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Your Excellency:
At a recent (July 18-22) meeting of the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna (CITES) Animals Committee in Geneva, Kenya and Namibia were awarded the highly responsible assignation to conduct a CITES Periodic Review of African lions.
The results of the Periodic Review will be presented to the next CITES Conference of Parties in Thailand in 2013. Periodic Reviews have been established to allow for objective assessments of the proper categorization of species of concern in terms of the various CITES Appendices. African lions are currently on CITES Appendix II, meaning that lions are in theory subjected to careful assessment of the impact of commercial trade on their conservation status.
As you are doubtless aware, lion population numbers are in freefall decline across Africa. While there are many reasons for such declines, including loss of habitat and conflict with humans and livestock, additional mortality factors such as those involved with the commercial trade in lions (notably sport hunting) should be immediately removed. This can only come about if lions are placed on CITES Appendix I.
I believe this is the proper listing for lions for a number of additional reasons:
• There has been a drastic increase in rhino and elephant poaching. It is estimated about 100 elephants are poached daily, and over the last two years about 620 rhinos have been poached, largely in South Africa. There is growing evidence that lions are also involved in the resurgence of poaching, largely to supply the growing demand for lion bones from the Asian Traditional Medicine market. Lion bones have risen in price from $10/kg in 2008 to over $300/kg in 2010. “Legal” exports of lion bones from South Africa to Laos have already amounted to 600kg over the past two years.
• Recent genetic studies have shown that lions in western Africa are genetically more similar to Asiatic lions than those in southern and eastern Africa. It is estimated that there are about 800 of these highly genetically distinctive lions remaining in western Africa, and recent ground surveys have shown no lions remaining in 10 of 12 locations where they were thought to occur in 2002 and 2006. Western African lions should therefore be immediately declared regionally endangered, and trophy hunting in Cameroon and Burkina Faso should cease.
• Due to lion reproductive parameters (including the occurrence of infanticide when incoming males take over prides) this is a species that cannot be sustainably utilized. Lion biology, though well understood, has been consistently ignored in assessments of impact of trophy hunting.
• Despite their powerful image, lions are a fragile species. Virtually all adult lions are infected with Feline Immunodeficiency Virus, related to Human Immunodeficiency Virus in our species. This renders lions extremely susceptible to a variety of diseases introduced by domestic animals. In 1993/1994 well over a thousand lions died in the Serengeti/Mara due to an outbreak of canine distemper spread by domestic dogs around the protected areas. Currently, bovine tuberculosis is spreading rapidly and with fatal effect among lions in Kruger National Park in South Africa and Gonorezou National Park in southern Zimbabwe.
Kenya already proposed an uplisting of lions to CITES Appendix I in 2004. Kenya accepted then, as a compromise, that range states should conduct urgent reviews of their lion populations and formulate national plans for the conservation of this species. Little result has been achieved, and vested interest groups have sought to influence range states with greatly inflated population numbers. These “surveys” have not been accepted as valid by the scientific community and therefore remain unpublished in peer-reviewed journals. They are an attempt to convince range states, the IUCN, and CITES that trophy hunting should continue.
I support the UK Charity LionAid (www.lionaid.org) in encouraging that Kenya is able to conduct this Periodic Review in an environment free of undue influence from these vested interest groups.
I understand that LionAid is in discussion with Members of the European Parliament to highlight their concerns about the objectivity of past decisions.
I would urge Kenya to resist the inclusion of any reports on lion numbers that do not satisfy the rigorous demands of scientific credibility while Kenya conducts the CITES Periodic Review.
I apologize for the length of this letter. I would in closing urge you to consider Kenya’s Coat of Arms. Two lions are prominent, and on the scroll below is written “Harambee”. I would like to assure you that harambee will be not be lacking from us to ensure the realization of Kenya’s highly important role in the continued existence of an African iconic species.
With best wishes to you and all citizens of Kenya
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