Lion and Tiger Cub Exploitation in Mexico

When you travel to a destination in Mexico, you're probably on vacation and looking forward to a relaxing time on the beach, sipping margaritas and eating some delicious Mexican food. Probably the last thing you'd expect to see is a lion or tiger cub. But in many tourist spots throughout Mexico, that's unfortunately exactly what you'll see. 


It seems the use of lion and tiger cubs as tourist attractions in Mexico has been around since at least the early 2000's (if not earlier) as far as my research can tell. They're appearing in popular Mexican tourist destinations such as Playa del Carmen, Cabo San Lucas, and Ensenada. Passengers debarking from cruise ships have reported seeing locals with small cubs in cages or boxes with signs advertising that you can hold or pet a cub for $20 to $25. They claim the funds go to either a local zoo or a wildlife sanctuary. This is highly doubtful, as one of the lion cubs had a wound on its nose and others have appeared to not be particularly well cared for. From what I've read on various forums and heard through fellow animal rights activists, the cubs are killed when they get too large and their meat is sold in the bushmeat industry. 


Please join me in protesting this horrific practice!


There are several things you can do and they're all quite easy. You can join the Facebook page that's been created to raise awareness about this issue:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Stop-Lion-Tiger-Cub-Exploitation-in-Mexico/375092319184299

You can also email major news outlets and ask them to investigate this story and bring it to the forefront of our awareness so this can be stopped. We must put pressure on Mexican officials and convince them that this practice must be stopped and laws put in place to protect animals. Both the lion and the tiger are endangered species. This is a critical time in their future, if they are to even have a future. Leading scientists believe that the wild lion will become extinct in as few as ten to fifteen years, and the tiger's future looks even more dire. We should be working diligently to save these species, not allowing them to be exploited. If we all join together, perhaps we'll be heard and this practice will be stopped. 

Please --- if you travel Mexico and see people with 

tiger or lion cubs --- do not give them money!!

Doing so only encourages the exploitation of these animals.

Mexico doesn't currently have laws in place to protect these animals. Let's put the pressure on them so laws are enacted to protect not only wild animals, but all animals in Mexico. Please contact the Mexican Ambassador and ask him to put laws in place. Here's his name, address and website address:



His Excellency Arturo Sarukhan
Embassy of Mexico
1911 Pennsylvania Ave.
Washington, DC 20006
http://portal.sre.gob.mx/usa/index.php?option=contact&Itemid=6


The U.S. Ambassador to Mexico is Earl Anthony "Tony" Wayne and his office email address is acsmexicocity@state.gov.


Here's the email addresses of some of the major media outlets. It's very easy to draft one email and copy it to all of the various agencies. We have to get the word out that this is not acceptable treatment of these animals.


Dateline: Dateline@nbcuni.com
60 Minutes: 60m@cbsnews.com
CNN: http://www.cnn.com/feedback/show/?s=storyidea
Fox News: newsmanager@foxnews.com
MSNBC: mediainquiries@msnbc.com
Dateline: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10285339/


Below are some images of tourists holding and petting lion cubs in Mexico. If you search on YouTube for "lion cubs Mexico," you'll find lots of videos that people have posted.

These animals belong in the wild (as shown below), not being used as a tourist attraction. 

Animals Matter.

Born Free: The Gift the Adamsons Gave the World

The year is 1966 and I'm a 3-year old toddler, oblivious to world events of historical significance. Oblivious to just about everything except the things in my little world that affect me. In 1961, just two years earlier, the Bay of Pigs invasion (or, at it's known in Latin America La Batalla de Giron) was unsuccessful in Cuba. The Berlin Wall between East Berlin and West Berlin was built, and the Soviets launched their first man into space. In the following year, 1962, a 24-year old man named Gunter Litfin was the first person killed trying to cross the Berlin Wall to freedom in West Berlin. He was a tailor seeking freedom and a better life in West Berlin and was shot on the very same day that the "shoot to kill" order was given. The Cuba missile crisis pitted the U.S. against the Soviet Union and Cuba. In California, actress Marilyn Monroe was found dead in her home.

In 1963, U.S. President John Fitzgerald Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas and Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his "I Have a Dream" speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. In 1964, the Civil Rights Act was passed in the U.S. while Nelson Mandela was sentenced to life in prison in South Africa. The following year, 1965, the Los Angeles Riots gripped L.A. and New York City experienced The Great Blackout. In that same year, the U.S. began sending its first troops to Vietnam. The world saw many historical events in the 60's, many of them heartbreaking.

In 1966, the world received a gift that was both uplifting and heartwarming. It was a film, a true story about a lion cub named Elsa and the amazing husband and wife team who raised her, George and Joy Adamson. Through this story, the world temporarily forgot about world events; assassinations, imprisonment, war, poverty, hate crimes, and violence. What is perhaps most ironic is that this heartwarming story took place in one of the cruelest and most violent landscapes that exists: the wild animal kingdom of Africa. It is an achingly beautiful yet violent place where survival of the fittest is the only thing that matters, no matter how heartbreaking it may be when it occurs.

Through this little lioness, the world saw that the King of the Jungle was also capable of great character, attachment, warmth, and love. The film encouraged the world to care about wildlife, its well-being, and its future. It raised unprecedented awareness around the world. People everywhere were fascinated by this amazing man and woman who were not only living in the African bush, but also raising a wild lion. As the popularity of the Adamsons grew, the world discovered just how special these two individuals really were. The story of George and Joy and their love for this lion was exactly what the world needed in 1966.

George and Elsa at the riverbank

Thank you, George and Joy, for the precious gift of your story. You gave a wonderful gift to the world not only through the story of Elsa, but also through your continued work in wildlife conservation. Your memory will be kept alive through those lucky enough to have heard your message and understood the importance of what you had to say.

L to R: Virginia McKenna, George Adamson, 

Bill Travers, Joy Adamson

For the most comprehensive website about George Adamson, please visit http://www.fatheroflions.org/.
Visit the George Adamson Wildlife Preservation Trust: http://www.georgeadamson.org/
The Born Free website can be found here: http://www.bornfree.org.uk/

Watch Elsa's Legacy on PBS: Elsa's Legacy

Animals Matter.

George and Elsa

New Lion Photos

I decided to post some new lion photos that have never before been published or seen, at least not by anyone other than me. I'm looking forward to returning to Africa to take some new photos. I'm especially looking forward to (hopefully) getting some good elephant shots, since I only took one decent elephant shot on my last trip.

Here are the new lion photos.

I love how you can see his back legs splayed out

A friendly kiss between lion siblings

No, these lions weren't mating; they were just playing.
They're brother and sister anyway, so that would be icky.

Notice the two lions in the background, very well camouflaged.

I'm not sure why, but I love this close-up shot

Animals Matter.

Import Ban on Wild Lion Trophies from South Africa

LionAid (http://www.lionaid.org) recently announced it is increasing its efforts to ban the export of wild lion trophies from South Africa by pointing out the discrepancy between actual wild lions left and wild lions available for export. The Scientific Review Group of the EC Wildlife Trade Regulation has been studying the issue and as of November 10, 2011, issued a ban on the import on all lion trophies categorized as "wild" into the European Union from South Africa. Apparently someone is just now figuring out that lions being exported from South Africa were being mislabeled. 


If you are a lion conservationist, I highly recommend that you read the Lion Petition (http://www.ifaw.org/sites/default/files/Lion_Petition.pdf) filed in March last year by IFAW, Born Free, Humane Society International, The Humane Society of the United States, and Defenders of Wildlife. Study Table 4 in Section 4, titled "International Trade in African Lions and their Parts by Source Country." It doesn't take a mathematician to notice the discrepancies in the numbers and figure out that something doesn't add up. The Petition itself states that the numbers are self-reported by these countries, so why would anyone expect those numbers to be accurate? We can't continue to be so naive when the extinction of the African lion is at stake. The Petition was filed March 1, 2011 -- almost a year ago -- and it's taken this long for someone to notice the discrepancy and get a preliminary ban in place. I realize that a lot of work took place to get this ban in place and the wheels of progress move slowly. But we're running out of time here, folks. The lion is running out of time.


Back to the subject at hand. Let me be clear in stating that I'm all for this ban. I'm also all for the U.S. banning the import of all lion trophies (or any endangered or threatened species, for that matter). Humans will continue to slaughter animals on the brink of extinction for the mere sport and bragging rights until there won't be any animals left. Oh, and let's not forget the trophy. That lovely lion head of a once-majestic lion to hang on the wall. It doesn't take much to figure out that we humans are our own worst enemy. If there are people out there who don't care about the survival of this species, then those of us who do care need to put measures in place to stop them. It's as simple as that. But these measures must be rigidly enforced with a zero tolerance policy, both for those who break the bans and those who enrich themselves by looking the other way.


As for the progress on the U.S. Lion Petition, it's a waiting game. I checked in with Born Free recently and they have not heard any news from the Secretary of the Interior. Maybe they're hoping we'll just give up and go away. Find another "hobby." Ha.


We can't lose focus. We can't ease up. We must push forward even harder. If the African lion becomes extinct within the next ten to fifteen years as predicted, we've failed them. And we've failed ourselves and future generations. In the end, we'll get what we deserve when future generations look back and say, "why didn't you do something? why didn't you stop it?" By then it will be too late.

Animals Matter.