Cecil's Son Killed. Keep the Ban on Imports of Lion Trophies from Zimbabwe!
Nearly two years to the day, Cecil the lion's son, Xanda has met the same cruel and senseless demise as his father before him: shot by a trophy hunter outside of a national park in Zimbabwe.
The lion is endangered in the majority of its range with populations having declined by over 50% in the past twenty years. There may be as few as 20,000 lions left today. Lions exist in only 8% of their historic range and are suffering from loss of habitat and prey, among other threats.
Shockingly, American trophy hunters are among the top killers of lions.
Zimbabwe's management of lions is unsustainable. Between 2006 and 2015, American hunters killed and imported the trophies of about 580 African lions each year. However, due to our successful effort to get the African lion listed under the Endangered Species Act, in 2016, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service effectively prohibited imports of lion trophies from Zimbabwe, as the country's lion trophy hunting industry is poorly managed and unsustainable. We are concerned the U.S. might lift this ban, and maintaining it is critical to protecting lions from American trophy hunters who only seek to add more bodies to their disturbing collections.
Declining numbers of lions means nothing to trophy hunters, as exemplified by Cecil's cruel death in 2015, and now Xanda's killing. To protect these at-risk lions, the Service needs to hear your voice in support of maintaining the Zimbabwe lion trophy import ban.
Sign and tell the Acting Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to maintain the ban on imports of African Lion trophies from Zimbabwe.
Subject: Keep the import ban on African lion trophies from Zimbabwe
Dear [Decisionmaker]
I urge you to keep the import ban on African lion trophies from Zimbabwe in place, which is necessary to safeguard the species from continued exploitation by poorly managed and unsustainable trophy hunting.
Lions are being driven to extinction and, sadly, American hunters are part of the problem, with more than 580 lion trophies imported to the U.S. each year. The lion is endangered in the majority of its range with populations having declined by over 50% in the past twenty years with as few as 20,000 believed remaining today. Lions exist in only 8% of their historic range and are suffering from loss of habitat and prey. Zimbabwe offers trophy hunting of lions despite this being poorly regulated resulting in an unsustainable offtake. .
I urge the agency to take a strong stance to protect African lions before they disappear from the wild. We must do everything we can to save this iconic species from extinction. [Your Comment]
Thank you,
[Your Name]
