Importing Lion Trophies Is Now Allowed in the US
Importing trophy parts from lions and other endangered animals has been banned in the US in recent years, due to animal rights concerns and in an effort to prevent the extinction of vulnerable wildlife. On Thursday, however, the Huffington Post reported that the US government has issued over three dozen permits allowing trophy parts from African lions to be imported to the United States. The importation of lion trophies had been previously illegal due to the animal’s endangered species designation (African lions are still listed as “vulnerable” on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species).