As U.S. Lion Poacher Returns to Work, Ranking Member Grijalva Urges Full Federal Review and Upgrade of Trophy Hunting Standards

This press release has been modified from its original version to include information on bill endorsements.

Washington, D.C. – As Walter Palmer, the American dentist who made international news by illegally killing the famed Cecil the lion in Zimbabwe earlier this year, returns to work this week after a prolonged absence, House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva urged Interior Secretary Sally Jewell and Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) Director Dan Ashe in a letter today to finalize a long-awaited Endangered Species Act listing for African lions and thoroughly review trophy hunting importation standards. Grijalva, who introduced the Rare Cats and Canids Act in June to protect large cat and canid species, has been a leading congressional voice in the effort to crack down on endangered species poaching and trafficking.

In addition to finalizing the lion listing, Grijalva urges both officials to review trophy hunting importation standards to ensure they are protective of endangered species. The letter reads in part:

[I]t is imperative the [FWS] take additional steps to verify that trophy hunting does indeed serve a conservation purpose. For far too long, we have allowed the trophy hunting industry to claim that killing animals in foreign countries benefits conservation and local economic development. These claims are typically based on very limited data, and more often on anecdotes and the theory that the American system of wildlife management is somehow applicable abroad. [. . .] Without verifiable evidence showing clearly that revenue from trophy hunting contributes significantly to wildlife conservation in the country of origin, the importation of ESA listed animal trophies should not be allowed.

The letter notes that existing conservation measures, particularly with respect to lions, are not always sufficient or strongly enforced. “Data released this summer by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature show that African lion populations have declined by 42 percent in the last 21 years,” the letter reads. “While a number of factors are in play, it is clear that there is an immediate need to better control all sources of lion mortality.”

The letter requests that several specific steps be taken:

• First, FWS should use its existing authority under Section 4(b)(7) of the ESA to issue an emergency rule listing African lions as threatened and prohibiting the importation of African lion trophies until a final listing decision is made, and a rule with more rigorous enhancement finding criteria can be developed.
• Second, FWS should use its existing ESA authority to conduct biennial reviews of countries from which hunting trophies are imported to ensure that allowing those trophy hunts truly enhances wildlife conservation, as required by law.
• Third, FWS should require additional documentation of hunters applying for ESA trophy import permits, including the proposed hunt location(s), hunting method(s), information on the payee and the amounts paid for guide services, permits, and fees, and whether or not the guide is licensed by the host country. FWS should no longer grant import permits to hunters – such as Mr. Palmer – who had previously pled guilty or been found guilty of wildlife-related crimes.
• Fourth, international standards that apply to all trophy hunters – not just Americans hunting for ESA listed species – should be established by the various parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.

The bill is endorsed by the following organizations:

• Animals Asia
• Animal Legal Defense Fund
• Animal Welfare Institute
• Born Free Foundation
• Born Free USA
• Defenders of Wildlife
• FOUR PAWS International
• Humane Society Legislative Fund
• International Primate Protection League
• Pro Wildlife
• The Humane Society of the United States
• WildEarth Guardians
• World Animal Protection

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