African lion may be added to U.S. endangered species list to curb trophy hunters

African lion may be added to U.S. endangered species list to curb trophy hunters
by John Platt

A coalition of conservation groups filed a petition Tuesday to list the African lion (Panthera leo) as a protected species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA), citing the American appetite for sports hunting and lion products—such as lion-skin rugs—as major factors in the big cat's decline.

The petition was filed by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), Humane Society International (HSI), Born Free USA, Born Free Foundation and Defenders of Wildlife.

"The king of the jungle is heading toward extinction, and yet Americans continue to kill lions for sport," Jeff Flocken, IFAW's Washington, D.C., office director, said in a prepared statement. "Our nation is responsible for importing over half of all lions brought home by trophy hunters each year. The African lion is in real trouble, and it is time for this senseless killing and unsustainable practice to stop."

Although lions are difficult to count, populations are estimated to have dropped nearly 50 percent in the past three decades, mainly due to unsustainable hunting. Other threats include habitat loss, disease, the bushmeat trade, use of lion parts in traditional African medicine, and retaliatory killings for livestock killed by lions. Current estimates range from 23,000 to 40,000 lions left in Africa, down from an estimated 75,800 in 1980.

According to the groups' petition (pdf), at least 5,663 wild lions were traded internationally for recreational trophy hunting purposes between 1998 and 2008, with 64 percent of those trophies being imported into the U.S.

"Because of their evolutionary and biological behaviors, trophy hunting is particularly bad for lions," Flocken said at a press conference on Tuesday. Among the cats, trophy hunters tend to target the large, visually striking male pack leaders. The death of a leader leaves a pack unstable, resulting in younger males fighting and often killing each other for dominance. The new top male often also ends up killing all of the pack's cubs to preserve his genetic dominance, and some females may die trying to protect their offspring. "The countries that allow hunting have the worst drops in lion populations," Flocken said.

Adding lions to the list of species protected by the ESA would create a ban on the import of hunting trophies. This would "hopefully reduce the threat to lions by eliminating the incentive of bringing back a trophy," Flocken said. Listing the species would also prohibit the sale of commercially traded lion parts such as skins, claws and skulls, which can sell for thousands of dollars each.

ESA protection would further help lions by raising awareness of their plight, said Bob Irvin, senior vice president for conservation programs at Defenders of Wildlife. "Without the Endangered Species Act, the very symbol of African wildlife could disappear forever," he said.

Americans are hardly the only factor pushing lions toward extinction. Africa's human population is growing quickly, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, where it could hit 1.75 billion by 2050. This puts enormous pressure on lions' habitat, which has already shrunk to less than a quarter of its historic range. It will also fuel further human–lion conflicts, with lions perceived as dangers to safety and prosperity, much the same way wolves are often seen in the U.S.

The U.S. Secretary of the Interior now has 90 days to assess whether listing lions under the ESA may be warranted, 12 months to decide whether to propose listing, and then another 12 months to make a final decision.

Asiatic lions (P. l. persica) are already protected under the ESA. Only about 400 of that particular subspecies remain the wild, all living in a single forest in India.

The tree hug-hers are on the lose again...

That's right blame hunters! I'm sure the animal rights groups are staying up late at night saving money to help the lion. Oh, that's right they take donations and pocket the money in their pockets.

What has exclusion from properly managed Trophy hunting done for the lions of India ?

What has exclusion from properly managed Trophy hunting done for the populations of lions in Kenya ?

Exclusion is not a wildlife conservation benifit tool it is a smoke-screen attack directly aimed at hunting, nothing more and nothing less, usually at the direct expense of the species involved.

Originally Posted by enysse

Oh, that's right they take donations and pocket the money in their pockets.

How else will they buy their fancy go-go green hybrid fuel cell cars?!

Well that may be the end of that. Given the current crop of morons in govt right now I would say its almost a forgone conclusion.

As we all know loss of habitat is the biggest threat to any species. If this is successful I'm just trying to work out the impact on the Lion breeding programs after last years legislation in RSA and this BS. The future for the species would not look good.

I cannot believe it when they stop on one end they start on the other end again.... Were do these people get their facts? It is all BS!

I think what we need is a management program for animal activists...

Originally Posted by oneshotlu

I think what we need is a management program for animal activists...

I could not agree more! When does the season start! (lol)

Originally Posted by Hartzview Hunting Safaris

I cannot believe it when they stop on one end they start on the other end again.... Were do these people get their facts? It is all BS!

They don't need facts, they have agenda's. All facts could say otherwise, but the agenda will always win.

Liberals are continually working up to banning ALL HUNTING. Here in the U.S they are releasing Wolves into many states. The Wolves are decimating animal herds, so now they don't need to hunt those animals, because Wolves are keeping their numbers in check. The Wolves are protected, so we can't hunt them. It is all setting up perfectly, let Wolves replace hunters. And if the Wolves kill a few people, well the world can spare a few people.

Originally Posted by Christian Snyder

Liberals are continually working up to banning ALL HUNTING. Here in the U.S they are releasing Wolves into many states. The Wolves are decimating animal herds, so now they don't need to hunt those animals, because Wolves are keeping their numbers in check. The Wolves are protected, so we can't hunt them. It is all setting up perfectly, let Wolves replace hunters. And if the Wolves kill a few people, well the world can spare a few people.

IMO, I couldn't agree with you more!

Starting with a bounty on their heads.

The ARAs (animal rights activists) prove time and again that they don't give a damn about the animals. Every lion in Africa could go extinct, as long as American sportsmen weren't hunting them, and the ARAs would be happy. That's the end goal - nothing to do with conservation, all to do with their self-perceived superiority and righteousness. I'd like to see the scientific sources they used to prepare that statement... oh wait, sorry, they never used any...

The Center for Biological Diversity in the US wants to introduce wolves all over the states. They talk about "complete ecosystems", etc., yet one of the ARA spokespersons once said they wanted wolves to kill all the ungulates so hunters couldn't. What, pray tell, will all those wolves do once the deer and elk are gone? Slowly starve, and the ARAs don't care in the least.

hunters protect natural resources, not animal rights groups. on the wolves, there are places where people used to see 40-50 elk on a birthing ground in Montana, now they see 10. i've had customers send me pictures of wolves that have more in common with a werewolf than an american wolf.

This is right on the mark. The ARAs HATE guns, HATE independence, and are almost all socialists/communists to the core. They know that doing away with hunting will also put many other people out of work, which is perfectly fine with them. Just more people dependent upon government to take care of them. Means more votes for the Democrats and RINOs here in the States and their counterparts elsewhere.

One important thing to note here is that a petition will not automatically result in listing. Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't. The CBD petition to list polar bears did result in a Threatened listing (which surprised me, truth be told). Conversely, the "Humane" Society of the US (or H$U$ - because they support money, not animals) petitioned for listing of Porbeagle shark, and the National Marine Fisheries Service reviewed their "science" and concluded that ESA listing wasn't warranted.

So the listing proposal isn't a guarantee, but bears close attention, of course. There will be opportunities for groups to comment on the listing petition and tell the truth. Sometimes it works.

Keep shooting straight and conserving wild species and wild spaces, folks.

Originally Posted by Icehunter

The ARAs (animal rights activists) prove time and again that they don't give a damn about the animals. Every lion in Africa could go extinct, as long as American sportsmen weren't hunting them, and the ARAs would be happy. That's the end goal - nothing to do with conservation, all to do with their self-perceived superiority and righteousness. I'd like to see the scientific sources they used to prepare that statement... oh wait, sorry, they never used any...

The Center for Biological Diversity in the US wants to introduce wolves all over the states. They talk about "complete ecosystems", etc., yet one of the ARA spokespersons once said they wanted wolves to kill all the ungulates so hunters couldn't. What, pray tell, will all those wolves do once the deer and elk are gone? Slowly starve, and the ARAs don't care in the least.

+1 I agree 100 percent!