Wherever you stand on hunt , it ’s backbreaking to disagree that belt down brute that are n’t even give a fairish probability of run away is a pretty scummy thing to do . So conservationists – and , in fact , all fair humans – will no doubt be proud of to listen that the US Fish and Wildlife Service has just banned the consequence of trophy obtain from so - called cannedlionhunts in South Africa .

The terminus canned Leo touch on to those that are bred in enslavement for the only use of being hunted by tourists in enclosed reserves , where wall and fences make it impossible for the African tea to get away from their fearful assassins . Aside from the barbaric cruelty of this exercise , it also serves no preservation role , as lions reared this way can never be unloose into the natural state .

According to the Fish and Wildlife Service , spherical social lion populations have fall by 43 pct in the retiring two decades , with run being one of many reasons for this . As a result , the agency place two species of African and Asian lions on theEndangered Species Actlist in late 2015 . Under the term of this act , hunter wishing to spell trophy lions can only do so if these animals have been kill in countries where search is managed in such a way that it contributes to preservation efforts .

give that several hunting reserves in South Africa have been establish to responsibly manage their resources and use hunting revenue toboost Leo the Lion preservation , any lions killed in the country – include those from canned Richard Morris Hunt – can lawfully be spell into the US .

In aHuffington Post blog , US Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dan Ashe explained that “ it ’s important to see that Leo the Lion are not in trouble because of responsible for mutant search . ”

However , given that South Africa ’s canned hunts do not aid preservation travail , the office has finally make up one’s mind to outlaw the import of all lions killed on such Hunt – and not a minute too soon .

Hopefully , this will dramatically reduce the overall number of lion peel , heads , dentition and claws being fetch into the US , as Ashe explain that “ the vast majority of social lion trophies imported into the United States in recent years have been from these captive population in South Africa , so our decision will likely well concentrate the full number of Leo prize imports . ”