They are at it again!

HSUS wants Lions listed

And... the killer part is everything they said about the problem is the truth.

However, everything they said about the solution is a lie.

Here is the complete text:


The African lion is headed for extinction. Its wild population has dwindled by almost fifty percent in only the last three decades. Action must be taken now to save this iconic species. We have collaborated with other organizations to submit a petition to list the African lion as endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

Even as lion populations plummet, lion trophy imports to the United States are on the rise. An ESA listing would prohibit lion trophy imports to the U.S. unless it serves a conservation purpose, and would raise global awareness about the need to protect lions from this and other threats. We must reverse the decline of the African lion and our petition demonstrates that listing them as endangered under the ESA would help to do just that.

TAKE ACTION

Please fill out and submit the form below to add your name to this letter of support for our petition. We'll deliver the letter to Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar, when the public comment period officially opens.

Support Our Petition

I support listing the African lion as endangered.

To: Honorable Ken Salazar, Secretary of the Interior

This petition demonstrates that the African lion meets the criteria for listing as Endangered under the Endangered Species Act. I urge you to do so before it is too late. African lions are rapidly disappearing from the wild.

We must do everything we can to save this iconic species from extinction. Thank you for your consideration.

Signed by
[Your Name]
[Your Address]
[City, State ZIP]

March 1, 2011, 1:24 pm Protecting the Lion From U.S. Predators

By LESLIE KAUFMAN

From The New York Times

Lions are an African species — perhaps the most venerated African species of all. But such is the nature of the global economy and the interconnectedness of the planet that to save the King of the Beasts in its natural home, advocates say it must be listed as endangered in the United States.



On Tuesday morning, a coalition of wildlife groups filed a petition with the Department of Interior seeking such a listing under the Endangered Species Act, which would prevent the importation of heads or skins or claws (or any parts) of lions that were hunted as trophies.

Although big game hunting might seem like a relic of another era, the petition documents the role that international trade in African lions and their parts is playing a role in the reduction of the population. “From 1998 through 2008, at least 7,445 wild lions were traded internationally, with the United States importing a minimum of 4,021,” the groups said.

“Additionally, 64 percent of the 5,663 wild lions traded internationally for recreational trophy hunting purposes were imported to the United States.”

The United States is the leading importer of lions and lion parts for commercial and recreational trade, from skulls to claws to hides to actual live lions, according to Teresa Telecky, director of the wildlife department for the Humane Society of the United States, one of the groups behind the petition. “Americans’ thirst for exotic goods and trophies to hang on their walls is driving lions to extinction,” she said in a statement.

Bob Irvin, a senior vice president of conservation programs at Defenders of Wildlife, another group sponsoring the petition, acknowledged that there were other pervasive causes for the lion’s population loss, including poisoning from pesticides, habitat loss and conflicts with humans.

Still, he said, it was no doubt that the hunts have been exacerbating the decline.

The decline has been precipitous indeed. Over the last two decades, the number of African lions has declined by at least 48.5 percent, to fewer than 40,000 — most of them in just a handful of countries. Of the remaining populations, the groups estimate, two-thirds are neither protected nor viable over the long run.

Currently 586 foreign species are listed under the Endangered Species Act. Still, listing is a complicated process involving the departments of Interior and Commerce, and it could take up to two years to get lions on the list.

“The U.S. government must recognize that African lions are in danger of extinction throughout a significant portion of their range, acknowledge our nation’s significant role in the lion’s fate and bring greater scrutiny to all factors contributing to the decline of lion populations,” Mr. Irvin said.

The other groups behind the petition are the International Fund for Animal Welfare, Humane Society International, Born Free U.S.A. and the Born Free Foundation.

Oh yeah best way to save the lions is take the dollar value off of them sure will work..

One Word...KENYA...

just sayin...

Jeff