GRAHAM BOYNTON: It is the inhabitants of some of Britain s most desirable areas who have taken it upon themselves to decide just how African villagers should deal with animals they live alongside.
LORD ASHCROFT: Animal cruelty is something which I simply cannot abide and I have spent a significant amount of time in recent years raising awareness of crimes against nature.
Specifically, I have lobbied for an end to the barbaric captive-bred lion industry.
Last summer I published Unfair Game, in which I exposed the horrifying truth about what it really involves.
Captive-lion breeding operates under the umbrella of the respectable tourist trade, but in reality it has meant thousands of lions have been farmed and then exploited in the most cruel ways imaginable simply for profit – all the while risking human health as well.
Now, thanks in part to my campaign, this scandal looks as though it will, finally, come to an end.
In South Africa, over the past 30 or 40 years, thousands of lions have been purpose-bred for a life that is disgusting and depressing. Pictured: Hunters pose for a photo with a lion that was darted in 2018