"Killing of Cecil Pressures United States To Protect African Lion"

"The killing of Cecil the lion by a U.S. hunter in Zimbabwe has turned up the pressure on Washington to extend legal protection to the African lion by declaring it an endangered species, but some hunting advocates said that would lead to more regulations that could ultimately harm the big cats.

The United States has the world's most powerful animal protection law, the Endangered Species Act, which has been extended by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to many non-U.S. species including the African elephant and cheetah.

Adding the African lion to the U.S. list would not prohibit trophy hunting but it would require a permit from the service to import lions or their body parts to the United States."

Barbara Liston and Jon Herskovitz report for Reuters August 2, 2015.

SEE ALSO:

"Zimbabwe Accuses 2nd American of Illegally Hunting Lion" (AP)

"Petition to Extradite Cecil the Lion’s Killer Signed By 100,000" (TIME)