Today, many are demanding the prosecution of an American who is accused of illegally killing Cecil, a famous and protected lion, on a $50,000 hunt in Zimbabwe. Born Free USA has been campaigning to have the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) list the African lion as “endangered” under the Endangered Species Act. FWS has proposed listing the lion as “threatened” with a special rule to severely restrict the number of lion range States from which trophies can be attained. Born Free urges FWS to issue its final rule immediately.
Adam M. Roberts, CEO of Born Free USA and Born Free Foundation, agrees with others who credit the 1966 film, Born Free, with today’s social awareness and growing animal rights campaign successes. “In terms of practical impact,” says Roberts, the film is responsible for “the wholesale change in the last half century of how people look at captivity—recognizing that wild animals, especially those born in the wild, are meant to live in the wild.”