The Lion Bone Trade in. 2026

This report examines the increasing threat of **targeted lion poaching** for the illegal trade of body parts across Africa and Asia. While traditional factors like habitat loss still exist, lions are now specifically hunted for their **claws, teeth, and bones** to satisfy demands for traditional medicine and luxury ornaments. The author identifies **three primary supply chains**, including wild poaching, thefts from wildlife parks, and illegal exports from captive breeding farms. Detailed case studies from **Mozambique and South Africa** illustrate how organized criminal networks coordinate these activities, often using poisoning as a primary killing method. Despite international enforcement efforts and major arrests, the text concludes that this **underreported black market** continues to evolve through sophisticated smuggling routes. Overall, the source emphasizes that current data may underestimate the true scale of this **transnational wildlife crime**. https://bigcatrescue.org/conservation-news/the-invisible-harvest BIG CAT TV is a close look into the wild cat conservation efforts we support, and the exotic feline residents of Big Cat Rescue who we now support at Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge. Big Cat Rescue is a registered non-profit 501c3 so your donations are tax deductible. Wildcats in the wild: Our mission, their future. 🐾 Subscribe here: http://youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=BigCatRescue Music and both real and AI images from Meloty, Suno, HeyGen, OpenArt, Envato, Leonardo, NotebookLM, Gemini, Genspark, APM Music (https://www.apmmusic.com) and Epidemic Sound (http://www.epidemicsound.com) Artlist.io, InVideo app and other AI sources by permission and subscription. Help save wild cats and end big cat abuse at BigCatRescue.org Thank you for watching and tell a friend!