Heartbreaking pictures of lions used for tourist selfies

These horrifying pictures from South Africa are sure to shock you where lions that are used for tourists to take selfies are are seen suffering. 

National Council of Societies for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has levied criminal charges on a South African lion breeding farm after 108 lions were found in squalid conditions.

These are the same lions that are used for tourists, where visitors oblivious to the animals' suffering, take selfies.

The Pienika farm, which breeds these animals, according to The Independent, is owned by Jan Steinman - a member of the council of the South African Predator Association (SAPA), and they allegedly stand for 'responsible hunting'.

"We don't believe they are being used to populate other farms, it is more likely they are being sold for hunting and bone trade," said Douglas Wolhuter, manager at the NSPCA Wildlife Protection Unit.

Mail Online quotes her as saying that cubs are ripped from their mothers at just a few days old, to be hand-reared by paying volunteers. And they are ultimately used as mere props for tourists, according to India Times.

The South African government sanctions the captive lion breeding industry, and animal welfare remains a huge concern in this scenario.