Killing of Cecil the Lion Inspires N.J. Lawmaker's Bill

A New Jersey lawmaker has proposed legislation inspired by the killing of Cecil the Lion that would curb the sport killing of endangered species.

U.S. Senator Bob Menendez, D-N.J., announced Friday that he will be introducing the Conserving Ecosystems by Ceasing the Importation of Large (CECIL) Animal Trophies Act that would apply to species listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act of 1973.

The CECIL Animal Trophies Act is named after an African lion who was allegedly lured outside of a National Park in Zimbabwe earlier this week, shot with an arrow, and tracked for 40 hours while injured before being shot.

“Let’s not be cowardly lions when it comes to trophy killings,” said Menendez, in a release. “Cecil’s death was a preventable tragedy that highlights the need to extend the protections of the Endangered Species Act.”

Cecil the lion, once considered the king of a Zimbabwe national park, was recently shot with abow and arrow and a gun, and then beheaded for a trophy and skinned by a Minnesota dentist, drawing international outrage.

Beleaguered Minnesota dentist Walter Palmer this week tried to reassure his patients that a firestorm of criticism raining down on him forkilling Cecil has “nothing to do with the care I provide for you.”

In an open letter, Palmer said he had not been contacted by U.S. or Zimbabwe authorities about the killing of the revered lion, but said he will “assist them in any inquiries they may have,” KMSP-TV in the Twin Cities reported.

Menendez said that when there is enough concern about the future of a species to propose it for listing, hunters should not be killing it for sport.

“I’m proud to be joined by my colleagues in introducing this common-sense legislation to take a necessary and prudent step that creates a disincentive for these senseless trophy killings and advances our commitment in leading the fight to combat global wildlife trafficking,” he said.

This legislation is co-sponsored by Senators Cory Booker, D-N.J., Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Ben Cardin, D-Md.

Last year, The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) proposed listing the African Lion as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in October 2014, but has yet to finalize any protections.

The CECIL Animals Trophies Act would extend the import and export protections for a species listed under the Endangered Species Act to those that have been proposed for listing, thereby prohibiting the import of any trophies gleaned from Cecil’s death without explicitly obtaining a permit from the Secretary of the Interior, according to Menedez’s office.

(Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)