France makes the difference!!!
Some four months following the murder of Cecil the Lion, while
protests and petitions remain, nations have been slow to take decisive
action. Joining a small though hopefully growing list of countries,
France has banned the import of lion heads, paws, skins, and other
so-called hunting ‘trophies.’
Permits will no longer be issued for lion trophies, and there may be
stricter enforcement on other animal trophies looming as well, wrote
France’s environmental minister Ségolène Royal in a letter.
“Concerning other species trophies,” she wrote, “I am in favour of a
much stronger control for hunting trophies and this issue will be
discussed with all the countries concerned and with the EU.”
France is the first state in the European Union to act as such,
though the entire EU was called upon by conservationists this past
summer to ban lion trophies. International outrage was sparked after a
dentist from Minnesota slaughtered Cecil, a beloved and protected figure
in Zimbabwe’s National Park.
In four years from 2010 to 2013, more than 100 lion trophies were
imported to France. The ban should have a symbolic effect as well, with
France leading the E.U. In March, Australia banned lion trophy imports,
while Botswana followed suit after Cecil’s death.
“Within the EU, France was a major importer of such trophies and we
expect that wild lions will now find themselves safer without the
presence of French trophy hunters,” said a spokeswoman for Lionaid, a
U.K.-based charity. “We trust that France’s decision will create a
domino effect within the EU and that we will soon hear about other
member states joining together to say no [to trophies].”
Hunting isn’t the only threat to African lions however. Last month, scientists forecasted the lion population in central and western Africa may halve due to a loss of prey and habitat. What’s more, hunting bans pose a problem for African communities reliant on the money it brings.
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