South Africa: The Honeybadger's Revenge - Former Minister Dion George's Nuclear War Over SA's Captive Lions
Dion George does not mince words. The former South African environment minister has called his own country's captive lion industry "disgusting," and he is not stopping at sharp language. George says he is prepared to support international economic pressure against South Africa if that is what it takes to shut the industry down.
That is a striking position for a former cabinet minister to take. Backing foreign leverage against your own country's economy is the kind of move that makes political circles uncomfortable, and George appears fully aware of that. He is pushing forward anyway.
The captive lion industry in South Africa has drawn criticism from conservationists and animal welfare advocates for years, with concerns centered on the conditions lions are kept in and the commercial activities that surround them. George's willingness to align with that pressure from the outside signals just how far he is willing to go.
Whether his campaign gains traction, inside South Africa or beyond its borders, is the question worth watching.
Originally published by AllAfrica.