CECIL Act, in Response to Lion's Trophy Killing, Introduced in House
Nine Democrats, led by Rep. Raul Grijalva of Arizona, introduced a bill that would make it more difficult for trophy hunters to bring skins, tusks or other evidence of the spoils back to the United States. H.R. 2245, the CECIL Act, which stands for Conserving Ecosystems by Ceasing the Importation of Large Animal Trophies Act, is named after Cecil the Lion, an animal killed in a Zimbabwean national park in 2015. The bill would require the Interior secretary to evaluate whether the foreign country where the animal was hunted has a species management plan that "addresses existing threats to the species; provides a significant conservation benefit to the species; formally coordinates with neighboring countries; and "ensures that any take is sustainable and does not contribute to the species’ decline in either the short-term or long-term according to current population estimates derived through the use of the best available science."
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Communications Daily is required reading for senior executives at top telecom corporations, law firms, lobbying organizations, associations and government agencies (including the FCC). Join them today!
This plan must be enforced, and the country of origin must verify that trophy hunting is substantially benefiting conservation of that species. It also says no permit may be issued for elephants or lions taken in Tanzania, Zimbabwe or Zambia. Natural Resources, Ways and Means and Foreign Affairs committees have jurisdiction over the bill -- Grijalva is the chairman of Natural Resources. The same bill was introduced in September 2018 with 24 Democratic co-sponsors.