In March of 2011, Born Free USA, along with partner organizations, filed a petition with the Department of the Interior to list the African lion as Endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA). Now, more than four years later, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) issued a final rule on December 21 listing lions in Central and Western Africa as Endangered, and lions in Southern and Eastern Africa as Threatened, with a special rule pending that would require certain conditions to be met for importation of any lion trophies, including that the country of origin has a scientifically-sound management program for the species. While we celebrate this hard-fought victory, we recognize that the delay in the USFWS decision has resulted in the deaths of at least 2,232 lions in the past four years—including Cecil the lion, who made headlines earlier this year after he was shot and killed by an American trophy hunter.[teaserbreak]
According to Adam M. Roberts, CEO of Born Free USA and Born Free Foundation, “It has been a very long four years waiting for this decision, with each year seeing more lions hunted down for their parts. This is a victory and we applaud USFWS for agreeing that these animals matter. Even though we were frustrated and losing patience that it took so long, we are thrilled with this decision. There is now hope for future generations to be able to witness the beauty of the lion in the wild.”
Click here to read Born Free USA’s press release on the USFWS decision and click here to view the African lion ESA petition timeline. To learn more about the threats to African lions, click here.