Horrifying Pictures Show Heartbreaking Condition Of Lions Used For Tourist Selfies

National Council of Societies for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has levied criminal charges on a South African lion breeding farm after 108 lions were found in squalid conditions.?

The breeding farms are being referred to by campaigners as a ‘snuggle scam’.

These are the same lions that are used for tourists, where visitors oblivious to the animals' suffering, take selfies.?

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The lions, tigers and leopards were being bred for the export market in the farm named?Pienika.

The Pienika farm, according to The Independent, is owned by Jan Steinman - a member of the council of the South African Predator Association (SAPA), and they allegedly stand for 'responsible hunting'.?

"We don't believe they are being used to populate other farms, it is more likely they are being sold for hunting and bone trade," said?Douglas Wolhuter, manager at the NSPCA Wildlife Protection Unit.?

According to?Audrey Delsink, Wildlife Director at Humane Society International/Africa, this breeding market follows a vicious cycle?exploitation, 'from cradle to grave.'

Mail Online quotes her as saying that?cubs are ripped from their mothers at just a few days old, to be hand-reared by paying volunteers.?

And they are ultimately used as mere props for tourists.?

The animals in this shelter were found living in small enclosures with inadequate shelter, no provision of water, overcrowding, and filthy and parasitic conditions.?

What makes things worse is that the South African government sanctions the captive lion breeding industry, and animal welfare remains a huge concern in this scenario.?