Victory for Animal Welfare: NCOP Approves Draft Notice Prohibiting Certain Activities Involving African Lion
Global animal welfare organisation FOUR PAWS celebrates a landmark victory following the National Council of Provinces’
Cape Town, 24 March 2026 — Global animal welfare organisation FOUR PAWS celebrates a landmark victory following the National Council of Provinces’ decision to approve the Draft Notice Prohibiting Certain Activities Involving African Lion.
This decisive step marks the beginning of the end for South Africa’s captive lion industry by prohibiting the establishment of new captive breeding facilities. The industry has long been associated with unethical practices such as hunting of captive-bred lions, captive breeding, cub petting, and the lion bone trade. These activities have compromised animal welfare and damaged South Africa’s global reputation as a leader in conservation and ethical tourism destination.
The approval of the Prohibition Notice is a triumph for animal welfare. It represents:
- A commitment to ethical wildlife management and biodiversity protection.
- A restoration of international confidence in South Africa’s tourism and conservation sectors.
- A promise to future generations that lions will be respected and protected in the wild, where they belong.
FOUR PAWS also extends its congratulations to the Ministerial Task Team (MTT) for the significant progress made in guiding the national Voluntary Exit Programme and supporting provinces through this complex transition. The MTT’s commitment to animal welfare, science-based decision-making and transparent processes has been instrumental in moving South Africa closer to ending the cruelty associated with captive lion breeding.
Add Your Voice https://bit.ly/prohibition-notice
Join thousands of supporters who are standing with us to ensure that this progress becomes permanent and that lions are protected not only today, but for generations to come.
Send a letter to Minister Aucamp through our e-action tool and add your voice to end the commercial trade of all big cats.
For more information, please visit our website at www.four-paws.org.za
/ENDS
Deidre Daniels
Public Relations Officer+27 (0)21 702 4277
+27 (0)78 675 8220
9B Bell Crescent, Westlake Business Park,
Green Building, Cape Town, 7945
A Public Relations professional with over eight years’ experience in fostering positive relationships between organisations and media.
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FOUR PAWS is the global animal welfare organisation for animals under direct human influence, which reveals suffering, rescues animals in need and protects them. Founded in 1988 in Vienna by Heli Dungler and friends, the organisation advocates for a world where humans treat animals with respect, empathy and understanding. The sustainable campaigns and projects of FOUR PAWS focus on companion animals including stray dogs and cats, farm animals and wild animals – such as bears, big cats and orangutans – kept in inappropriate conditions as well as in disaster and conflict zones. With offices in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cambodia, France, Germany, Kosovo, the Netherlands, Switzerland, South Africa, Thailand, Ukraine, the UK, the USA and Vietnam as well as 13 wild animal sanctuaries and cooperation projects across the globe, FOUR PAWS provides rapid help and long-term solutions. www.four-paws.org.za