Cecil the lion’s death should spur U.S. rule change

By Linda Faso, Las Vegas

Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2015 | 2 a.m.

The death of Cecil the lion has shocked and angered people around the world. It should. Hunters argue that the fees they pay for the right to shoot a lion can benefit conservation. Conservation is expensive, and money helps, though tourism revenue exceeds hunting revenue in many African countries.

The revulsion surrounding Cecil’s death may have been in part because he was an animal with a name. I hope it leads countries such as the U.S., the biggest importer of lion trophies, to take a closer and tougher look at “sustainable” wildlife management and clamp down on trophy imports that threaten the survival of Cecil’s nameless kin. If they do, perhaps Cecil will not have died entirely in vain.

Every lion, rhino or bear that is hunted purely to get a trophy is a Cecil in some way. It may not be famous, but it is a sentient being, killed for its value as an ornament. How do these people live with themselves? Shame on them.