South Africa: Jabula the young lion – Another victim of the petting farm industry
The so-called petting farm industry is, in fact, a cruel and greedy business which claims countless victims. The young lion Jabula is one of them. This is his story.
Helping in a lion breeding station is particularly popular amongst young people who believe it is a way of helping the lion cubs who are left behind. Something that only a few suspect: Behind the petting farm industry, you can find a cruel business driven by greed for profit, which ends fatally for most of the animals. The following photo shows Jabula, a lion cub from South Africa. Like many other lions before him, he fell victim to the petting farm industry.
Jabula and his two sisters were born in Predator’s Pride Park
Only a few days after their birth, they were separated from their mother and brought to the Chameleon Village Lion and Tiger Park to get slowly used to humans. In the following eight months, Jabula and his sisters served as a tourist attraction: the lions served as photo objects throughout the day and were stroked and cuddled by strangers. What may sound nice is anything but pleasant for the lion cubs: Jabula and his sisters not only suffered from having been separated from their mother – the lion’s keeping was also not species-appropriate.
After Jabula and his sisters had become too big for the petting farm industry. Chameleon Village Lion and Tiger Park could no longer earn money with them. They were taken back to their breeder in Predator’s Pride Park. Some cubs are used for so-called “lion walks”, where tourists walk with the lions under the supervision of a guide. In Jabula’s case, his sisters and other lions were sold to Wag’n Bietjie Farm. Jabula stayed at Predator’s Pride Park and was used for tourism for several months.
Since it was too big and dangerous for humans after some time, Jabula’s fate was sealed in another way
In April 2018, the lion was illegally stunned and sold to Wag’n Bietjie Farm. No permits or documents were available for the transport. The Wag’n Bietje farm should be Jabula’s last stop. Not long after his arrival, Jabula was killed, and his bones were sold to Asia for healing. At the time of Jabula’s arrival, Wag’n Bietjie Farm was home to over 200 more lions, who were also to fall victim to the bone trade.
The man that was responsible for Jabula was Armand Gerber
From Youtube: Armand Gerber was Jabulas caretaker when he was finally killed at Wag ‘n Bitjie farm. Armand spends his days cuddling tigers and playing football with the pride of lions. Today, he runs the Iron Throne Predator and Wildlife Park in South Africa. At more than 80 hectares of land, he houses three tigers, two leopards and a cheetah. Additionally, he houses porcupines, warthogs and smaller cats. Armand hand-feeds lion brothers Rufus and Brutus, each weighing a colossal 250 kg / 550 lbs. He rescued the majority of his animals from places with bad publicity. His biggest dream is to provide a forever home for those most in need.
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