The National Council of Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NSPCA) has condemned a Northern Cape private school’s R40,000 “Shoot a lion” fundraising campaign idea.

The animal protection group said they were dismayed after coming across the fundraising poster at Futurum Akademie near Jan-Kempdorp in the Northern Cape.

It promoted a game or hunt auction for learners, with the ultimate prize being a hunt of a lioness in Tosca to the value of R40,000.

The organisation said the advertisement for the fundraiser was both appalling and deeply concerning.

Jacques Peacock, from the NSPCA, said while mounting pressure from animal advocacy groups had managed to persuade the school from hunting a lion, they had substituted that with a hunt for two buffaloes instead.

Peacock said, however, this compromise failed to rectify the fundamental and ethical issues at hand, namely to foster a future where animals were not viewed as mere commodities for human financial gain, and rather regarded as “sentient beings” deserving of dignity and respect.

“It is distressing to witness an educational institution, entrusted with shaping the values and attitudes of young minds, engage in such exploitative fundraising tactics. The NSPCA has long stood against the captive lion industry and has advocated for the welfare of thousands of captive lions for over two decades.

“We unequivocally oppose the hunting of animals for exhibition, entertainment, or sport. While acknowledging the role of hunting in South Africa as part of sustainable wildlife management, despite claims of a ‘clean kill’, our experience suggests that such outcomes are rare,” Peacock stressed.

Attempts to get in touch with the contact person listed on the advertisement proved fruitless as no comment was forthcoming.

The Star

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NSPCA condemns R40,000 ‘shoot a lion’ fundraising idea of private school in Northern Cape