Cape Town/Vienna, 13 November 2024 – South Africa is the world’s leading exporter of big cats and their body parts, with over 3,500 living animals and 34,000 body parts exported in the last 20 years, based on data from the CITES trade database. Yet, the true extent of the illegal trade remains hidden. A new report by global animal welfare organisation FOUR PAWS sheds light on the big cat industry in South Africa, which has expanded under fragmented and ineffective regulations. FOUR PAWS calls for complete closure of the big cat industry by 2030.

From 2018 to 2024, 30 incidents of illegal trade and trafficking of big cats – including lions, tigers, and leopards – and their parts were recorded within or allegedly from South Africa. In a recent 2024 case, a South African and a well-known Vietnamese trafficker were arrested for attempting to illegally sell six lions. However, the exact number of big cats and their body parts exported from South Africa every year remains unknown.

The exploitation of non-native tigers in South Africa’s big cat farms

Non-native species face a higher risk of exploitation due to ineffective regulations on their keeping, breeding, trading, movement and killing. This lack of control is extremely problematic as South Africa now has the largest tiger farms outside of Asia and presents unscrupulous traders and criminals with the opportunity to traffic and trade the animals with ease. FOUR PAWS research suggests that between 2020 and 2024, 103 facilities had kept tigers on their premises at some point. In countries like Vietnam, where tigers are now extinct in the wild, South Africa has emerged as a leading supplier for tigers and their parts, feeding the demand for traditional medicines and luxury products across Asia.

Out-of-control commercial breeding puts all big cat species at risk

The industrial-scale breeding of big cats in South Africa has far-reaching consequences on worldwide conservation efforts. Due to the strong legal protection status of tigers, other big cat species – such as leopards, lions and jaguars – are being used as substitutes to meet the demand.

“The farming of big cats in South Africa triggers a dangerous chain reaction, speeding up the extinction of endangered species across the globe. Facilities claiming that big cat breeding supports the conservation of wild populations is misleading and undermines the real horrors of the industry. Captive animals are exploited as tourist attractions and killed for profit, and wild populations continue to be targeted by poachers. Both captive and wild big cats pay the price for this profit-oriented industry. All five big cat species – jaguars, leopards, lions, snow leopards and tigers – will see even more significant declines in their wild populations if this exploitative trend continues. It is high time to act now,” says Kieran Harkin, Wildlife Trade Expert at FOUR PAWS.

The role of organised criminal networks in international big cat trade

The FOUR PAWS report identifies different types of networks focusing on national and international trade. Some networks solely breed tigers to supply illegal wildlife markets in Asia, using their own export companies to handle these transports. Others operate large breeding facilities focusing on public interactions with big cats while also trafficking live animals and bones. Disturbingly, some even offer ‘end-to-end' services, managing every step from purchase, preparing legal and forged documents, to the transport of the animals.

Lions bred in intensive breeding facilities are also widely traded, with their body parts often relabeled and sold as tiger parts. "South Africa’s big cat industry is out of control. Ineffective regulations allow breeders and farms to breed, kill and trade big cats unchecked. The South African government continues to ignore existing international trade agreements under CITES which greatly undermines conservation and enforcement efforts across the world,” adds Kieran Harkin.