New Zealand's controversial Lion Man has drawn criticism for opening a new wildlife park near Rustenburg in South Africa.
Craig Busch has opened the Jabula Big Cat Sanctuary, much to the concern of the conservation community, the New Zealand Herald reports.
Fred Berrange from the Leopard Conservation Park says Mr Busch is not into conservation and more into self-promotion and money making.
Mr Berrange worked with Mr Busch on Lion Man: One World while it was filmed in South Africa and found Mr Busch's methods did not meet the country's conservation standards.
The new parks star lion, Jabula, has been with Mr Busch since he was a cub, according to Mr Berrange.
"He would beat Jabula while he was on the end of a chain to sit on a couch and watch television. That is not conservation," he said.
Mr Barrange says Jabula has been declawed and Mr Busch only wants to keep animals in cages to put them on show.
"We've got enough zoos in the world. Africa is about the wild animal here, and we try and keep that."
He told the South African newspaper Rapport last week he left New Zealand because of "lies being told about me" and says he doesn't tame lions.
"You cannot tame a lion, but you can be its friend," he told Rapport.
The new Jabula wildlife park websites says there are four cats, two cheetahs and two tigers in residence.
Mr Busch is known in New Zealand for the popular television series filmed at the Zion Wildlife Gardens in Whangarei.
In 2009 a big-cat handler was mauled to death by a tiger after two handlers entered the cat's enclosure to clean it.
The park has now been sold and renamed the Kamo Wildlife Sanctuary.
3 News
source: newshub archive
