At the beginning of this month, SCI President Scott Chapman sent a letter to all SCI chapter presidents reminding them of SCI’s policy regarding captive bred lion hunts. This policy was adopted by the Board in February 2018. The policy makes clear that SCI opposes the hunting of African lions bred in captivity. These types of hunt do not meet the fair chase requirements proudly upheld by the sporting community but also as defined by SCI’s Record Book. President Chapman’s letter earlier this month was part of an effort to ensure no chapters were offering captive bred lion hunts in any venue such as a raffle or auction. With the 2022 Convention coming up this winter, it should also be noted that SCI will not accept advertising from any operator for any such hunts, nor will SCI allow operators to sell hunts for lions bred in captivity.
It is important to also note that this policy was created collaboratively among the many hunters within SCI’s leadership in conjunction with guides, outfitters, and global hunting stakeholders. The vote to adopt the policy in 2018 was unanimous. SCI remains confident that we, as an organization, are better able to protect the rights of hunters across the world with this policy in place and publicly available.
The full letter is available on our website at the link here. The captive-bred lion policy is available in SCI’s Policy and Procedures Manual here.
If you have any questions as to what may or may not constitute a captive bred lion hunt or how to identify a captive bred lion hunt, do not hesitate to reach out to SCI’s Member and Chapter Services.
