Texas, August 1
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Following the tragic and reportedly illegal killing of Cecil the lion, Born Free Foundation and Born Free USA Saturday called on the US Government and European Union to take urgent steps to end the import of lion trophies and for an international moratorium on lion hunting. The global outcry following Cecil the lion’s death has sent shock waves across the world and has further ignited the political and public debate on the plight of wild lions and the inhumane actions of sport hunters. All the evidence shows that Cecil was illegally pulled out of a national park, where he lived a protected existence, to an area where he could be shot. This illegal act was paid for by the US dentist Dr Walter J. Palmer, a hunter from Minnesota, who killed Cecil. This lion was left in severe pain for many hours before he was finally shot. Cecil was collared and was being monitored as part of a conservation study by WildCRU (Wildlife Conservation and Conservation Research Unit, University of Oxford) – a group supported by Born Free. President of the Born Free Foundation, Will Travers OBE, has publicly called on the hunters to lay down their weapons of mass destruction.“Cecil’s story has sickened and saddened us all. We can no longer accept that hunting magnificent wild animals for ‘sport’ can be deemed acceptable. Cecil’s death was brutal and it showed no respect for this iconic symbol of Africa. Trophy hunting is no sport; it is merely a disguise for killing to massage an ego.” US President Barack Obama and UK Prime Minister David Cameron have made very public declarations to stop the illegal wildlife trade. Born Free is concerned that this may not be implemented fast enough. Current estimates suggest there are barely more than 30,000 lions remaining across Africa and localised or regionalised extinctions in the next decade are a real possibility. Born Free is calling on the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to release its Final Rule on the petition to list the lion as ‘endangered’ under the United States Endangered Species Act, first submitted by Born Free and others in March 2011. Listing under the ESA would prohibit wounding, harming, harassing, killing, or trading in lions, except under certain very limited conditions, and would add significant protection for lions across their range. Further, Born Free is calling on US Government prosecutors to explore whether legal action against Dr Palmer is warranted under the Lacey Act, which prohibits transport of wildlife specimens if they were taken illegally in their place of origin. The lions are often drugged and baited to make them easier prey. Fuelled by their sensational appetite for trophies, the demography of hunters, who mainly stem from the US, pay thousands of dollars for their kill. Virginia McKenna OBE, a name synonymous with lions and star of the wildlife classic Born Free summed up the feelings of millions around the world: “This whole story is like some terrible nightmare. The power of money, the ego of man, the lack of compassion for and real understanding of wild creatures, the concept of hunting as a “sport”. I thought we tried to instil kindness and respect in our children. Perhaps Mr Palmer thinks differently. But if what I heard today is true – that after killing Cecil he asked if they could find him an elephant – the future he faces is bleak indeed.” |
