The United States imports more than half of all lions killed by trophy hunters.

African lions—the only big cat not protected under the Endangered Species Act (ESA)—are threatened with extinction in the wild.

The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), along with a coalition of wildlife groups, has petitioned to list the species under the U.S. ESA, which would prohibit lion trophy importation into the U.S.—a critical step to reversing the current decline.

Please click here to sign the petition—deadline is January 28, 2013!

Then spread the word by sharing this post. (Don’t forget to roar!)

More facts about African Lions (via IFAW):

>> The majority of U.S. citizens want the African lion protected. A recent poll conducted by Synovate eNation found that 89.8 percent of Americans are supportive of the U.S. government taking action to prevent trophy hunting of African lions endangered with extinction.

>> 83.4 percent believe that the U.S. government should be supportive of international efforts to end the commercial trade of lion products.

Why is it important that we try to sustain the survival of wild lions in Africa?

According to National Geographic:

“Large carnivores play valuable ecological roles in ‘top-down’ structuring of the ecosystem. For instance, removal of lions may allow populations of mid-sized carnivores to explode which would have cascading impacts on other flora and fauna. From an ecological perspective, large carnivores are crucial for balanced, resilient systems. However, the lion is so much more than just the largest carnivore in Africa. It is a powerful cultural and political symbol. Attempting to list all the uses of lions in African proverbs, symbols, names etc. would be a nearly impossible task. Finally, lions are vital to the tourism trade, which in turn is economically critical for many African nations.”

Bonus:

Check out this video of animal behaviorist, Kevin Richardson, who has an amazing friendship with an entire pride of lions in South Africa.

And one more W-O-W lion video…

Like elephant enlightened society and elephant animal rights on facebook.