Cecil the Lion Case Charts New Territory for U.S. Wildlife Law

TEMPO.CO, Washington - A 115-year-old U.S. law aimed at preventing unlawful animal trafficking may be difficult to enforce in the case of an American hunter who killed a celebrated Zimbabwean lion.

The killing last month of 13-year-old Cecil, a rare black-maned lion, sparked international outrage among animal lovers. Walter Palmer, a Minnesota dentist, has admitted to killing the lion, but has said through a publicist he thought the hunt was legal.

Palmer, who has said he "deeply regrets" killing Cecil, has not been charged in Zimbabwe. A government minister in the African country has called him a "foreign poacher" and said he should be extradited.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said on Tuesday that its probe is continuing, but did not comment further. Last week, the agency said it was contacted by a representative of Palmer, but provided no additional details.

A source close to the probe said the agency was looking for possible violations of the Lacey Act. But legal experts say the case may be difficult to prosecute because the law has rarely, if ever, applied to hunters who do not import parts of the animals they kill. 

The Justice Department said it would not comment on whether the case could be formally prosecuted until the wildlife agency concludes its investigation. The Lacey Act was enacted to help U.S. states enforce their hunting regulations. Over time it has been expanded and it now prohibits the import, export, sale, acquisition, or purchase of animals protected by U.S. or foreign laws.

Legal experts said that any effort to bring Lacey Act charges in the Cecil case would be complicated by the tenuous link between the hunt in Zimbabwe and the United States.

"There has to be a connection to the United States," said James Rubin, an attorney with the Dentons law firm who has advised clients on Lacey Act compliance.

REUTERS