African Lions to Be Added to Endangered Species List
Five months after a lion named Cecil was shot and killed in Zimbabwe by a Minnesota dentist, the Obama administration has decided to place lions in Africa under the protection of the Endangered Species Act, an action that will set a higher bar for hunters who want to bring lion trophies into the United States.
Lions in central and West Africa will be listed as endangered, according to the Fish and Wildlife Service, which is expected to announce the change on Monday. Lions in southern and East Africa will be classified as threatened, with a special rule that prods countries to regulate sport hunting of lions in ways that promote conservation.
Both designations, the agency said, will result in stricter criteria for the import of live lions and lion parts, like heads, paws or skins.
Trophies from countries where lions are endangered will be “generally prohibited,” except in very limited circumstances, the agency said.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/21/science/us-to-protect-african-lions-under-endangered-species-act.html?ref=todayspaper&_r=0