Following the death of Cecil the lion—who was allegedly hunted by an American in Zimbabwe—conservationists are calling on the U.S. government to ban the import of lions killed in trophy hunting. The African lion is not currently listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act, meaning that it is legal to import lion trophies into the U.S. Born Free USA and a coalition of several organizations have petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to list the African lion as threatened. Kate Dylewsky, a program associate at Born Free USA, said that listing the African lion as endangered or threatened would not affect U.S. citizens who want to go to other countries and hunt. However, hunters usually have to pay tens of thousands of dollars to make these trips, and a ban on bringing home trophies might deter them.
Link: The Guardian