via Cecil the lion shakes United States – Southern Eye 4 August 2015
NEW JERSEY — American lawmakers say they are crafting legislation to curb trophy hunting in the wake of the killing of one of Hwange National Park’s most famous lions by a United States dentist last month.
New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez announced on Friday that he would be introducing an Act to disincentivise trophy killings.
The Conserving Ecosystems by Ceasing the Importation of Large (Cecil) Animal Trophies Act will extend import and export protections for species proposed to be listed under the Endangered Species Act.
The US Fish and Wildlife Service proposed listing the lion as threatened under the Act last October.
The service said on Thursday that it was investigating the killing of Cecil the lion by Walter Palmer and whether any US laws were broken.
Animals listed as threatened or endangered under the Act are protected from being imported into the US as sport hunting trophies.
The African lion is not currently listed under the Act and it is legal to import lion trophies in to the US.
“When we have enough concern about the future of a species to propose it for listing, we should not be killing it for sport,” Menendez said in a statement.
New Jersey lawmaker Tim Eustace proposed legislation last Wednesday that would stop the transport of game trophies of threatened or endangered species through some New York or New Jersey airports, which have heavily travelled routes between the US and Africa.
Meanwhile, a White House petition calling for Palmer’s extradition to Zimbabwe has collected more than 180 000 signatures since it was launched last Tuesday, exceeding its stated goal of reaching 100 000 signatures by August 27.
Environment minister Oppah Muchinguri called for Palmer to be extradited from the US to face trial for financing the hunt.
A White House spokesperson said on Thursday that the Obama administration would respond to the petition within the 60-day deadline.
Cecil the lion was killed outside Hwange National Park by Palmer. — online
COMMENTS
I was living in fear of that lion. I m happy its dead. I ll not cry over a lion that live a pretty life than my jobless brother! Why cry for a lion when I lost many relatives to diseases, hunger and mugabe incited political violence.
Its only fair that both my friend and Cecil are dead, but will celebrate better if Mugabe is dead too!
The petition is noble – but it is a little worrying that nobody in the USA or the UK appears to have taken this trouble when the Zimbabwe Government murdered 20 000 civilians including pregnant women and children. The USA and Her Majesty’s Governments need to give some serious consideration to showing so much concern about a lion but wining and dine a dictator and his cronies that have actually committed genocide on their own people under the guise of the people being the happiest in the world. What point of those 20 000 civilians experiencing “liberty” in 1980 – and much hope of course – only to be gunned down or bayonetted to death by the so called “liberators?” Was this all okay in the eyes of Carrington, Thatcher, Soames, Fraser and Kissinger because now these were “liberated” by them? Such is the price of liberty being thrust upon one by the civilised West?
check the human rights record of the country which “mourns”over a mere lion killing.
How many trophies are pilfering the borders (gvt aided) en route to our Oriental brothers. mxm!!!!
Well, in the US I guess they just shoot people? Men, women, children – thousands upon thousands every year.
It is sad that Cecil the Lion was shot, but Zim has FAR more serious problems, as does the US