their countries or it is just a moral call,” he said.

“Also, regarding tourists, there are some who enjoy walking with elephants, riding and feeding them and that boosts our industry, so we cannot just wake up and comply. Tourists enjoy such activities, so we need to strike a balance.

“We are actually working on scientific evaluation programmes of retiring elephants, as it includes monitoring them, as others may need rehabilitation and adaptation to bush life so that they don’t become a danger to the community or fail to survive on their own.”

According to operators’ reports, such activities have stopped in Botswana and South Africa and pressure is now on Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Zambian tour operators, who offer elephant rides, advertised that they would stop on December 31.

Adventure Zone, Elephant Express and Shearwater are some of the companies that offer elephant rides in Victoria Falls while Lion Encounter does lion walks.

Source: Tourism players ignore elephants ride ban (11/01/18)

Victoria Falls: Tide turns against tourism elephant rides

TOUR operators in Victoria Falls are slowly giving in to pressure from international tourism agents to stop elephant ride activities on claim of abuse to wildlife.

International animal activists and agents who bring clients to local tour operators have reportedly set conditions to halt elephant rides or risk losing market benefits for their products and services. Animal activities such as elephant ride and lion walk were given up to end of this month to close, a development whose effects will be felt in the tourism sector judging by the amount of business they contribute to the industry.

Wildlife activists and conservationists say the move is aimed at promoting green tourism. Speaking during an educational elephant interaction for pupils from Townsend High School in Bulawayo and Sacred Heart Primary School in Esigodini at Wild Horizons on Friday, Green Line Africa director, Mrs Veronica Chapman, said the tour operator (Wild Horizons) was the first to stop the activity.

Green Line is an international organisation, which draws membership from tour operators worldwide.

"Wild Horizons is now a member of Green Tourism and has been accredited for its initiative of ending elephant rides.

"International animal activists view elephant ride as cruelty hence they have advocated for what is called "elephant experience" where people get to have a close interaction with elephants without having to ride on them," she said.

Elephant interaction involves feeding the jumbos and patting them without riding on them. The pupils won a quiz competition organised by Sanganai/Hlanganani Tourism Expo this year and were rewarded with a trip to interact with elephants among other activities in Victoria Falls. Wild Horizons runs a schools programme where they host pupils every Friday to teach them about various environmental issues.

Employers' Association for Tourism and Safari Operations Association president, Mr Clement Mukwasi, who is also spokesperson for Shearwater Adventures, said operators were slowly transitioning.

He, however, decried the move saying it will lead to loss of jobs for dozens of people.

"Companies are not abruptly ending the elephant rides but instead they are inducting on programmes that will eventually see the retirement of those animals.

"The animals are creating employment to the people who manage them. What's needed is to ensure that their retirement is done systematically without causing loss of jobs and pain to handlers who will all now be rendered jobless," said Mr Mukwasi

He said some operators were still doing the activity but at a low scale as they are now working on phasing it out. More than 90 percent of tourists who enjoy elephant rides come from international agents.

The activities have stopped in Botswana and South Africa and pressure is now on Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Zambian tour operators who offer elephant rides have advertised to their clients that they would stop on December 31.

Adventure Zone, Elephant Express, Shearwater are some of the companies that offer elephant rides in Victoria Falls while Lion Encounter does lion walks.

Source: Victoria Falls elephant rides stopped (05/12/17)

More: Pressure on Zim to stop activities involving wild animals (16/06/17)
Zambian operator to phase out elephant-back safaris (17/01/17)

Download: Breaking Africa's Elephants - Exposing the rise of cruel tourist rides World Animal Protection Canada [pdf download, external source]

More from this blog: elephant-back safaris : captive-animal interactions

Elephant shot dead after trampling handler to death as British tourists waited for rides at Victoria Falls

An elephant was shot dead after trampling his handler to death as British tourists queued for rides on the animal at popular holiday hot-spot, Victoria Falls.

Mbajane the bull elephant, which translates to 'cannabis', charged at Enock Kufandada, 50, before repeatedly stamping his body into the ground on the Zambia - Zimbabwe border.

Park rangers were called in to control the horrific scene as officials ushered tourists from the UK, America and Australia to safety.

Mbajane was still in a rage and deemed a danger to others after the incident so he was brought down and killed with several high velocity bullets.

Workers said Mr Kufandada had been attacked twice before by the same elephant but survived.

Clement Mukwasi of the Employers Association of Tourism and Safari Operators said “The profession of elephant handling is a high risk one and deaths happen.

“We can confirm this sad incident which is the third in the last 10 years” he said.

Handler Mr Kufandada appears to have his left arm torn off along with both legs and it is not clear if he has been impaled with the stick used to control the elephant.

His blood soaked body was covered with sack cloth until the local police force had been called to the scene and then it was removed from the tourist area at Victoria Falls.

Mr Mukwasi hinted that elephants can “keep grudges” for many years against a handler if it has ever been mistreated during the process of training it for tourist rides.

Witnesses told local media that they heard screams and found the dead body torn apart and the 30-year-old bull elephant nearby clearly still enraged and in a bad temper.

The World Animal Protection action group said in a statement that the incident was "another sad reminder that elephants are wild animals and should not be ridden."

Two years ago a curio-seller was trampled to death by an elephant which had strayed into a shopping centre in Victoria Falls which is on the border with Zambia.

Glynnis Vaughan, chief inspector of the Zimbabwe National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, claims African elephants can never be “domesticated”.

She said: “Captured elephants which are used by several tourist companies have killed quite a few people in recent years. We should not be surprised when there are tragedies.

“Elephants are captured in the wild when they are young and taken from their families and teaching a young elephant to kneel so a tourist an mount it is vicious and it is cruel”.

Several large companies in Victoria Falls still provide rides for tourists on their elephants, most of which were captured and taken from their families.

There are a number of companies at Victoria Falls - one of Africa's most spectacular places to visit - which cater for tourist rides on African elephants.

Just last week game rangers shot and killed two other elephants which had roamed into the provincial capital of Mutare, East Zimbabwe, and killed a policeman.

Bankrupt Zimbabwe has been exporting dozens of young elephants to China in recent years for wildlife safari parks that have since been condemned by inspectors.

Tour operators at the Falls desperate to protect their livelihoods said the killing of the professional elephant handler was "a freak accident - one in a million".

Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority rangers shot and killed the elephant which was used by the tour operator Adventure Zone.

Mr Kufandada was preparing to take the bull elephant which he had worked with for many years out of its pen for a tourist ride when it attacked and killed him.

Victoria Falls District Chief Superintendent of police Jairos Chiwona said: "I confirm we received a report of a man who was attacked and killed by a domesticated elephant".

The rogue elephant Mbanje was grazing with a female jumbo called Nkanyiso after a ride and was about to go out for another after a group of tourists arrived for a ride.

The victims’ son Shepherd said: “We were told my father was rounding up the elephant when he was attacked. I don’t know what we will do as he was the breadwinner.

“I went with my fathers workmates to help pick up the scattered body parts”.

The married father-of-two will be buried at his rural home village of Mutare.

Adventure Zone boss Mr Brent Wlliamson said: “I am in complete shock about the whole incident. This was one of our guides who had been working for us since 2005.

“It's with deep regret that we advise that at 2.30pm on Saturday our domesticated elephant bull charged one of our staff that resulted in him losing his life.

“Clement was an extremely competent member of staff who will be sorely missed” he said.

Source: Elephant shot dead after trampling handler to death as British tourists waited for rides at Victoria Falls (26/07/17)

More on this story (external links):
Trained elephant kills handler (The Chronicle, 23/07/17))

Trained elephant kills tour guide in Victoria Falls park (BBC News, 24/07/17)

Elephant 'domesticated' to give tourist rides at Victoria Falls kills handler (The Telegraph, 24/07/17)
Elephant used for tourist rides tramples handler to death before being shot dead  (The Independent, 25/07/17)
SA’s elephant industry under pressure to end elephant rides (10/06/17)
The truth behind elephant back riding in South Africa (25/11/16)
Can elephant tourism be ethical? (The Telegraph, 02/02/16)
Breaking Africa's elephants (pdf report, World Animal Protection Canada)

More captive elephant incidents (from this blog):  Captive elephant used in tourist elephant-back safaris kills handler (Livingstone, Zambia) (02/04/13)
Captive Elephant Used In Tourism Safaris Kills Handler In Victoria Falls (19/12/08)
Elephant-back Safaris “Simply Accidents Waiting to Happen” Warns Top Tourism Insurer (10/0/17)

Pressure on Zim to stop activities involving wild animals

Leonard Ncube in Victoria Falls

THE tourism industry is facing a gloomy future as some international tourism agents from America are reportedly campaigning for closure of tour activities that involve wild animals.

Indications are that elephant rides and lion walks will be closed in December this year despite the activities being one of the cornerstones of the industry.

The international agents bring clients to local tour operators and have reportedly given conditions that if they do not close they would stop marketing the tour operators’ products and services.

Sources said the animal activists are even offering large sums of money to operators to stop activities involving wildlife.

The companies are under pressure and have agreed to close in December so that they remain in business.

More than 90 percent of tourists that enjoy elephant rides and lion walk come from the same agents.
The activities have stopped in Botswana and South Africa and pressure is now on Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Zambian tour operators who offer elephant rides have advertised to their clients that they would stop on December 31 while Business Chronicle is reliably informed that locally, Wild Horizons, one of the tour operators in Victoria Falls, will also be closed on the same date.

However, authorities at Wild Horizons told this paper that they were yet to decide on the date to close the activities.

Adventure Zone, Elephant Express, Shearwater are also part of the companies that offer elephant rides in Victoria Falls while Lion Encounter does lion walks.

“We will be stopping but we don’t have a date yet. Yes there is an international campaign to stop activities involving animals such as elephants,” said Mr Craig White of Wild Horizons.

He however played down the issue saying the company was voluntarily scaling down the rides.
Sources told this paper that the company was under pressure from its major agents who have threatened to stop bringing tourists if it continues activities involving animals.

Asked about the implications of the closure on business, Mr White said it would definitely impact negatively on his business.

Shearwater spokesperson, Mr Clement Mukwasi, who is also president of Employers Association of Safari and Tourism Operators said there was a need to strike a balance instead of closing abruptly.
He said the drive was coming from the source market mainly in the United States which targeted countries such as India and African countries were suffering from spillover effects.

“The campaign against use of wild animals in tourism has always been there by wildlife activists. As an industry we say there shouldn’t be an abrupt closure but a system must be devised with a budget for rehabilitation of those animals and compensation of those employed in the sector in the event that we close,” he said.

Mr Mukwasi said the elephant rides is one of the key sectors of tourism as it employs many people and contribute to tourism growth.

“They have to strike a balance. They should give alternatives in relation to people’s jobs and rehabilitation of these animals. Those who are able to close must not do so for scientific benefits without first putting proper measures.

“There is a lot of campaign against animal activities in the source market especially USA as they target India and in our case we have no track record of abuse of animals.”
While other operators have indicated that they will be closing, Mr Mukwasi said his organisation was still consulting.

Sources said Shearwater and Elephant Express have refused to budge because they no longer deal directly with some of the agents pushing for the closure who are based in South Africa.

Across the Zambezi River in Livingstone, only Mukuni Big Five Safaris, run by Chief Mukuni would continue offering animal activities as it also does not directly deal with the concerned agents.

The agents have reportedly planted posters at airports in Zambia stating that any tourism activity involving wild animals was cruel to the animals.

Operators were likely to divert from animal interactions while some have already started setting up restaurants to replace lost activities and business.

It costs $150 per person to ride an elephant for 45 minutes and $165 in Zambia.

@ncubeleon

Source: Pressure on Zim to stop activities involving wild animals (15/06/17)

Zambian operator to phase out elephant-back safaris

Safari Par Excellence and Zambezi Elephant Trails have decided to phase out elephant-back safaris. It is anticipated that by the end of December 2017, Zambezi Elephant Trails will no longer offer the safaris.

Safari Par Excellence will aim to end elephant rides by December 2017.

“Our approach to animal welfare as well as the decline in support of elephant-back safaris has confirmed that we are on the right track,” said Graham Nel, Managing Director, Safari Par Excellence.

Starting this month, the number of rides on offer will be reduced, with the focus being on the morning rides. Mid-morning and afternoon rides will only be conducted by special arrangement.

“We shall actively encourage clients to interact with the elephants rather than ride them,” said Nel. Elephant rides will be replaced by a boat ride up the Zambezi River, or road transfer, followed by an introduction to the animals with a short interaction and a meal at The Elephant Café.

Incentive groups are also encouraged to spend time to learn about and from the habits and characteristics of the elephants. 

Nel said the elephants’ well-being had always been at the forefront of operations within the Mosi-Oa-Tunya National Park in Zambia.

Source: Another operator to phase out elephant rides (16/01/17)

Further Reading:  Captive Animal encounters: are they ethical? 

More from this blog: elephant-back safaris 

Captive Animal encounters: are they ethical?

Petting a lion might make you feel good, but how ethical are these interactions? By Janine Stephen.

Getaway Magazine, March 30 2015

This tears me apart. I am at an orphaned animal ‘rehab’ centre on a private reserve in KwaZulu-Natal. The teen serval has played with my shoelaces; I’ve gazed at an orange-eyed young cheetah. It is a kind of bliss to be so close to animals which are beyond beautiful; near mythical. But then we enter the leopard cub’s enclosure and despite the teen cat’s slinky grace, it feels wrong.

Whenever his handler is distracted, he keeps hunkering down to stalk people, muscles rippling under his spotted pelt. He is a few short months off being uncontrollable. And then what? Will he be released to live out his days in wilderness, forever free? A leopard with no fear of humans? I can’t see it happening, ‘rehabilitation’ talk or not.

Animal encounters have boomed in South Africa, catering to people who are hungry to touch and love wild animals plus snap a selfie while they’re at it. Tourists can walk with cheetahs all over the place, or give them a good stroking (the Endangered Wildlife Trust has noticed a huge growth in such encounters, particularly in the Free State and Western Cape). They can ride elephants like kings; or sit on their knees, or kick a ball to them.

They can swim with dolphins and whales and whale sharks and sharks (black-tips or tigers, the great whites require cages). Oh, and cage dive with crocs, in Oudtshoorn. The tourist pays for the privilege. Now, there have always been kind-hearted humans lavishing care on orphaned and injured wild animals, but it’s different when healthy animals are bred or sold to spend a life in captivity, to make someone a profit.

The Campaign Against Canned Hunting says lion cub petting and walking with young lions is just a money-spinning offshoot of the hunting industry. The stress cubs face through endless human interaction is bad enough. ‘Wild animals like lions and tigers have inherent natural behaviours, and exposure to unnatural conditions and human crowds and handling exacerbates their stress,’ says manager of the NSPCA Wildlife Protection Unit, Ainsley Hay.

Cubs also require ‘large periods of undisturbed sleep’ a rarity in any public facility where the animals are ‘expected to work every day’. But reintroducing captive-bred lions to the wild is near impossible on any scale. One ‘walk with lions’ outfit north of our borders boasted of a multiple-stage rehabilitation programme. In reality, it had not sent a lion back to real wilderness in eight years, although plenty lived in large fenced areas.

There are no conservation benefits to this, yet these outfits hoover up donations and well-meaning tourist cash. And so petted lion cubs (or tigers), sent out walking with tourists as teenagers, are often sold to hunting outfits as adults. Sounds crazy? In September, the Eastern Cape MEC for Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism confirmed that from 2008, the Seaview Predator Park in Port Elizabeth, for example, had sent 22 lions to Craddock hunting reserve Tam Safaris.

The Herald reported there had been 86 lion hunts at Tam in six years, although Tam claimed the lions from Seaview were used only for breeding. Tam Safaris exported 738kg of lion bones and teeth to Vietnam in 2012.

Wild animals in captivity

‘Captive-bred large predators in this country become breeding machines to make more cubs for the petting industry, or they become trophies shot by hunters, or a skeleton exported to Asia for traditional medicine use,’ says the NSPCA’s Hay. The cheetah encounter industry is also a problem. EWT cheetah metapopulation co-ordinator Vincent van der Merwe says that in the last seven years, 27 percent of the cheetah moved off wild reserves were sold into captivity.

There are as many as 350 to 550 cheetah in captivity as opposed to 318 on 48 small reserves (excluding the Kruger and Kgalagadi). ‘The industry poses a serious threat to the [wild] cheetah population,’ Van der Merwe says. Many animal encounters can’t be condoned: dolphins and orcas in aquaria, for example, turning tricks for a living. Circuses are out. And I’m opposed to elephant encounters, as they inevitably require training.

With this comes the possibility of abuse (the pictures of wounds on babies belonging to the Knysna Elephant Park, inflicted during training in the Eastern Cape, are horrible reminders. Although the incident allegedly dates back to 2008, the story only broke in 2014). Being close to an elephant should be enough of an experience without subjecting it to human will.

And yet, and yet. Who hasn’t seen a child’s face light up in close proximity to an animal they have never seen? Can we say rehabilitation centres, sanctuaries, zoos or encounters should never exist – even the best of them? That humans have no right to display animals for education or profit? Some agree that people have no right, but do they have a responsibility to aid creatures harmed by human activities, from speeding cars, to pesticides or widespread habitat loss? A choice between conserving habitat with an endangered animal in it and shipping said animal to a captive breeding programme is a no-brainer. But sometimes there is no choice; no safe habitat left. So: a toughie.

There’s a bloke I trust on this stuff, although he’s dead now. He was an ornery part-scientist, part-renegade, and for all that he adored animals, he was never overly sentimental. Gerald Durrell did much to save such under-the-radar creatures as the Madagascan teal (not a flashy bird), the giant jumping rat, and the Mauritian pink pigeon, of which only 10 were left in the wild.

Durrell’s Jersey Zoo (now called the Durrell Wildlife Park) embodied ideals worth carrying over to any outfit offering any kind of animal encounter. Here they are: the primary reason they exist is to act as a reserve for endangered species that need help to survive in the wild. Education is a huge bonus: if animals have to be captured, we are duty-bound to learn more about them. But the end aim is to reintroduce the species to its natural habitat as soon as possible.

Pure entertainment, you’ll notice, is out. And that’s how it should be. It’s when a factory line of cute babies is needed to keep visitors streaming in that abuse can and will happen. This doesn’t mean selling tickets to see a bird with a broken wing or a former pet tiger that would otherwise have been shot is bad. Inviting the public in to help fund good work makes sense.

And I can’t brush off the educational spin-offs. When I was a kid, I went on a bird identification course at the local zoo and it ignited a fascination with birds and beasts that has never deserted me. Some critics say that if zoos and sanctuaries teach children anything, ‘it’s that imprisoning animals for our own entertainment is acceptable’. Not so. It is as likely to result in a commitment to seeing wildlife thrive and survive away from cages and people.

The key lesson underlying every encounter must be this: caring about animals means interacting with them on their terms, not ours. And that lucky, fleeting encounters in the wild are immeasurably more satisfying than a few fake strokes.

But I wanna stroke a cheetah…

Questions worth asking before buying a ticket

1. Are people interacting with the animals to be rehabilitated?

True rehabilitation centres won’t allow visitors, says Chris Mercer of the Campaign Against Canned Hunting, as the animals habituated to people cannot be released into the wild.

Some centres use ‘ambassador’ animals for education (such as a three-legged caracal, to warn against gin traps). But these animals should be unreleasable due to injury or prior habituation. Public access areas should be completely distinct from the rehab area. If not, animals are not being rehabilitated for release.

2. What is the value of any education or breeding programmes the outfit offers?

‘There is absolutely no ethical or conservation-based reason to breed large predators in captivity in South Africa,’ says the NSPCA’s Wildlife Protection Unit.

‘These animals… are imprinted and would never survive in the wild, or they are inbred and their genetics are diluted.’ The NSPCA points to a High Court case between the South African Predator Breeders Association and the Department of Environmental Affairs that confirmed that captive lion breeding ‘has nothing to do with conservation’. The NSPCA also refutes claims that captive breeding can be educational.

‘People can learn far more about wild animals by watching a documentary showing the animal’s natural behaviour in their natural habitats than looking at an animal in a cage, or playing with a baby animal.’

3. Would the animals be there if there were fewer public visitors?

If there is no demand for cub petting, from the public, cubs will not be removed from lionesses unnecessarily, says the NSPCA.

4. What happens to animals born here once they grow up?

‘Captive-bred large predators become breeding machines to make more cubs for the petting industry, or they become trophies shot by hunters, or a skeleton exported to Asia for traditional medicine use,’ says the NSPCA.

5. Are people allowed to touch the animals?

Are such encounters ‘staged’ (the animal has no choice) or by chance (the animal is curious enough to approach)? Many petted animals are required to be available to people paying to do so, and have no seclusion area to retreat to if they’ve had enough, say the NSPCA: completely unethical.

Ethical options for wildlife encounters

Wildlife Act Offers volunteer opportunities with research project in reserves in Zululand; endorsed by the WWF. Projects include monitoring wild dogs and leopard.
wildlifeact.com

SANCCOB Just about all these rescued seabirds really do go back home. Mandated by the South African government and registered with the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.
sanccob.co.za

Second Chance Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre Animals to be rehabilitated are not on public display. Supported by Mpumalanga’s parks.
scwrc.co.za

Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre Breeds and releases cheetah and is accredited by Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. Also a member of WESSA.
hesc.co.za

Moholoholo Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre Has bred and released over 160 serval into the wild.
moholoholo.co.za

 
*Note: certain of these centres may have ‘ambassador’ animals and encounters.

 
For a list of organisations that do not allow cub petting, and discussions on ethics, see the Facebook group Volunteers in Africa Beware.