US Fish and Wildlife Service Allows Import of Lion Trophies from Zimbabwe and Zambia

After evaluating the information that it had available,  the US Fish and Wildlife Service made the determination on October 20^th  that the import of lion trophies from Zimbabwe and Zambia would meet the enhancement requirements of the Endangered Species Act.  This means that the Service found that hunting has enhanced the survival of the lion in these two southern African countries.  The Service’s findings are for trophies taken in 2016, 2017, and 2018 and are for applicants who met all of the Service’s permitting requirements.  The Service will re-evaluate the hunting programs in Zimbabwe and Zambia in mid-2018 to determine if import permits can continue for 2019 and beyond.

"By lifting the import ban on lion trophies in Zimbabwe and Zambia, the Trump Administration underscored the importance of sound scientific wildlife management and regulated hunting to the survival and enhancement of game species in this country and worldwide" said Chris Cox, Executive Director of the National Rifle Association’s Institute for Legislative Action. "This is a significant step forward in having hunting receive the recognition it deserves as a tool of wildlife management, which had been all but buried in the previous administration."

 For more information, please visit https://www.fws.gov/international/permits/by-activity/sport-hunted-trophies-lions.html