CITES Parties have come to an agreement that will eliminate commercial trade in bones and products from wild lions, and we are pleased with that outcome. The suite of decisions adopted today will give range countries the necessary support to evaluate trade and work collaboratively on lion conservation plans and strategies. The United States, through the Endangered Species Act, has strong protections in place for African lions and we are committed to working with range countries and through international fora to ensure the future of this majestic species. As we have done in the U.S., we encourage all nations to consider adopting even more stringent domestic measures to protect lions.
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Director Dan Ashe, head of the U.S. delegation to the 17th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to CITES
Photo from the Flickr stream of Dimitry B. shared under Creative Commons licensing