Petition addressed to:
Nature Government Namibia
Harnas Wildlife Foundation is a non-governmental organization in Namibia, that takes care of orphaned and injured african wildlife, most of which are brought to the farm by finders. It was the same with the five lion brothers Arnold, Alex, Delarey, Davet and Robbie, who were dropped off on the farm when they were only a few weeks old.
Since there are very strict guidelines for keeping and breeding lions in Namibia, because potential trophy breeding must be prevented, it was not possible to get permits from the "Nature Government" for the animals. That is why the babies were hand-raised in secret. The brothers have been living on Harnas for five years now and have grown into handsome male lions. They are treated with love, respect and people take good care of them: They get a big portion of meat every day, so they don't have to fend for themselves, the enclosure shared by the five brothers ensures a species-appropriate life for the wild animals. The five usually all move together in forays through the enclosure and live in a complex hierarchy – there are sometimes fights for dominance over food or ranking, but of course cuddling and stroking among each other should not be missing.
Unfortunately, it is not possible to release lions back into the wild because they are used to human contact and there is a high probability that they would run to a farm and be shot there.
Two years ago, the Nature Government found out about the five lions and wants to take them away from the farm, although attempts were often made to get the permits for the five.
Nobody knows exactly what will happen to them once they are gone from the farm. But it is very likely that they either get killed or, since they are very magnificent specimens, sold for a lot of money (eventually for trophy hunting), presumably separately from each other. What can we do?
Reason
One thing is for sure: Marietta van der Merwe, the owner of the farm, loves these lions as if they were her own children and would even go to prison to protect them if it was necessary.
So she will fight as a lioness herself to protect her protégés. In order to support her, the volunteers that come to Harnas every year created this petition to collect signatures with the aim that the lions should stay on the farm where they can live a species-appropriate and safe life.
So please SIGN and SHARE the petition to support Harnas Wildlife Foundation and save the five lions!!!