India, April 4 -- South African Environment Minister Barbara Creecy announces decision; owners of captive farms will have two years to close before ban comes into effect

South Africa will end the captive breeding of lions for a variety of reasons including trophy hunting and usage of bones as substitute for tigers in traditional Chinese medicine, Environment Minister Barbara Creecy announced in a press conference in Cape Town on April 3, 2024, according to news agency AFP .

Owners of farms where lions are bred for such purposes have two years "to voluntarily withdraw from the sector and change their business model before the ban begins", according to AFP .

"South Africa is a country, with diverse cultures, remarkable geological wealth,...