By Terry Miller
In the wake of the Minnesota dentist’s shooting of a prized lion named Cecil and the outrage that followed this horrific and illegal hunt, United and Air Canada have joined Delta Air Lines and American Airlines in banning the transportation of lion, leopard, elephant, rhinoceros, and buffalo trophies as cargo.
Delta was the first to announce its ban Monday.
United, which has one route from Houston to Lagos, said in its statement that “our records also indicate that we have not shipped these types of trophies in the past.” However, the company made it clear Tuesday that its new policy expressly forbids such cargo.
Air Canada said that it does not fly to Africa and that “historically the shipment of such trophies has been extremely rare,” but will now ban such cargo from its planes.
The Atlanta-based airliner flies to Johannesburg, South Africa; Lagos, Nigeria; Accra, Republic of Ghana and Dakar in Senegal.
American Airlines tweeted out late Monday that it won’t transport the five big game trophies “effective immediately.”
The dentist based in Minnesota has faced intense repercussion after he killed Cecil in Zimbabwe.
A change.org petition had been circulating for at least three months that called on Delta to stop transporting exotic animal trophies.
