Is this the end for canned hunting in South Africa?

South Africa has the largest population of canned lions in the world - these are lions born in captivity and bred for trophy hunting. People can pay (usually tens of thousands of dollars) to hunt and shoot the animals. Now the government has said it will ban it, but hasn’t said when, or what will happen to the lions.

Breeders argue it is better that hunters shoot a captive-bred lion than further endanger the wild populations, but conservationists and animal welfare groups dispute this, saying wild populations of lions are in decline and that the lion farms are creating a market for canned lion hunts and encouraging the hunting of wild lions too.

BBC Africa’s Danai Nesta Kupemba explains what canned hunting is and why campaigners want to end the practice. We discuss the ethical considerations and why lion bones are sought after. Stephanie Klarmann, from Blood Lions, which campaigns to bring an end to the commercial captive breeding of lions, tells us why they disagree with it.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Email: [email protected] Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: Julia Ross-Roy, William Lee Adams and Benita Barden Video journalist: Beatrice Guzzardi Editor: Rosanna La Falce