Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., will introduce a bill to end importation of large animal trophies. Officially it is called the Conserving Ecosystems by Ceasing Importation of Large (CECIL) Animal Trophies Act, to curb the sport killing of species that are proposed to be listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. It is named after the African lion lured outside of a National Park in Zimbabwe earlier this week, shot with an arrow, and tracked for 40 hours while injured before being killed. Cecil was part of a study and as such wore a collar around his neck.
“Let’s not be cowardly lions when it comes to trophy killings,” said Menendez. “Cecil’s death was a preventable tragedy that highlights the need to extend the protections of the Endangered Species Act. When we have enough concern about the future of a species to propose it for listing, we should not be killing it for sport. I’m proud to be joined by my colleagues in introducing this common-sense legislation to take a necessary and prudent step that creates a disincentive for these senseless trophy killings and advances our commitment in leading the fight to combat global wildlife trafficking.”
This legislation is co-sponsored by Senators Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), and Ben Cardin (D-Md.).
Last year, The United States Fish and Wildlife Service proposed listing the African Lion as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in October 2014, but has yet to finalize any protections. The CECIL Animals Trophies Act would extend the import and export protections for a species listed under the Endangered Species Act to those that have been proposed for listing, thereby prohibiting the import of any trophies gleaned from Cecil’s death without explicitly obtaining a permit from the Secretary of the Interior.
Full text of the CECIL Animal Trophies Act can be downloaded here.
Zimbabwe has called on the United States to extradite the American dentist, Walter Palmer of Minnesota, who shot Cecil. Zimbabwe has started extradition proceedings and hopes the U.S. will cooperate, said Oppah Muchinguri, the African nation’s environment minister. Palmer “had a well-orchestrated agenda which would tarnish the image of Zimbabwe and further strain the relationship between Zimbabwe and the U.S.A.,” Muchinguri said. “This must be condemned in the strongest possible terms by all genuine, animal-loving conservationists who believe in sustainable utilization of natural resources.”
Palmer allegedly paid $50,000 for the hunt. Two Zimbabwe residents were taken into custody and released on bail. The guide Palmer used told The Guardian that he and Palmer were shocked when they discovered Cecil was protected and that the collar he wore was hidden in a tree after the kill. Cecil was skinned and his head removed. The guide also said after the initial shock Palmer asked if they could hunt for an elephant the next day.
Palmer has closed his dental office, the site of numerous demonstrations, and is not at his home. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has called on Palmer or his representative to get in touch. It says a Palmer representative has reached out to the government.
CNN reported investigations suggest the killing of Cecil was illegal because the landowner “was not allocated a lion on his hunting quota for 2015,” according to a statement from the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority and Safari Operators Association of Zimbabwe.
Palmer pleaded guilty to a felony charge in the U.S. for shooting a black bear in Wisconsin in 2006.
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