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Penguin Random House author, Richard Peirce, leads the dramatic adventure from lion farms in South Africa to wildlife traffickers in Laos and Vietnam. He makes a shocking discovery that wildlife ranchers in South Africa are farming lions in their thousands to export their bones to Asia for traditional medicine. Richard battles to uncover the elaborate wildlife fraud of processing lion bones into food products which could contain the 'world's deadliest infectious disease.' The heart-warming tale of two lion cubs given a new life, along with positive approaches to wild lion conservation resolves the film with positivity.

Genre: Documentary

Running time: 73 minutes (director’s cut)

Cut-downs to be arranged.

Language: English

Director: Anton Leach

Producers: Richard Peirce, Jasmine Duthie

Narrator: Peter Egan

Original Score by: RobRoy Music

Production Company: Jagged Peak Films Ltd

Country of Origin: United Kingdom

Filming Locations: England, South Africa, Laos, Vietnam

Website: www.lionsbonesbullets.film

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Every animal book I have written has opened my eyes, and none more so than Cuddle Me, Kill Me. I tried to do the research for the book starting with an open mind. My mind did not take long to close. Lion farming involves exploitation, cruelty, injustice, misconception, fraud, corruption, is a threat to wild lion populations, and the list goes on. It is mind-blowing in terms of the huge negativity involved and has no redeeming aspects. 

The book provided some answers but mostly led to more questions, and I wanted to follow the trail to the end and let the world know what I found. I am basically a communicator, and when I met Anton and Jasmine I knew that making a film of the rest of my journey would result in an effective communication tool.

We all believe in the same things, are all fair, and all three of us tried to approach making Lions, Bones & Bullets with open minds.  We tried to be objective all through the process, but right is right, and wrong is wrong, so objectivity was often ‘mission impossible’.

I think our film is fair, and objective as far as is possible, and I want its message to get out there - for the lions. Lions are a flagship species, what happens to lion populations will be a major factor in determining the future of wild animals in Africa.

Lions, Bones & Bullets is a story that needed to be told, shared and debated. Through my work in wildlife docu-series I realised that not enough people knew that lion farming was not just an emerging industry, it was a booming industry. If trophy hunting was dying out, then what was escalating demand? 

An investigation of the lion farming industry was never going to be easy, but with the right team, enough time and clear approach anything is possible. After meeting the Penguin Random House author, Richard Peirce and reading his book on the subject, Cuddle Me, Kill Me, we formed a tight filmmaking unit together with Producer Jasmine Duthie, to create a film leading on from Richard's book.

We created this film to connect audiences with the truth about what was happening in South Africa’s wildlife farming industry. To engage audiences, we approached the film as an action-packed adventure. Having Richard as the protagonist was key, as his deep knowledge of the lion industry allowed us to react on the spot, prompt debate and move the story forward.

Ordinarily, I would approach an investigative subject with a covert approach, but this film needed something more, it was after all a legal industry. Our overt approach to this controversial subject was surprising, as were the results. By heading in with confidence as international filmmakers eager to hear from both sides of the fence, our more questionable characters opened up to us, to the point where they literally showed us the dead bodies they had hidden in the closet. Although one of our subjects had trouble breathing for a moment as the implications of what he had exposed, dawned on him.