Peters Cosponsors CECIL Animal Trophies Act

WASHINGTON DC — U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) today announced that he has cosponsored legislation to prevent increased sport hunting of animals that may already be in danger of becoming extinct but not already granted protection by the Endangered Species Act (ESA), such as the African lion. The Conserving Ecosystems by Ceasing the Importation of Large (CECIL) Animal Trophies Act, would extend the import and export protections of the ESA to those animals that are proposed to be ESA-listed.

“The extinction of wildlife populations could lead to significant and destructive changes to our planet’s ecosystem,” said Senator Peters. “I am proud to support this commonsense legislation to combat unethical hunting practices and global wildlife trafficking that are contributing to the decline and collapse of wildlife species.”

The CECIL Animal Trophies Act was named after the African lion, Cecil, who was part of an Oxford University study to further lion conservation efforts and was recently killed after being lured outside of Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe. In October 2014, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) advised the listing of the African lion as a threatened species, but the listing has not yet been finalized. The legislation would help prevent trophy killings by prohibiting the import of any trophies of species listed, or proposed for listing under the ESA, without permits issued by the Secretary of the Interior.

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