Mufasa, one of 300 living white lions could become a hunting trophy

There are only 300 on the planet, most live in prison, between zoos and parks, or semilibrate in the sanctuaries. Only 13 are still free and wild because they are born. But instead of open spaces and freedom for one of them, Mufasa, the risk of freezing: to be auctioned to be sold to the highest bidder who, after a false hunt, would bring back his head home with his extraordinary blonde mane as a trophy hanging in the living room. In South Africa, where everything is happening to us, demonstrations have been launched and a petition has already gathered nearly 350,000 accessions to avoid the danger and put Mufasa in a safe place, as it should.

The young white lion, majestic and beautiful as only white lions can be, was confiscated in 2015 by the police to a Pretoria family who kept it as a pet without permission. For him, in the meantime entrusted to the Wild for Life Rehabilitation Center in Rustenburg, South Africa, the salvation was really at the door. Everything was ready because the gates of the Sanwild, one of the South African sanctuaries that occupy their lions, were opened to welcome him and that he could continue to live for the rest of his life thanks to the economic support of Wild for Life.

But this, probablyit will not happen. Because Mufasa still belongs to the National Department of Conservation of the South African Ministry of the Environment, which not only has not authorized the transfer to Sanwill of Mufasa and another lion, Suraya, with whom he grew up over these three years, but also announced that he would soon be auctioned to raise money for the department.

Wild for Life Rehabilitation Center Rustenburg does everything possible to avoid the danger that the lion will end up in the network of hunters of canned hunting trophies, while the infamous practice of participating in bloody African safaris is hunted in which lions are hunted. in cages very often tamed with relaxing medications. The "canned fighter" (of which Corriere.it was also busy in February read False Opportunity Fraud) offers the opportunity to buy, by paying very large sums, a prey that will be killed by the hunter . without the possibility of escape. This seems to be the biggest risk for Mufasa, as the Pretoria News newspaper points out in an interview with Carel Zietsman, a lawyer at the Wild for Life Rehabilitation Center. Mufasa would have only two markets: auctioned to be hunted or slaughtered and exported as a rare lion's head, said the lawyer. We believe that the ministry responsible for nature conservation has the moral and legal obligation to take care of wildlife. The rehabilitation center in which Mufasa was incarcerated received a letter from the court forbidding his transfer to the sanctuary. What we oppose is because we believe that Mufasa and Suraya – who share the fate of the white lion from whom they have become inseparable – have the right to live the rest of their natural lives in a sanctuary.

Let's hope that the mobilization The collection of signatures and pledges by the Sanwild Sanctuary and the Wild for Life Association may be sufficient for the Department to end the sale of Mufasa. Allowing him to enjoy the long life he still has before him, without becoming a useless trophy on a Texan fireplace.