Take Lion Meat Off The Menu
- by: Care2.com
- recipient: Director Dan Ashe, US Fish and Wildlife Service
Not many people have heard of the lion meat "craze" that has more than halved the African lion population in a matter of two decades. That's why Illinois representative Luis Arroyo is working to draft a bill that protects the king of the jungle from unregulated trade of his body parts.
Lend Arroyo a hand: Tell the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) that lions are not just vulnerable, they need protection.
The FWS already believes that lions "may be warranted" for endangered status, considering the current trend.
Lion meat in the U.S. once came from circuses and zoos, but now the market has taken off it has become a much different story. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) believes lions have come under high risk of endangerment in the wild. They report, "Lions are a species where the flesh trade is falling through the cracks."
Write to FWS Director Ashe, and urge him to protect the "king of the jungle" from adventurous palates.
Dear Director Ashe,
The lion meat epidemic has taken a toll on the African lion population, encouraging poachers to target the vulnerable animal with no international regulation whatsoever. Representatives in Illinois -- the epicenter of lion meat processing in America -- are taking a stand against the hapless slaughter of the "king of the jungle" to satisfy eccentric taste.
Your agency released a statement last year entailing that lions "may be warranted" for endangered status; since that point, their precarious status has only steepened. Now that the indigenous population is half of what it was twenty years ago, decisive action must be taken to preserve these majestic animals.
[Your comments will be inserted here]
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) believes lions have come under high risk of endangerment in the wild. They report, "Lions are a species where the flesh trade is falling through the cracks." Your agency is the most viable means of reversing this detrimental trend, by restricting the unregulated trade of lion meat.
Sincerely,
[Your name here]
