Of the 429 trophies from captive lions traded internationally in 2014, Americans took the lives of 363 lions and imported their body parts into the United States – about 85 percent of the total.
Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States said: “The federal action to place African lions on the list of threatened and endangered species could and should cripple the canned lion hunting industry in South Africa, given that Americans account for nearly nine of every 10 kills at these despicable, deplorable facilities.”
A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service rule issued last week indicates that the threatened listing for lions in South Africa will bar imports from canned hunting facilities.
According to the government of South Africa, there are about 6,000 captive lions held in about 200 facilities where canned lion hunts sell for US $10,000 – $20,000 each. These facilities were recently highlighted in the documentary Blood Lions. Even the Professional Hunters’ Association of South Africa opposes canned hunts of lions.
Pacelle added: “If you thought Walter Palmer’s killing of Cecil was deplorable, what happens to nameless lions at these facilities is even more appalling and unsporting. Along with the new U.S. import restrictions, we applaud France and Australia for banning lion trophy imports, and we urge other importing countries, including the Czech Republic, Poland and Spain, to enact similar rules.”
According to analysis of information contained in the Convention on International Trade on Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora Database, in 2014, 429 lion trophies from animals who were captive-bred/captive-born were exported from South Africa for hunting trophy purposes or personal purposes. Of these, 363 or 84.6 percent were exported to the U.S.
For more information on trophy hunting, visit Humane Society International's website.
Image via Wikimedia Commons
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