“If lion bone is available legally, on the market, why would anyone choose to take all the risks and costs associated with poaching? The South African lion breeding industry can supply a lot of demand and we can make a contribution towards the saving of the Asian tigers and also the South African lions,” Potgieter said.
Groups are divided over the dilemma: maintain a regulated trade in lion carcasses from captive animals or outlaw the trade and risk a spike in poaching. Authorities, meanwhile, have remained silent.
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