http://www.news24.com/Green/Ne...dangered-US-20141027

Washington - Loss of habitat and prey are putting African lions in danger of extinction, and the majestic creatures need protection in order to save their species, the US government said on Monday.

"Following a review of the best available scientific information, the US Fish and Wildlife Service today proposed listing the African lion as threatened under the Endangered Species Act," the FWS said in a statement.

"The agency's analysis found that lions are in danger of extinction in the foreseeable future."

Such protection would allow US authorities to toughen enforcement and monitoring of imports and international trade, the FWS said.

Listing an animal under the Endangered Species Act can also help raise awareness and money to help conservation efforts.

These lions still roam across a wide swath of Africa, but the majority of the population has dwindled to 10 major strongholds.

Human settlements are encroaching on lions' territory, putting livestock within easy reach of the big cats and causing conflict with people.

Even more, the animals that lions typically eat are being increasingly hunted and consumed by people.

"As a result, lions kill more livestock, which then leads to retaliatory killings by humans," said the FWS statement.

The FWS decision comes after a 2011 petition from a coalition of organisations requesting the African lion be listed as endangered.

A 90-day comment period will now begin, in which the public can weigh in on the proposed rule. The window closes 27 January 2015.

"It is up to all of us, not just the people of Africa, to ensure that healthy, wild populations continue to roam the savannah for generations to come," said FWS Director Dan Ashe.

Well, this sucks, as it says exactly the opposite as Mike has posted??

So which one is it now??

Not much "love" for Americans in the comments.

"Threatened " is a different category than "Endangered"

Way to much to post--Google

http://www.fws.gov/endangered/laws-policies/

As stated in the MJines' thread...there is A LOT to digest in this ruling's fine print.

I will reserve judgement until I have scrutinized thoroughly. Thus far...the more I read...the more worried I am.

I posted a related Op-Ed from Nat Geo here: Post with link to Nat Geo op/ed

Thank you Lane.

We would all appreciate your input after you have taken a look at it.

It is a complex issue and a complex press release from USFWS, but I do not sense that the latter has any real understanding of the commercial realities of Wildlife conservation. That is worrisome.

I think we all appreciate on this forum that sport hunting, especially by hunters around the world and not just residents, is critical to making wild animals have economic value and thus to create local support for their existence and need for wild habitat.

The problem is the ignorant who think that hunting causes endangerment and that passing laws restricting it will help the species.

Clearly there is a political dimension to this, and those of us who are familiar with government relations (aka lobbying) need to apply our skills to make sure the right information is heard.

quote:

The problem is the ignorant who think that hunting causes endangerment and that passing laws restricting it will help the species.

This is true.
I remember 1 protester of the blk rhino auction hunt last year at DSC asking how killing a blk rhino, even an old one, could possibly help the population.
She just could not understand that he was past breeding age & that the money could go to protect the ones that still were of breeding age.
It's all about emotion, not facts!
It's how they Feeeeeellll, not what is true.

quote:

Originally posted by bwana cecil:

quote:

The problem is the ignorant who think that hunting causes endangerment and that passing laws restricting it will help the species.

This is true.
I remember 1 protester of the blk rhino auction hunt last year at DSC asking how killing a blk rhino, even an old one, could possibly help the population.
She just could not understand that he was past breeding age & that the money could go to protect the ones that still were of breeding age.
It's all about emotion, not facts!
It's how they Feeeeeellll, not what is true.

100 % Bwana. I was at a function the other night and shared the table with a delightful English couple ( from Liverpool ). We got on well till He asked me what I do for a living. Their faces dropped like they were in the company of a mass murderer. The wife and I had a good laugh about it afterwards.
" How can anyone kill such beautiful creatures for pleasure " he accused. And THAT is the problem. They cannot get over the killing . No matter how much good comes from it , killing and killing for pleasure will never be accepted by them. They are just too far removed from reality.
He did not however like the fact that I informed him that he should take responsibility for the killing of an animal ( for pleasure )every time he eats a hamburger or a big steak at the steakhouse not to mention all the chicken wings....
We did not exchange contact info

Endangered means americans can't import any part of them and thus, want hunt them.

That's won't hunt them.

Director's Corner
Meet Service Director Dan Ashe.

The African Lion Needs Our Help
October 27, 2014

We proposed listing the African lion as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Credit: Ken Stansell/USFWS
For centuries, the African lion has been the emblem of royalty – and a universal symbol of strength, nobility and power. But as powerful as lions may be, evidence shows that they need our help to survive.

The lion is part of our heritage as global citizens. Ensuring that healthy populations continue to roam the savannah is up to all of us – not just the people of Africa. That’s why today we proposed to protect the lion under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. (RELATED: What We Do for the African Lion)

Lions are still found across a large range in Africa. Although populations in protected areas of eastern and southern Africa have been relatively stable over the last three decades, lions elsewhere are suffering alarming declines.

That’s because the human population of sub-Saharan Africa is exploding – pushing settlements, grazing and agriculture into lion habitat. Even protected areas haven’t been immune. Humans are also killing the wild prey that supports lions in increasing volumes, consuming these animals and selling them as bushmeat. Faced with declining habitat and prey, desperate lions are increasingly targeting livestock and people – resulting in retaliatory killing of lions.

The human population of sub-Saharan Africa is projected to more than double by 2050 – making a bad situation worse. Unless aggressive measures are taken to protect lions, their prey and habitat, the lion will likely face the threat of extinction within that time frame.

MORE INFORMATION
What We Do for the African Lion
Endangered Species Act protection will allow the United States to strengthen enforcement and monitoring of imports and international trade. We’ll also be able to provide additional law enforcement and on-the-ground conservation support, in partnership with African countries and partner organizations.

We can’t succeed in sustaining lions without working with the people who share the landscape with it – and recognizing their need to feed themselves and their families. We need to work with African nations and conservation organizations to engage and empower local communities to view lions as an asset, not a liability.

For that reason, we’re also proposing an accompanying special rule that would require a permit for the import of any sport-hunted lion trophy into the country.

Lions are not in trouble because of responsible sport hunting. In fact, evidence shows that scientifically sound conservation programs that include limited, well-managed sport hunting can and do contribute to the long-term survival of the species.

U.S. hunters – the vast majority of who strongly support sustainable game management – make up a disproportionately large share of foreign hunters who book trophy hunts in Africa.

That gives us a powerful tool to support countries managing their lion populations in a sustainable manner – and a strong incentive for other nations to strengthen their management programs.

Under this special rule, we cannot and will not allow trophies into the United States from any nation whose lion conservation program fails to meet key criteria for transparency, scientific management and effectiveness.

Permits would be granted if, and only if, the trophies were taken as part of a scientific management program that provides proven benefits to the overall lion population and local communities.

We know that many people around the world care about lions, and we have a public comment period open to allow the public, partners and interested stakeholders to comment and submit additional information that will help us make the best final decision. Please visit regulations.gov to submit your comments.

In the meantime, we will continue collaborative efforts on multiple levels to protect and restore African lion populations across their range.

NOTE: Comments on this blog are not official comments to the proposed rule to list the African lion as threatened. The African lion public comment period is officially open for 90 days, through January 27, 2015. To have your comments included in the official record, please go to regulations.gov Docket No. FWS-R9-ES-2012-0025 and follow the instructions. More information can be found here: https://www.fws.gov/endangered...do/african_lion.html.