Endangered Lion Species Get Legal Protection From U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Under Endangered Species Act

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) recently listed two lion subspecies under the Endangered Species Act. The lion species Panthera leo leo and Panthera leo melanochaita are among the endangered animal species recently listed under the world's most powerful animal protection law. This significant move offers these lions legal protection at a time when their numbers are dwindling drastically, and discourages hunting of lions and importing lion carcass trophies into the country. These measures officially take effect on January 2016.

The listing aims to address two key issues: (1) to enforce stricter measures in the importation of live lions and lion parts (including lion heads, paws, skins, and skulls), and (2) to regulate the importation of sport hunting trophies. The listing also requires withholding of permits from violators.

According to Reuters, conservationists believe this is a significant move because Americans make up almost two-thirds of lion trophy hunters. Countries like Australia and France have already implemented withholding permits to import lion trophies. However, several countries like Burkina Faso and Zimbabwe still allow tourists to hunt lions for sport. They justify it as a major source of income and also as a way to draw awareness to wildlife conservation. Staunch critics like Luke Hunter, president of global wild cat conservation organization Panthera, says that those who support the claim that trophy hunting helps conservation are now "being asked to prove it".

According to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), lions are quickly dwindling in numbers in many parts of Africa, and the population outside of protected areas could be reduced by half over the next twenty years. Of the Panthera leo leo species, only 1,400 currently remain: 900 in west and central Africa, and the rest in India. Decimation of their population is due to loss of habitat and prey, and also to killings by hunters especially those from local communities.

The move to include these two lion subspecies into the listing comes almost six months after the killing of Cecil the lion in Zimbabwe. Cecil is a 13-year-old rare black-maned Panthera leo leo who was lured from the safety of his nature preserve and killed by American dentist and wildlife hunter Walter Palmer back in July. Palmer was never tried for the killing, but his actions have sparked global outrage. Many condemned the act, including the USFWS, which prompted a group of Democrat lobbyists to appeal to the agency to include the lions in the listing. The USFWS is a federal agency dedicated to managing the welfare of fish, plant life, and wildlife, including their natural habitats.

According to NPR, USFWS Director Dan Ashe urges people all over the world, and not just citizens from Africa and India, "to take action" if they want to ensure that lions continue to exist in good health and numbers, and safely roam their natural habitats for many years to come.

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