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Unfair Game: An investigation into South Africa's captive-bred lion industry
In April 2019 Lord Ashcroft published the results of his year-long investigation into South Africa’s captive-bred lion industry. Over 11 pages of a single edition of the Mail on Sunday he showed why this sickening trade, which involves appalling cruelty to the ‘King of the Savannah’ from birth to death, has become a stain on the country.
Unfair Game, to be published in June 2020, features the shocking results of a new inquiry Lord Ashcroft has carried out into South Africa’s lion business. In the book, he shows how tourists are unwittingly being used to support the abuse of lions; he details how lions are being tranquilised and then hunted in enclosed spaces; he urges the British government to ban imports of captive-bred lion trophies; and he demonstrates why Asia’s insatiable appetite for lion bones has become a multi-million dollar business linked to criminality and corruption which now underpins South Africa's captive lion industry.
Unfair Game, to be published in June 2020, features the shocking results of a new inquiry Lord Ashcroft has carried out into South Africa’s lion business. In the book, he shows how tourists are unwittingly being used to support the abuse of lions; he details how lions are being tranquilised and then hunted in enclosed spaces; he urges the British government to ban imports of captive-bred lion trophies; and he demonstrates why Asia’s insatiable appetite for lion bones has become a multi-million dollar business linked to criminality and corruption which now underpins South Africa's captive lion industry.
- GenresAfricaNonfictionAnimals
320 pages, Paperback
First published June 16, 2020
7 people are currently reading
62 people want to read
About the author
Michael Ashcroft
41 books13 followersMichael Anthony P. Ashcroft, Baron Ashcroft, KCMG, PC is an English–Belizean businessman and politician. He is a former deputy chairman of the Conservative Party. Ashcroft founded Michael A. Ashcroft Associates in 1972 and is the 95th richest person in the UK, as ranked by the Sunday Times Rich List 2017, with an estimated fortune of £1.35 billion.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
August 8, 2021
4.5* Important.
Further reading:
Cuddle Me, Kill Me: A True Account of South Africa's Captive Lion Breeding and Canned Hunting Industry
Further reading:
Cuddle Me, Kill Me: A True Account of South Africa's Captive Lion Breeding and Canned Hunting Industry
February 11, 2021
I wouldn't focus on the author but on the book itself. There's a very good introduction to the topic of the captive-bred lion industry: The hunting, the bone trade, etc. It's horrible and humans are terrible.
There is also an investigatory part in the later part of the book which I think was half very good and very dramatized.
Throughout the book, I was unclear on what the author thought of hunting in general and of non-captive hunting of lions in particular. While the book content was valuable, I was continuously interested in understanding if this is a "hunting is great, but captive-bred hunting is not cool," which would be a grave mistake.
I would have preferred to have either a clear anti-hunting book or just the informational part of the book on captive-bred hunting.
Also, humans are horrible and hunting is absolutely disgusting and inhumane, no matter which animal it is or under which conditions.
There is also an investigatory part in the later part of the book which I think was half very good and very dramatized.
Throughout the book, I was unclear on what the author thought of hunting in general and of non-captive hunting of lions in particular. While the book content was valuable, I was continuously interested in understanding if this is a "hunting is great, but captive-bred hunting is not cool," which would be a grave mistake.
I would have preferred to have either a clear anti-hunting book or just the informational part of the book on captive-bred hunting.
Also, humans are horrible and hunting is absolutely disgusting and inhumane, no matter which animal it is or under which conditions.
November 25, 2021
This is an important read for anyone interested in conservation issues or wildlife. You never expect a book like this to have much uplifting content, but the extent was much worse and more disturbing than I imagined. I'm glad that an exposure like this was possible... not so much that it appears to fall on deaf ears. Which is frustrating, given that we are in the middle of a pandemic, and the lion bone trade could cause another! Give this a read, the issue needs more attention if such an odious trade is ever going to come to an end.
June 19, 2021
A very difficult read for an animal lover but an amazing investigation about the canned hunts in South Africa and the magnitude of the business of captive breeding of lions.
June 11, 2021
Ashcroft's work to better inform the public of the true impacts of captive-bred lion industry is needed. The general public can so easily be mislead about the purpose or outcomes for animals maintained in facilities that whitewash their public image but work in a framework of exploitive and destructive practices.
People should know the nature of this industry so they can better decide how to use their resources. A cub petting excursion is less precious when you know the cub suffers during the process and that when it outgrows it's cute/manageable state it is sold for canned hunting enthusiasts or slaughtered for bone trade activities which, like ivory trade, should be illegal.
The propogation of ligers and tyglons seems like a curiosity until you understand the consequences for the inbred animals.
My small discomfort with the book is the amateur detective operation. Some work was undertaken as investigative journalism, but the last part was pure criminal investigation by unsanctioned individuals. They gathered valuable details at risk to themselves but found no one in authority who would pick up the evidence.
Ashcroft shows how the hunting industry has fought to keep regulations a patchwork of local laws rather than a national policy for protecting a valuable and iconic resource.
People should know the nature of this industry so they can better decide how to use their resources. A cub petting excursion is less precious when you know the cub suffers during the process and that when it outgrows it's cute/manageable state it is sold for canned hunting enthusiasts or slaughtered for bone trade activities which, like ivory trade, should be illegal.
The propogation of ligers and tyglons seems like a curiosity until you understand the consequences for the inbred animals.
My small discomfort with the book is the amateur detective operation. Some work was undertaken as investigative journalism, but the last part was pure criminal investigation by unsanctioned individuals. They gathered valuable details at risk to themselves but found no one in authority who would pick up the evidence.
Ashcroft shows how the hunting industry has fought to keep regulations a patchwork of local laws rather than a national policy for protecting a valuable and iconic resource.
July 26, 2020
A very good book about a corrupt and disgusting industry in South Africa. This story deserves to be told and will hopefully help people to stop supporting this industry without knowing that they are (like petting baby lions in lion parks).
Sadly South Africa appears to be corrupted at every level, so this is a good insight into the level that it extends to. I would imagine that it’s not a hard decision to make to avoid ever travelling to South Africa (or SE Asian countries) until they get a grip on this hideous trade.
Sadly South Africa appears to be corrupted at every level, so this is a good insight into the level that it extends to. I would imagine that it’s not a hard decision to make to avoid ever travelling to South Africa (or SE Asian countries) until they get a grip on this hideous trade.
July 2, 2022
Ashcroft provides a lot of valuable information on the horror, inhumanity, and rabid crime in the captive bred lion industry in South Africa and Asia. While I do not doubt his devotion to the issue, he seems just as devoted to prove that he, Ashcroft, is doing SO MUCH for lions as he is to actually doing so much for lions, if that makes sense. Some chapters were just a long list of everyone he had written to about it and everything he had published on it and everwhere he has gone to study the issue, etc...etc...
July 20, 2021
It's always difficult to rate books on important topics because it seems like one is dinging the message rather than the presentation.
The industry of captively breeding wild animals is horrible, even more so perhaps because the desires it serves are ugly in themselves - trophy hunting and unfounded claims within traditional Chinese medicine.
Two-stars simply because this book could easily have been about a third of its length and still got over all of the information.
The industry of captively breeding wild animals is horrible, even more so perhaps because the desires it serves are ugly in themselves - trophy hunting and unfounded claims within traditional Chinese medicine.
Two-stars simply because this book could easily have been about a third of its length and still got over all of the information.
July 20, 2020
Harrowing. A must read for every wildlife lover who wants to learn the truth about captive bred lions in South Africa.
January 25, 2024
A MUST read!!! No choice! It's our duty to know!
July 23, 2023
Whilst this is a distressing read, it is also a highly valuable one.
Canned trophy hunting has always been a controversial issue in regard to wildlife conservation, and there have been numerous individuals over the years, who have attempted to expose the disgusting industry.
This expose highlights that the industry does not aid any conservation effort and that it is merely operated for money making agendas, and that sadly, government officials do not take the matter seriously.
I highly recommend reading this if you wish to educate yourself further on the matter. This isn't for the faint hearted, as investigation photographs are included - but this is a necessity to demonstrate the horrific nature of the industry. Ashcroft and his team undertook a brilliant job of obtaining incriminating evidence, whilst putting themselves at risk - highly comendable.
Canned trophy hunting has always been a controversial issue in regard to wildlife conservation, and there have been numerous individuals over the years, who have attempted to expose the disgusting industry.
This expose highlights that the industry does not aid any conservation effort and that it is merely operated for money making agendas, and that sadly, government officials do not take the matter seriously.
I highly recommend reading this if you wish to educate yourself further on the matter. This isn't for the faint hearted, as investigation photographs are included - but this is a necessity to demonstrate the horrific nature of the industry. Ashcroft and his team undertook a brilliant job of obtaining incriminating evidence, whilst putting themselves at risk - highly comendable.
June 17, 2020
Outstanding. Absolutely excellent book. Hopefully such detailed exposure of this appalling industry will be much facilitated and enhanced by this publication. Very easy to read style of writing and the book almost reads like a Stella Remington thriller rather than a factual documentary.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews