South African Breeders Worried about New Animal Cruelty Guidelines
2020-03-29
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1A cheetah walks up to Shandor Larenty and lets him rub its back while he throws pieces of meat to other cheetahs.
2Larenty is a third-generation animal trainer. He works at the Johannesburg Lion & Safari Park in South Africa.
3At 25 years old, Larenty has been training cheetahs and other wild animals for the past 13 years.
4Trainers like him wonder about the future of jobs like theirs in South Africa, where concerns over tourist-animal interactions have increased.
5Last year, South Africa's tourism association approved measures criticizing the raising of wild animals in captivity for the entertainment of tourists.
6The move answered a call from animal welfare activists who argue that this practice is wrong.
7Keira Powers is chairperson of the association's Animal Interaction Committee.
8"It is unnatural for these animals to be in close proximity to humans," Powers told the Reuters news agency.
9She described such interactions as "extremely stressful" for the animals.
10Her group is calling on animal breeders to end all entertainment involving performing animals.
11It is also calling for an end of up-close interactions with big game, including activities such as riding on elephants.
12Hundreds of thousands of tourists have interacted with elephants and other wild animals over the years.
13Larenty said he would be very sad if he had to stop working with the animals.
14"These guys are our family, we have a very strong emotional connection. You can see these guys want to be with me," he said.
15"For someone to say, 'hey, you can't do that anymore', that's like someone saying to you: 'Hey, I'm taking your children away.' This is my life."
16The tourism association's guidelines are not a requirement.
17South Africa's tourism office, while welcoming the guidelines, has no plans to ban animal interactions.
18These interactions remain a large part of South Africa's tourism industry.
19Andre La Cock, who directs the lion park near Johannesburg, thinks the guidelines are wrong.
20"Our lions lead very happy lives," he said.
21Yet lion cubs are often removed from their mothers, causing stress to both.
22"We do admit that if cubs are needed for cub interaction, we sometimes remove the cubs from their mothers.
23This is obviously stressful for the mother and we regret that it is necessary," La Cock said.
24In 2016, he briefly stopped letting visitors hold lion cubs and walk with adult lions.
25But the number of tourists, who make up about a third of the park's earnings, dropped. La Cock changed his decision.
26Fiona Miles is the country manager of Four Paws, a non-government group.
27She said the space available in most enclosures is far too small to meet the animal's natural movements.
28"Lions should not be used as props," Miles said.
29"There's no conservation value in breeding lions in captivity and there's definitely no educational value."
30I'm John Russell.
1A cheetah walks up to Shandor Larenty and lets him rub its back while he throws pieces of meat to other cheetahs. 2Larenty is a third-generation animal trainer. He works at the Johannesburg Lion & Safari Park in South Africa. 3At 25 years old, Larenty has been training cheetahs and other wild animals for the past 13 years. 4Trainers like him wonder about the future of jobs like theirs in South Africa, where concerns over tourist-animal interactions have increased. 5Last year, South Africa's tourism association approved measures criticizing the raising of wild animals in captivity for the entertainment of tourists. 6The move answered a call from animal welfare activists who argue that this practice is wrong. 7Keira Powers is chairperson of the association's Animal Interaction Committee. 8"It is unnatural for these animals to be in close proximity to humans," Powers told the Reuters news agency. She described such interactions as "extremely stressful" for the animals. 9Her group is calling on animal breeders to end all entertainment involving performing animals. It is also calling for an end of up-close interactions with big game, including activities such as riding on elephants. 10Hundreds of thousands of tourists have interacted with elephants and other wild animals over the years. 11Larenty said he would be very sad if he had to stop working with the animals. 12"These guys are our family, we have a very strong emotional connection. You can see these guys want to be with me," he said. 13"For someone to say, 'hey, you can't do that anymore', that's like someone saying to you: 'Hey, I'm taking your children away.' This is my life." 14The tourism association's guidelines are not a requirement. South Africa's tourism office, while welcoming the guidelines, has no plans to ban animal interactions. These interactions remain a large part of South Africa's tourism industry. 15Andre La Cock, who directs the lion park near Johannesburg, thinks the guidelines are wrong. 16"Our lions lead very happy lives," he said. 17Yet lion cubs are often removed from their mothers, causing stress to both. 18"We do admit that if cubs are needed for cub interaction, we sometimes remove the cubs from their mothers. This is obviously stressful for the mother and we regret that it is necessary," La Cock said. 19In 2016, he briefly stopped letting visitors hold lion cubs and walk with adult lions. But the number of tourists, who make up about a third of the park's earnings, dropped. La Cock changed his decision. 20Fiona Miles is the country manager of Four Paws, a non-government group. 21She said the space available in most enclosures is far too small to meet the animal's natural movements. 22"Lions should not be used as props," Miles said. "There's no conservation value in breeding lions in captivity and there's definitely no educational value." 23I'm John Russell. 24Tim Cocks reported on this story for the Reuters news agency. John Russell adapted the report for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. 25_____________________________________________________________ 26Words in This Story 27tourist - n. a person who travels or visits a place for pleasure 28interaction - n. communication or direct involvement with something 29entertainment - n. the action of providing a good time, enjoyment 30proximity - n. the state of being near 31stressful - adj. full of or increasing tension; making you feel worried 32breeder - n. someone who raises animals for the purpose of them reproducing and having young 33enclosure - n. an area that is surrounded by a wall or fence; an enclosed space 34prop - n. an object that is used by a performer or actor or that is used to create a desired effect on a theater stage or in a movie