 |
The order states the Fish and Wildlife Service
will deny a permit to import a sport-hunted lion to anyone who has been
convicted
or pleaded guilty to violating federal or state wildlife laws |
December 22, 2015 - AFRICA - African lions are to be placed under the protection of the Endangered
Species Act, just five months after a famous lion named Cecil was killed
in Zimbabwe by an American dentist.
It is hoped the move will better regulate hunting and make it trickier for hunters to bring lion trophies into the US.
Lions in central and west Africa will be listed as endangered, according
to the Fish and Wildlife Service, while a second subspecies found
across southern and eastern Africa will be listed as threatened.
Both changes will make it harder for hunters to import lion parts.
In particular, importing skins and trophies from countries where the
animals are endangered will be 'generally prohibited,' the agency told
The New York Times.
The order states the Fish and Wildlife Service will deny a permit to
import a sport-hunted lion to anyone who has been convicted or pleaded
guilty to violating federal or state wildlife laws.
If this rule had been implemented sooner, it could have potentially prevented the death of Cecil.
In 2008, Walter Palmer, the Minnesota dentist who shot the lion with a
bow and arrow earlier this year, pleaded guilty to making false
statements to the Fish and Wildlife Service about a black bear fatally
shot in western Wisconsin outside an authorised hunting zone.
Under the changes, this would have prevented him getting a permit to travel and Africa and hunt Cecil.
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| African lions are to be placed under the protection of the Endangered Species Act |
The move has been made in response to a large decline in the numbers of lions in Africa over the past two decades, rather than in direct response to Cecil's demise.
But some claim the creature's very public death was the driving force for many such changes.
For example, France has banned the import of lion trophies and the UK
has promised to do the same by 2017. More than 40 airlines no longer
carry hunting trophies.
Wayne Pacelle, the president of the Humane Society of the United States,
told journalist Eria Goode that Cecil had 'changed the atmospherics on
the issue of trophy hunting around the world.'
Conservation groups have been warning of declining numbers for years,
driven by habitat loss, killings by farmers and sometimes trophy
hunters.
Without intervention, one group recently warned the number of
lions in Africa could half in just 20 years, with Oxford University
estimating just 20,000 now roam the continent.
Mr Pacelle said Cecil had 'changed the atmospherics on the issue of trophy hunting around the world.'
The administration signalled it would protect lions in Africa long before Cecil's case caught the public's attention.
The Fish and Wildlife Service proposed a rule in October 2014 to list
the African lion as threatened. After getting feedback, the agency
revised its findings.
It determined that two subspecies of lions live in Africa.
One group, found primarily in western and central countries, is more
genetically related to the Asiatic lion. Only around 1,400 remain in
Africa and India.
The agency is listing that subspecies as endangered, meaning it risks extinction.
A second subspecies, numbering between 17,000 and 19,000 and found
across southern and eastern Africa, will be listed as threatened.
The Endangered Species Act requires the Fish and Wildlife Service to
list species as endangered or threatened regardless of the country where
they live.
'If we want to ensure that healthy lion populations continue to roam the
Africa savannahs and forests of India, it's up to all of us - not just
the people of Africa and India - to take action,' Dan Ashe, the agency's
director said.
The listings will bring extra protection for both subspecies.
A permit would be required before importing any live or sport-hunted lions.
The bar for an import permit would be highest with the endangered group,
with permits granted if importing the animal would enhance the species'
survival.
The permitting process for the threatened group would require the import
to come from nations that have sound conservation practices, and those
that use trophy hunting revenue to sustain lion populations and deter
poaching.
Currently, sport hunters don't need a permit from the US to bring in a trophy lion.
Mr Ashe said trophy hunting can and does contribute to the survival of
species in the wild as part of a well-managed conservation programme and
that the new permitting requirements in the US will encourage African
countries to improve their lion management programmes.
The agency added hundreds of sport-hunted trophy lions are brought into the US each year.
The agency already has authority to deny an import permit to individuals
who have violated federal and state wildlife laws. But Mr Ashe's order
essentially turns that authority into a requirement.
'Importing sport-hunted trophies and other wildlife or animal parts into
the United States is a privilege, not a right, a privilege that
violators of wildlife laws have demonstrated they do not deserve,' he
continued.
The agency said its investigation into the Cecil's killing is ongoing and declined to comment directly on the case.
Mr Palmer said he shot the big cat outside the park's borders, but it didn't die immediately and was tracked down the next day.
Mr Palmer admitted he would not have shot the animal if anybody in the hunting party had known of the lion's status.
Zimbabwe officials cleared Mr Palmer of wrongdoing in October, saying he did not break the country's hunting laws. -
Daily Mail.
