The American fighters represent a threat of increasing the survival of African lions, a group of organizations concerned about protection of wildlife. Major causes of the phenomenon: the strong demand for trophies such as lion-skin rug, and the flourishing trade in certain parts of their body in the United States and the rest of the world.
With these factors combined with the violence of some people against these cats and reducing their natural habitat. "The African lions are an endangered species," laments Jeff Flocken, International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW, International Fund for Animal Welfare). "The king of the jungle is in danger of extinction and yet the Americans continue to kill lions just for fun." According to a report from IFAW, over the last ten years, two thirds of the lions were slaughtered been sent to the United States.
The NGO group which campaigns for the protection of wildlife - including IFAW - appealed to the White House to ban the import of that lion trophies and its derivatives in placing this species on the list of endangered species. Last hundred years, the number of lions in Africa has declined significantly, from 200 000 to less than 40,000 - or 23,000 according to some estimates - which represents a death rate of 80%.
Their population has gone out in 26 African countries and, according to the association for the protection of big cats Panthera, only seven countries - Botswana, Ethiopia, Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe - still rely on over a thousand. If the main threat to the survival of the lions is the man, it is not confined to Western hunters.
"A lot of lions killed by ranchers, for whom it is very difficult to live with these animals," said Luke Hunter, vice president of Panthera. Furthermore, habitats of these big cats are killed at road construction - as controversial motorway which will pass through the Serengeti National Park, Tanzania - and agriculture.
But according to the report of the NGO group, hunters western nevertheless constitute a danger more and more to the survival of lions. Between 1999 and 2008, 64% of 5663 lions killed for pleasure were shipped to the United States and the number of remains reported as trophies by American hunters has more than doubled.
The Americans were also the biggest buyers of carcasses of lions and their derivatives - claws, skulls, bones and penises. During the same period, the U.S. imported 63% of the 2175 Lions may be for sale. In some countries like Tanzania, Zambia, Namibia and Mozambique, safaris are the main threat to the lions, and even in countries where they do not attract crowds of tourists, they are rampant in these cats.
According to environmentalists, the males tend to chase the risk of eliminating whole troops, the loss of a dominant male can cause a fight among survivors and cause the death of other adults or cubs, seen as a potential threat . Although hunting is just one of threats to the survival of lions in Africa, says Teresa Telecký, director of wildlife association Humane Society International, "that against which it can better fight the States United is imported.
Mr. Flocken said that all the other big cats - jaguars, leopards and tigers - are protected. However, for other wildlife experts, a total ban on hunting is a last resort. A responsible hunt can help, they say, to preserve the lion populations because it requires the maintenance of natural areas.
And it is always possible to strengthen U.S. and international regulations such as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). "By banning the hunting, we risk forcing African governments to seek alternative sources of income, and most obvious are the Livestock and Agriculture, which could destroy the habitat of lions," warns Mr.
Hunter. 
With these factors combined with the violence of some people against these cats and reducing their natural habitat. "The African lions are an endangered species," laments Jeff Flocken, International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW, International Fund for Animal Welfare). "The king of the jungle is in danger of extinction and yet the Americans continue to kill lions just for fun." According to a report from IFAW, over the last ten years, two thirds of the lions were slaughtered been sent to the United States.
The NGO group which campaigns for the protection of wildlife - including IFAW - appealed to the White House to ban the import of that lion trophies and its derivatives in placing this species on the list of endangered species. Last hundred years, the number of lions in Africa has declined significantly, from 200 000 to less than 40,000 - or 23,000 according to some estimates - which represents a death rate of 80%.
Their population has gone out in 26 African countries and, according to the association for the protection of big cats Panthera, only seven countries - Botswana, Ethiopia, Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe - still rely on over a thousand. If the main threat to the survival of the lions is the man, it is not confined to Western hunters.
"A lot of lions killed by ranchers, for whom it is very difficult to live with these animals," said Luke Hunter, vice president of Panthera. Furthermore, habitats of these big cats are killed at road construction - as controversial motorway which will pass through the Serengeti National Park, Tanzania - and agriculture.
But according to the report of the NGO group, hunters western nevertheless constitute a danger more and more to the survival of lions. Between 1999 and 2008, 64% of 5663 lions killed for pleasure were shipped to the United States and the number of remains reported as trophies by American hunters has more than doubled.
The Americans were also the biggest buyers of carcasses of lions and their derivatives - claws, skulls, bones and penises. During the same period, the U.S. imported 63% of the 2175 Lions may be for sale. In some countries like Tanzania, Zambia, Namibia and Mozambique, safaris are the main threat to the lions, and even in countries where they do not attract crowds of tourists, they are rampant in these cats.
According to environmentalists, the males tend to chase the risk of eliminating whole troops, the loss of a dominant male can cause a fight among survivors and cause the death of other adults or cubs, seen as a potential threat . Although hunting is just one of threats to the survival of lions in Africa, says Teresa Telecký, director of wildlife association Humane Society International, "that against which it can better fight the States United is imported.
Mr. Flocken said that all the other big cats - jaguars, leopards and tigers - are protected. However, for other wildlife experts, a total ban on hunting is a last resort. A responsible hunt can help, they say, to preserve the lion populations because it requires the maintenance of natural areas.
And it is always possible to strengthen U.S. and international regulations such as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). "By banning the hunting, we risk forcing African governments to seek alternative sources of income, and most obvious are the Livestock and Agriculture, which could destroy the habitat of lions," warns Mr.
Hunter.
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