“Effective immediately, Delta Airlines will officially ban shipment of all lion, leopard, elephant, rhinoceros and buffalo trophies worldwide as freight.”

VICTORY!! Big Cat Rescue asked you to let Delta Airlines know that animal lovers do not want international airlines to continue to transport exotic animal trophies such as Cecil. More than 5,000 of you took action for the big cats!!! And today Delta has finally agreed. This is fantastic news for all endangered and threatened big cats and other animals being hunted across the globe.

Read the New York Times article: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/03/travel/cecil-lion-poaching-hunting-delta-airlines.html

In the days since the circumstances surrounding the death of Cecil the lion came to light, at least 20 airlines have shown their commitment to protecting wildlife by implementing or clarifying existing bans on the transport of hunting trophies.

While companies like Delta, Virgin Airways, United Airlines and KLM are moving in the right direction, one airline has taken a detour. Despite instituting a ban in late April, South African Airways recently resumed the transport of hunting trophies because of pressure from commercial trophy hunting interests

With Cecil’s death, the world has come to realize the truly horrific nature of trophy hunting. Africa’s wild animals are part of our global heritage and must be protected from needless slaughter for the sake of a head-hunting exercise. By giving trophy hunters — and poachers — a way to transport pieces of these majestic creatures, South African Airways is providing a getaway vehicle for the theft of Africa’s wildlife.

Urge South African Airways to honor Cecil by joining the growing list of airlines that will no longer participate in the depletion of Africa’s wildlife — write today and tell the company #DontFlyWild. https://secure.humanesociety.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=7003&autologin=true&s_src=em_ha080615