In Major Setback for Anti-Hunting Efforts; FWS Rejects Attempts to Stop Lion Hunting

Washington, D.C. -- Today, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) rejected the claim that the African lion merited listing as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act. After a long and comprehensive review of the species status, which included information from the foremost lion researchers in the world, the FWS concluded that the African lion simply is not on the brink of extinction and did not merit listing as an endangered species.

The FWS concluded “sport-hunting was not found to be a threat to the species at this time.” This conclusion is a blow to the anti-hunting rhetoric put forward by organizations such as the Humane Society of the United States and International Fund for Animal Welfare. The FWS's conclusion contradicts the assertions made by these anti-hunting organizations in the petition they filed with FWS to have the lion listed as endangered. The on the ground facts and the science simply did not support their position.

“By rejecting an endangered listing, the FWS has officially recognized the reality that the African lions are not actually on the brink of extinction. More important, today’s decision will likely help further the cooperative efforts of the African nations, and the many organizations and individuals who are working to study and ensure lion populations are sustainable today and into the future.” said Safari Club International Foundation (SCI Foundation) President Joe Hosmer. “Given the outstanding efforts of African governments in creating and maintaining protected strongholds for a large majority of the lion population, it is doubtful that the Service will be able to defend its conclusion that the lion is threatened with extinction in the foreseeable future.”

“The simple fact is the majority of lions live in protected areas. Efforts like that of the SCI Foundation play a critical role in assisting African range states utilizing best management efforts to ensure the lion has a bright future, not glossy advertisements and hyperbole. We will work with SCI Foundation to ensure the FWS is accountable to the facts and the law going forward,” said David Bernhardt, former Solicitor of the Department of the Interior.

The U.S. FWS will now collect comments from the public in response to their proposed new regulations. Conservationists around the world should be encouraged to participate in the public comment period. As the regulatory proposal moves forward, we can expect the anti-hunting and animal rights organizations to continue their calls to ignore the on the ground reality and to push for an endangered determination, which Safari Club International (SCI) and SCI Foundation will oppose.

"SCI raised over $1 million for SCI Foundation to combat the listing of the African lion as endangered. We will continue to ensure funding is available for science-based conservation of the African lion in the future,” said SCI President Craig Kauffman. “SCI is proud of our Foundation which has won this battle against anti-hunting activists.

As the FWS moves forward, the concerns of American voters must be addressed. Eighty percent (80%) of voters agree that while we care about the future of the African lion, there are higher priorities that need to be addressed in the United States.* The FWS should focus on those species found here, that the government actually has the ability to manage.

While voters recognize the importance of protecting endangered species through science based management, 81% of voters want the FWS to focus its efforts and taxpayers dollars on protecting domestic species. And for those non-domestic species, two-thirds of voters agree that we should be working under international treaties to ensure protection and global cooperation. Voters clearly want the U.S. government to work within existing international agreements instead of squandering precious resources by implementing unnecessary regulations of foreign species.*

Current Lion Facts:
1. Recent comprehensive studies of the conservation status of the African lion conclude that there are between 32,000 and 35,000 lions living in the wild in Africa.

2. According to Riggio et al. 2012, a significant 24,000 lions, which is at least 68% of the estimated total population, live in what the study terms “strongholds.” “Strongholds” are areas that are legally protected as lion habitat or where hunting is managed and that meet “the necessary requirements for [the] long-term viability” of the lion populations living there. There are at least 10 such “strongholds” in Africa, covering an area almost as large as the United States east of the Mississippi River. Riggio affirms with science that lion populations living in these areas are “large, stable, and well protected,” and the populations are therefore “likely to persist into the foreseeable future.”

3. SCI Foundation has invested hundreds of thousands of dollars into the development of regional and national science-based lion management plans across east and southern Africa.

4. For twelve years, SCI Foundation has supported the African Wildlife Consultative Forum, where the African lion has been a leading conservation issue, with a total investment approaching US $750,000.

* The Tarrance Group was commissioned by the Safari Club International Foundation to conduct a telephone survey with N=1,013 registered likely voters nationally. Live interviews were conducted April 28-30, 2013. Respondents were selected at random and were part of a fully representative sample reflective of the latest voter registration figures. A random sample of this type is likely to yield a margin of error of + 3.1% with a 95% confidence level.


Source: Safari Club International Foundation (SCIF)

Hi Jerome,
Just tried to post this. Awesome stuff.

Thanks for posting this Jerome. I am delighted that the voice of reason won the day. Doesn't always happen that way.

This will be intro to Biology class today.

Excellent news!

Awesome

Great news for hunters and lions. Going forward however, my hope is that this will put even more emphasis on lion conservation and a reverse in the lion population decline will occur.

PHOENIX PHIL said:

Great news for hunters and lions. Going forward however, my hope is that this will put even more emphasis on lion conservation and a reverse in the lion population decline will occur.

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Definitely not time to relax!!!

Great news though!

Great new Jerome. Glad to see that common sense and logic has not completly dissapeared from the ranks of USFWS.

Now that hunters should be able to breath a little easier about importing their lions back into the US in the near future....I wonder if this will have any affect at all on the price of lion hunting, wild and captive bred? I think alot of hunters have pushed up their plans for hunting lions due to the fear of a ban on importation. Did this create a "sellers market", at least on the captive bred lions?

I honestly don't put a lot of stock into the announcement. The elections are coming up, to me this a feel good press conference...hell they can change their mind after the election or anytime they please.
This is the same dept. that has screwed up elephant hunting...etc.

And even if you do put a lot of stock in the announcement others won't. Those who believe strongly that a ban is coming will still believe it. Point being, I don't think there will be a short term change in pricing. This announcement likely won't change demand over the next couple of years.

They are listing them as threatened though. I wonder if this is a backdoor way to ban hunting them everywhere, but RSA in the near future. Similar to banning elephants from Zim and Tanzania this year.

enysse said:

I honestly don't put a lot of stock into the announcement. The elections are coming up, to me this a feel good press conference...hell they can change their mind after the election or anytime they please.
This is the same dept. that has screwed up elephant hunting...etc.

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Awesome point! Gas prices have gone down noticeably before this election. This dictatorship knows how to manipulate the system to win votes. They also have proven that they will do whatever they want to benefit their agenda. The hunting community must keep an eye on this.

After their April 4th decision, I didn't have very much faith in USFW coming to this conclusion.

Sometimes the best surprises are the ones you truly don't expect.

And even if you do put a lot of stock in the announcement others won't. Those who believe strongly that a ban is coming will still believe it. Point being, I don't think there will be a short term change in pricing. This announcement likely won't change demand over the next couple of years.

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If they really wanted to impress me they would have admitted they were wrong to shut down hunting of elephants in Zimbabwe and Tanzania. They would also allow importation of elephants taken from Mozambique. They would have re-opened polar bear hunting, allowed cheetah exports to the USA.
In essence to me they made a big deal out of nothing. They did not put a time table to any decision, only that today they are doing nothing. Congrats!

enysse said:

They did not put a time table to any decision, only that today they are doing nothing

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Great point.... Excitement because the gov is doing nothing. Sad.

Jerome thank you for letting everyone know about this news. It is good news indeed.

Great news let's hpoe its a step in the right direction.

THE BAD NEWS
Confused
I can not separate the proposal for a new rule from the listing issue.
This appears to be a concern. It looks like a "new" rule to require FWS permits to import sport hunted trophies, even though sport hunted trophies are not contributing to the species demise!
Smells like an anti hunting agenda to me.

I could not find their news release about not gaining the listing.

FWS News release:

Service Proposes Endangered Species Act Protection for the African Lion
October 27, 2014

Following a review of the best available scientific information, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today proposed listing the African lion as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The agency’s analysis found that lions are in danger of extinction in the foreseeable future.

“The African lion – a symbol of majesty, courage and strength – faces serious threats to its long-term survival. Listing it as a threatened species will bring the full protections of U.S. law to lion conservation, allowing us to strengthen enforcement and monitoring of imports and international trade,” said U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dan Ashe. “It is up to all of us, not just the people of Africa, to ensure that healthy, wild populations continue to roam the savannah for generations to come.”

African lions are still found across a large range in Africa, but about 70 percent of the current African lion population exists in only 10 major strongholds.

The three main threats facing African lions at this time are habitat loss, loss of prey base, and increased human-lion conflict. Human settlements and agricultural and grazing activities have expanded into lion habitat and protected areas, putting more livestock in proximity to lions. The lion’s native prey base is hunted by humans at unsustainable levels to meet a growing demand for food for an expanding human population. As a result, lions kill more livestock, which then leads to retaliatory killings by humans.

In addition to proposing ESA protections, the Service is also proposing a rule under section 4(d) of the ESA. The rule, if finalized, will establish a permitting mechanism for the importation of sport-hunted lion trophies, provided that the lions originate from countries with a scientifically sound management plan for African lions. Sport-hunting was not found to be a threat to the species at this time.

“By providing incentives through the permitting process to countries and individuals who are actively contributing to lion conservation, the Service will be able to leverage a greater level of conservation than may otherwise be available,” said Ashe.

The ESA provides numerous benefits to foreign species, primarily by prohibiting certain activities including import, export, commercial activity, interstate commerce and foreign commerce. By regulating these activities, the United States ensures that people under the jurisdiction of the United States do not contribute to the further decline of listed species. The ESA can also generate conservation benefits such as increased awareness of listed species, research efforts to address conservation needs, or funding for in-situ conservation of the species in its range countries.

In addition, the ESA provides for limited financial assistance to develop and manage programs to conserve listed species in foreign countries, encourages conservation programs for such species, and allows for assistance for programs, such as personnel and training.

In 2011, a petition from a coalition of organizations requesting the Service to list the African lion as endangered prompted a formal review under the ESA. On November 27, 2012, the Service published a positive 90-day finding and initiated a status review of the subspecies. In this 12-month finding on the petition, the Service has determined that listing the African lion as threatened under the ESA throughout its entire range is warranted.

The Service is seeking comments from the public for 90 days regarding information pertaining to the African lion. Please go to www.regulations.gov Docket No. FWS-R9-ES-2012-0025 for additional information. The proposed rule will publish in the Federal Register on October 29, 2014, comments must be received by January 27, 2015.

For more information on the African lion and the Service’s proposal, please visit http://www.fws.gov/endangered/what-we-do/african_lion.html.

This guy is as slippery as they come!

FWS
Director's Corner
Meet Service Director Dan Ashe.

The African Lion Needs Our Help
October 27, 2014


We proposed listing the African lion as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Credit: Ken Stansell/USFWS

For centuries, the African lion has been the emblem of royalty – and a universal symbol of strength, nobility and power. But as powerful as lions may be, evidence shows that they need our help to survive.

The lion is part of our heritage as global citizens. Ensuring that healthy populations continue to roam the savannah is up to all of us – not just the people of Africa. That’s why today we proposed to protect the lion under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. (RELATED: What We Do for the African Lion)

Lions are still found across a large range in Africa. Although populations in protected areas of eastern and southern Africa have been relatively stable over the last three decades, lions elsewhere are suffering alarming declines.

That’s because the human population of sub-Saharan Africa is exploding – pushing settlements, grazing and agriculture into lion habitat. Even protected areas haven’t been immune. Humans are also killing the wild prey that supports lions in increasing volumes, consuming these animals and selling them as bushmeat. Faced with declining habitat and prey, desperate lions are increasingly targeting livestock and people – resulting in retaliatory killing of lions.

The human population of sub-Saharan Africa is projected to more than double by 2050 – making a bad situation worse. Unless aggressive measures are taken to protect lions, their prey and habitat, the lion will likely face the threat of extinction within that time frame.

MORE INFORMATION
What We Do for the African Lion
Endangered Species Act protection will allow the United States to strengthen enforcement and monitoring of imports and international trade. We’ll also be able to provide additional law enforcement and on-the-ground conservation support, in partnership with African countries and partner organizations.

We can’t succeed in sustaining lions without working with the people who share the landscape with it – and recognizing their need to feed themselves and their families. We need to work with African nations and conservation organizations to engage and empower local communities to view lions as an asset, not a liability.

For that reason, we’re also proposing an accompanying special rule that would require a permit for the import of any sport-hunted lion trophy into the country.

Lions are not in trouble because of responsible sport hunting. In fact, evidence shows that scientifically sound conservation programs that include limited, well-managed sport hunting can and do contribute to the long-term survival of the species.

U.S. hunters – the vast majority of who strongly support sustainable game management – make up a disproportionately large share of foreign hunters who book trophy hunts in Africa.

That gives us a powerful tool to support countries managing their lion populations in a sustainable manner – and a strong incentive for other nations to strengthen their management programs.

Under this special rule, we cannot and will not allow trophies into the United States from any nation whose lion conservation program fails to meet key criteria for transparency, scientific management and effectiveness.

Permits would be granted if, and only if, the trophies were taken as part of a scientific management program that provides proven benefits to the overall lion population and local communities.

We know that many people around the world care about lions, and we have a public comment period open to allow the public, partners and interested stakeholders to comment and submit additional information that will help us make the best final decision. Please visitregulations.gov to submit your comments.

In the meantime, we will continue collaborative efforts on multiple levels to protect and restore African lion populations across their range.