JOHANNESBURG - Conservationists have warned that the targeted poaching of lions is on the rise.
The Endangered Wildlife Trust says lions are being deliberately killed for claws, teeth and skins, feeding criminal supply chains that now extend across Africa and into Asia.
Samantha Nicholson, carnivore conservation scientist, says the targeted poaching of lions is primarily driven by a combination of local and transnational demand for body parts used for traditional medicine and other cultural practices.
WATCH: Inside South Africa's wildlife CSI school helping to catch poachers
“Lion parts are increasingly sought after for traditional medicine in both the African and Asian markets,” Nicholson said.
She said over the last few years, they have seen an escalation in the scale and intent of poaching to supply those products, adding that they had noticed a shift from opportunistic harvesting to more highly organised poaching syndicates.
“The syndicates have diversified their operations to incorporate another species as the market demand arises.”