Voice4Lions believes it is irresponsible for a school to fundraise in a way that teaches children to kill wildlife to raise money.
This is as they respond to a fundraising auction by an independent private school in the Northern Cape that offered a “lioness hunt” with R40,000 as a prize.
The auction to raise money for Futurum Akademie in Jan Kempdorp is being advertised to take place on February 29. The package includes two nights' accommodation in Tosca and a hunting permit.
Directors of Voice4Lions Linda Park and Sarah Dyer said they were extremely disturbed by the advertisement for the hunt.
“Promoting a hunt, which will be of a captive-bred lion, is what people worldwide have found so abhorrent. This is not a good message to send. We need to be better than this and we need to raise children on the values of compassion for all, both human and animal,” they said.
According to Ban Animal Trading, it is unacceptable to kill any animal for entertainment and financial gain.
The nonprofit company said it is appalled a school would use the killing of animals as a fundraiser.
“Hunting is not conservation, nor does it contribute to conservation. As we can clearly see in this instance, it is only individuals, in this case the school, that benefit from killing animals.
“Adding a canned/captive-bred lion killing to this macabre event makes it even more appalling. It is a favourite experience of most hunters that government is trying to put an end to. Yet this school chooses to support the breeding of lions in captivity for the sole purpose of killing them.
“This is not what children who live in a violent society like South Africa should be taught. How do you expect to find a solution to violence if we cannot teach children compassion is for all beings and humans must protect the most vulnerable?” said Ban Animal Trading (BAT) director Smaragda Louw.
Louw said they called the organiser of the auction, Dirk van Wyk, and he offered to cancel the lion hunt and replace it with a buffalo hunt if the organisation would commit to not naming the school.
“He also threatened BAT with legal action. It is unacceptable to kill any animal for entertainment and financial gain,” Louw said.
The National Council of SPCAs condemned the fundraising auction.
TimesLIVE contacted Van Wyk, whose number was listed on a flyer for the auction, but he declined to comment.]
“No, I don't have any news for you on that,” he said.
Van Wyk told Netwerk24 the small school did not receive a state subsidy and needed to raise funds.
He said: “Everything is legal. All the paperwork is in order and all the necessary permits are available. There are many schools and organisations that annually host such auctions to raise money.”
TimesLIVE
Animal activists appalled by private school’s ‘shoot a lion’ fundraiser
Image: Supplied
Voice4Lions believes it is irresponsible for a school to fundraise in a way that teaches children to kill wildlife to raise money.
This is as they respond to a fundraising auction by an independent private school in the Northern Cape that offered a “lioness hunt” with R40,000 as a prize.
The auction to raise money for Futurum Akademie in Jan Kempdorp is being advertised to take place on February 29. The package includes two nights' accommodation in Tosca and a hunting permit.
Directors of Voice4Lions Linda Park and Sarah Dyer said they were extremely disturbed by the advertisement for the hunt.
“Promoting a hunt, which will be of a captive-bred lion, is what people worldwide have found so abhorrent. This is not a good message to send. We need to be better than this and we need to raise children on the values of compassion for all, both human and animal,” they said.
According to Ban Animal Trading, it is unacceptable to kill any animal for entertainment and financial gain.
The nonprofit company said it is appalled a school would use the killing of animals as a fundraiser.
“Hunting is not conservation, nor does it contribute to conservation. As we can clearly see in this instance, it is only individuals, in this case the school, that benefit from killing animals.
“Adding a canned/captive-bred lion killing to this macabre event makes it even more appalling. It is a favourite experience of most hunters that government is trying to put an end to. Yet this school chooses to support the breeding of lions in captivity for the sole purpose of killing them.
“This is not what children who live in a violent society like South Africa should be taught. How do you expect to find a solution to violence if we cannot teach children compassion is for all beings and humans must protect the most vulnerable?” said Ban Animal Trading (BAT) director Smaragda Louw.
Louw said they called the organiser of the auction, Dirk van Wyk, and he offered to cancel the lion hunt and replace it with a buffalo hunt if the organisation would commit to not naming the school.
“He also threatened BAT with legal action. It is unacceptable to kill any animal for entertainment and financial gain,” Louw said.
The National Council of SPCAs condemned the fundraising auction.
TimesLIVE contacted Van Wyk, whose number was listed on a flyer for the auction, but he declined to comment.]
“No, I don't have any news for you on that,” he said.
Van Wyk told Netwerk24 the small school did not receive a state subsidy and needed to raise funds.
He said: “Everything is legal. All the paperwork is in order and all the necessary permits are available. There are many schools and organisations that annually host such auctions to raise money.”
TimesLIVE
READ MORE:
NSPCA appalled by private school's 'shoot a lion' fundraiser
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