De Graaf bred the lions for slaughter

The lions that were given to Minister of Agriculture Christiaan De Graaff under dubious circumstances have been exported to South Africa at a game farm that specializes in canned hunting. De Graaf sold a pride of 22, among them the offspring of the male and female pair given to him for free by the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP) under circumstances that no one can explain soundly.

On 25 October 2013, De Graaff sold 22 lions to the Makhulu Game Farm near Boshof in South Africa's Free State Province. Employees at the facility that is owned by Henk J. Vorster openly discuss how the lions are hunted before their skeletons are sold to Asian buyers. In 2012, Vorster conducted five canned lion hunts at his facility. As a major predator breeder, he also supplies other canned hunting farms in his country's North West Province while some are bred for sale to international zoos.