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Tragically, Cecil the lion’s son, Xanda, was killed by a trophy hunter outside of Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe. Xanda's death comes almost exactly two years after Cecil's killing by an American trophy hunter, which generated public outrage at the cruelty of the trophy hunting industry.

Prashant K. Khetan, CEO and General Counsel for Born Free USA, says: "The killing of Xanda is a tragedy, simply put. We need no other statistic than that there are now fewer than 20,000 wild lions left in Africa. And, trophy hunting, absurdly called a "sport"—as though it were the same as putting a rubber ball through a basketball hoop—has played a major role in the dwindling of this incredible species. In the U.S., I hope that Congress will see this latest act of atrocity as an indication that the Endangered Species Act (ESA) should not be gutted; rather, we need to reintroduce and pass laws like the CECIL Animal Trophies Act to afford protections to wild animals so that tragedies like the killings of Cecil, and now his son Xanda, do not become a routine and forgotten occurrence."

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Write to Dr. Bomo Edna Molewa, Minister of Environmental Affairs for the government of South Africa, and ask her to reverse the detrimental decision to allow an export of captive-bred lion skeletons. This decision will only serve to further enrich and promote the cruel canned hunting industry; will harm lions, both captive and wild; and is based on incomplete data.

Bill Description:
This bill will prohibit the commercial trade of shark fins within the U.S.

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As we mourn the death of Xanda, who, like his father Cecil, was killed by trophy hunters, and work to end this cruel practice, other animals—and park rangers—in Hwange National Park face the threat of poaching.

Link: National Geographic