MORE INFO: Blood Lions documentary

• Blood Lions documentary www.bloodlions.org

• For the Love of Wildlife fortheloveofwildlife.org.au

• Campaign Against Canned Hunting www.cannedlion.org

RESPONSE FROM NETWORK TEN:

Network Ten takes the welfare of animals very seriously and condemns the hunting of animals.

Network Ten, along with ITV Studios Australia, the producer of I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here!, strictly follow the guidelines as stipulated by the governing authorities, including the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), to ensure all animals used on set are handled calmly, correctly and safely.

The lion you ask about came from a private game reserve called Letaba River Lodge Eco Park in Tzaneen.

Letaba assured ITV Studios Australia that this cub, along with other lions, will remain on the reserve.

Letaba assured ITV Studios Australia that they do not partake in or associate with canned lion hunting or any other type of hunting. Letaba has lions on the reserve that are used for educational purposes, tourism and photography at events.

The lion in question was abandoned by its mother after losing two others from the litter. This was her first litter so she stopped feeding and left the last cub alone for dead. The specialised team at Letaba had to feed and nurse the cub in order for it to survive.

The production followed all due diligence procedures required by the SPCA.

Mr Donald Styrdom, a herpetologist and owner of Khamai Reptile Park, sourced the lion and researched the lodge. The sourcing process took more than one day as you claim.

Mr Styrdom has been running Khamai Reptile Park for 30 years. He is an internationally respected animal handler, having worked on documentary (including for National Geographic and Discovery), film and reality programs for many years.

Donald is certified with a licence under the Performing Animals Protection Amendment Bill and he is also a member of the International Society of Zoological Sciences.

An independent consultant, Mr Koos De Wet, was appointed by Mpulangua Tourism Parks Authority –the provincial governing body of the Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve, where I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! is filmed – and was across where the lion cub came from.

Dr Chris Brown is a qualified and highly respected vet. He spoke at length to the lion cub’s handler to learn about the lion and its story.