TRENTON: A New Jersey legislator is taking on the importation of game hunting trophies of threatened or endangered species in the aftermath of the international outcry over an American hunter killing Cecil, a popular lion in Africa.
Assemblyman Tim Eustace, D-Bergen, announced he would propose a ban on these trophies coming through major airports in the New York City area that are controlled by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, including JFK, LaGuardia and Newark International.
“The news of the tragic demise of Cecil the lion illustrates how globally connected our ecosystems are in this day and age and underscores the need to improve our conservation efforts, both at home and abroad,” Eustace said in a statement. “There’s only so much we can do on a state level, but by banning the import of endangered game trophies and adding the African lion to the Endangered Species List, together we can have a major impact.”
Cecil, an animal that even before its death had a certain level of fame, was killed in Zimbabwe by Minnesotan dentist Walter James Palmer. Anger over the death is widespread — Jimmy Kimmel teared up talking about it on his late-night talk show and Palmer has shuttered his dental practice during the intense public backlash.
Palmer, a lifelong big-game hunter, said he killed Cecil with a bow and arrow on July 1 near Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park but said he had hired professional local guides with the required hunting permits and believed the hunt was legal. Palmer paid $50,000 to kill 13-year-old Cecil.
The federal government regulates the importation of hunting trophies into the United States, and imports must be done through designated ports like New York City. Philadelphia International Airport is not a port approved to handle game trophies, according to federal regulations. In addition, there are other regulations, including guidelines, to protect endangered animals and prevent the spread of disease.
The African lion is not currently listed as a threatened or endangered species, which means it is often legal to import, according to the Guardian. Eustace wants that to change, a process already under consideration by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Passing legislation to make changes at the Port Authority is particularly difficult as it requires legislatures in both New York and New Jersey to pass an identical bill and both of the states’ governors must sign off as well.
