Save Frida, the lioness!!

Ajudem-nos, pf. Obrigada



Dear All,

At the end of March 2006, we informed on the actions of Vier Pfoten International an animal welfare organisation that has its headquarters in Austria, over "Frida" the lion cub that was rehomed by them in Camorhi Game Lodge, a commercial lion breeding farm in South Africa and owned by Marius and Maryn Prinsloo . The owners of the farm concerned have publicly admitted to being involved in the hunting of captive bred lions (see a website of theirs http://www.ingulule.com/).

People were urged at that time to write to Vier Pfoten and demand that they rectify their terrible error, by taking action to immediately remove "Frida" from the commercial lion breeding farm and arrange for her transfer to Drakenstein Lion Park. I regret, that despite your and worldwide condemnation of Vier Pfoten's actions, "Frida" is still at the commercial breeding farm.

In May, Radio Total the owners of "Frida" wrote to Vier Pfoten and called on them to move "Frida" from Camorhi Game Lodge to Drakenstein Lion Park (see attached) but still there is no sign that the instructions of the lionesses legitimate owners will be followed by Vier Pfoten.

We must therefore urge you all again to take urgent action and e-mail the offices of Vier Pfoten Email Vier Pfoten (click here to open your email), demanding that Vier Pfoten complies with the request of "Frida's" owners Radio Total and to rectify Vier Pfoten's appalling error by taking action to remove "Frida" from the commercial lion breeding farm and arrange for her immediate transfer to Drakenstein Lion Park. Please also send a copy of your e-mail to office@vier-pfoten.org and to Helmut Dungler, Executive Director of Vier Pfoten International on helmut.dungler@vier-pfoten.org and also on heli@dungler.at. Furthermore, please continue to send your e-mails every single day, until such time as you have confirmation that "Frida" has been safely moved to Drakenstein.

Your urgent assistance in again saving "Frida" would be very much appreciated.

You should also be aware that "Frida is not the first lion to be sent from Romania to South Africa by Vier Pfoten. CITES records show previous shipments. Furthermore, with the increase in former eastern European countries seeking to join the European Union and who for various reasons will be unable to meet the EU Directives on captive animals, more and more lions will become available with many of these destined for South Africa. Saving "Frida" therefore takes on added significance.

Below is a draft sample letter for your convenience.

Best wishes

Chris Mercer and Beverley Pervan
Campaign Against Canned Hunting in South Africa
http://www.cannedlion.co.za/
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To Vier Pfoten. Email Vier Pfoten (click here to open your email) and to office@vier-pfoten.org and to Helmut Dungler, Executive Director of Vier Pfoten International on helmut.dungler@vier-pfoten.org and also on heli@dungler.at.

Dear Sirs,
We remain astonished and disgusted that an apparently respectable animal welfare organisation which is maintained from funds donated by animal lovers can send the lioness Frida to a captive breeding facility for canned lion hunting in South Africa. Captive lion breeders have been described by the South African Minister for the Environment as “environmental thugs”.

Please answer the following questions:
Why was Frida sent to a canned hunting facility in South Africa?
Why have you refused to answer or comply with Frida’s owner’s instruction to you to remove her immediately to a place of safety?.
Why does the CITES permit for Frida state that she was going to be released back into the wild?
For the sake of Vier Pfoten’s reputation in animal welfare circles we require not only answers but immediate action to remove Frida to the place of safety specified by Frida’s owner in Romania.

Yours truly,

( insert your name )

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