“UNFAIR GAME”: LORD ASHCROFT’S NEW BOOK Lord (Michael) Ashcroft’s new book “Unfair Game: An exposé of South Africa’s captive-bred lion industry” was published on June 16, 2020. Just as Covid-19 probably originated from one of China’s animal markets, experts quoted in the book think South Africa’s trade in lion bones will trigger another major public health crisis in Asia which could ultimately spread around the world. Here we provide a “taster” of his book which reveals the sensational findings of two undercover investigations into what amounts to “lion farming” and, linked to it, “canned hunts”, whereby partially-tame lions are shot in heavily-restricted areas with no chance of escape. What follows are the early pages of “Unfair Game”, the first page of all 13 chapters and some photographs from the book. Lord Ashcroft is donating all his royalties to wildlife charities in South Africa. Anyone wishing to order the book should use the links below: . Order with Biteback . Order with Amazon For more information on Lord Ashcroft’s wildlife work visit www.lordashcroftwildlife.com. For more information on his general work, including his other books, visit www.lordashcroft.com. Follow him on Twitter and/ or Facebook @LordAshcroft. LORD ASHCROFT n April 2019, Lord Ashcroft KCMG PC is an MICHAEL ASHCROFT Ipublished the results of his year-long international investigation into South Africa’s captive- businessman, bred lion industry. Over eleven pages philanthropist, of a single edition of the Mail on author and Sunday, he showed why this sickening pollster. He is a trade, which involves appalling cruelty former treasurer to the ‘King of the Savannah’ from and deputy birth to death, has become a stain chairman of the on the country. Conservative Party. He is also honorary chairman and a former treasurer of the Unfair Game features the shocking International Democratic Union. He is results of a new inquiry Lord Ashcroft founder and chairman of the board of has carried out into South Africa’s trustees of Crimestoppers, vice-patron lion business. In this powerful exposé, of the Intelligence Corps Museum, he shows how tourists are unwittingly chairman of the trustees of Ashcroft being used to support the abuse of Technology Academy, chancellor of lions; he details how lions are being Anglia Ruskin University, a senior tranquillised and then hunted in fellow of the International Strategic enclosed spaces; he urges the British Studies Association and a former government to ban imports of captive- trustee of Imperial War Museums. bred lion trophies; and he demonstrates why Asia’s insatiable appetite for lion His books include Victoria Cross bones has become a multi-million- Heroes: Volumes I and II; Call Me dollar business linked to criminality and corruption which now underpins Dave: The Unauthorised Biography WITH A FOREWORD BY of David Cameron; White Flag? South Africa’s captive lion industry. An Examination of the UK’s Defence SIR RANULPH FIENNES and Capability Jacob’s Ladder: Distressing photographic and video evidence of the The Unauthorised Biography “Humans everywhere share an extraordinary natural heritage. cruelty inflicted on farmed lions was collected for of Jacob Rees-Mogg. It is therefore the responsibility of everybody to care for it. It is this book by an undercover team. To view it, please also our responsibility to hand over the baton to the next generation scan the QR code below with the camera or QR code www.LordAshcroft.com reader on your device or visit the website www.LordAshcroftWildlife.com with South Africa’s captive-bred lion industry consigned firmly www.LordAshcroftWildlife.com/restricted www.LordAshcroftPolls.com and permanently to the dustbin of history. I hope sincerely that www.LordAshcroftMedals.com @LordAshcroft this book will go a long way towards helping to do just that.” SIR RANULPH FIENNES www.bitebackpublishing.com | @BitebackPub ISBN-13: 978-1785906114 9 0 0 0 0 AN EXPOSÉ OF SOUTH AFRICA’S AUTHOR PHOTO © Jon Enoch / Eyevine 9 7 8 1 7 8 5 9 0 6 1 1 4 CAPTIVE-BRED LION INDUSTRY COVER PHOTO © Billy Currie Photography £14.99 | $18.95 Unfair Game cover with flaps.indd All Pages 14/05/2020 18:45 UNFAIR GAME Unfair Game text 150520.indd 1 15/05/2020 09:40 Also by Michael Ashcroft Diagnosis of Defeat: Labour’s turn to smell the coffee (2020) Jacob’s Ladder: The Unauthorised Biography of Jacob Rees-Mogg (2019) Half-Time! American public opinion midway through Trump’s (first?) term – and the race to 2020 (2019) White Flag? An Examination of the UK’s Defence Capability (2018) The Lost Majority: The 2017 election, the Conservative Party, the voters and the future (2017) Hopes and Fears: Trump, Clinton, the voters and the future (2017) Victoria Cross Heroes: Volume II (2016) Well, You Did Ask… Why the UK voted to leave the EU (2016) Call Me Dave: The Unauthorised Biography of David Cameron (2015) Pay Me Forty Quid and I’ll Tell You: The 2015 election campaign through the eyes of the voters (2015) Special Ops Heroes (2014) Heroes of the Skies (2012) George Cross Heroes (2010) Minority Verdict: The Conservative Party, the voters and the 2010 election (2010) Special Forces Heroes (2008) Victoria Cross Heroes (2006) Dirty Politics, Dirty Times (2005) Smell the Coffee: A Wake-Up Call for the Conservative Party (2005) www.LordAshcroft.com www.LordAshcroftWildlife.com www.LordAshcroftPolls.com www.LordAshcroftMedals.com @LordAshcroft Unfair Game text 150520.indd 2 15/05/2020 09:40 Unfair Game text 150520.indd 3 15/05/2020 09:40 First published in Great Britain in 2020 by Biteback Publishing Ltd Copyright © Michael Ashcroft 2020 Michael Ashcroft has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the publisher’s prior permission in writing. This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition, including this condition, being imposed on the subsequent purchaser. Every reasonable effort has been made to trace copyright holders of material repro- duced in this book, but if any have been inadvertently overlooked the publisher would be glad to hear from them. ISBN 978-1-78590-611-4 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Set in Trade Gothic and Minion Pro Printed and bound in Great Britain by CPI Group (UK) Ltd, Croydon CR0 4YY Unfair Game text 150520.indd 4 15/05/2020 09:40 ‘Until the lion tells the story, the tale of the hunt will always glorify the hunter.’ african proverb Unfair Game text 150520.indd 5 15/05/2020 09:40 CONTENTS Acknowledgements ix Foreword by Sir Ranulph Fiennes xi Author’s Royalties xiii Introduction xv PART I 1 Chapter 1 Dead Cert 3 Chapter 2 Exotic Playthings 23 Chapter 3 Canned Captives 61 Chapter 4 Rogue Elements 77 Chapter 5 The Bone Trade 105 PART II 143 Chapter 6 Operation Simba 145 Chapter 7 After Simba 165 Chapter 8 Operation Chastise 179 Chapter 9 The Worm Turns 187 Chapter 10 Cementing the Sting 201 Chapter 11 Akwaaba Lodge & Predator Park 217 and Sans Souci Safaris Chapter 12 ‘Michael’ and the Muthi Market 235 Chapter 13 Endgame 249 Conclusion 267 QR Code for Wildlife Website 276 Index 277 Unfair Game text 150520.indd 7 15/05/2020 09:40 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS any people have assisted with this project, but it is a shock- Ming indictment of South Africa’s lion industry that some of them must remain nameless for security reasons. The threats and intimidation that are rife in lion farming, canned hunting and the bone trade make it unwise to name every individual linked to this book. Those who have been notably generous with their time are Dr Andrew Muir, Ian Michler, Dr Don Pinnock, Colin Bell, Linda Park, Amy P. Wilson, Eduardo Goncalves, Kevin Dutton, Stewart Dorrington, Stan Burger, Gareth Patterson, Beth Jennings, Nikki Sutherland, Richard Peirce, Iris Ho, Doug Wolhuter, Dr Peter Caldwell, Dr Pieter Kat, Adrian Gardiner, Christine Macsween and Karen Trendler. None of these indi- viduals was aware of my undercover investigation and, despite their cooperation, some will not share my views as detailed in this book. Thanks must also go to my corporate communications di- rector, Angela Entwistle, and her team, as well as to those at Biteback Publishing who were involved in the production of this book. ix Unfair Game text 150520.indd 9 15/05/2020 09:40 unfair game Special thanks to all the undercover operatives who carried out their assignments with courage and professionalism. The Born Free Foundation and South Africa’s National Council of Societies for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NSPCA) were also immensely helpful. And special thanks go to my chief researcher, Miles Goslett, for his outstanding editorial support. x Unfair Game text 150520.indd 10 15/05/2020 09:40 FOREWORD BY SIR RANULPH FIENNES frica holds a special place in my heart. It is where I grew up Aand learned about the wonder of nature. It is also where the British Empire tragically unleashed the plague of persecuting animals purely for pleasure, which has wrought such devas- tating damage. Trophy hunters continue to travel to Africa to plunder what remains of the populations of some of the greatest animals ever to walk the planet.