USFWS To Allow Wild, Wild-Managed Lion Trophies From South Africa

Agency will not allow trophies from captive lion populations

On October 20, US Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) Director Dan Ashe announced the decision regulating the import of sport-hunted lion trophies under the Endangered Species Act from South Africa. The United States will not allow the import of lion trophies taken from captive lion populations in South Africa. However, wild and wild-managed lions from South Africa will receive import permits. As for other lion-range countries, Ashe says USFWS is still reviewing permit applications for those areas.

Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, will only receive import permits if USFWS receives sufficient evidence of long term benefits to their wild lion populations. USFWS and CITES recognize the importance hunting plays in conservation. Ashe said USFWS determined, “that sport hunting of wild and wild-managed lions does contribute to the long-term conservation of the species in South Africa.” Ashe continued, “Lions are not in trouble because of responsible sport hunting.”

This conclusion gives a blow to rhetoric put forward by anti-hunting organizations. —courtesy Safari Club International Kevin Pluck Wikipedia photo