In all of the time that I have covered animal-related issues on the Red Alert, I thought I had heard it all. And then I saw this. Apparently, a restaurant in Kansas (that’s right here in the good old USA) was serving lion meat. And other restaurants across America have been serving lion burgers. The problem is, lion meat is very unhealthy for human consumption. Said Cheryl Semcer of Change.org,“The origins of lion meat are nearly untraceable, with some of it coming from farms where they’re raised for circus entertainment, their hides, and slaughter. Killing lions for human consumption also falls between the cracks of federal agency responsibility, and therefore the meat is rarely inspected. Since the processing goes unregulated, lions aren’t even protected by humane slaughter laws.”
photo: Chris Johns
Also, lions are considered endangered species in a number of countries, just not currently in the US. Recent estimates put the number of African lions in the wild as low as 23,000! But the US Fish and Wildlife Department is considering adding lions to the list. It seems so counter-intuitive to kill these majestic creatures, while others are trying to protect them. And you can voice your opinion to the USDA to try to get them to ban the sale of lion meat by clicking here.
Click here to join Red Carpet Roxy on Twitter and here for the RCR Facebook page.
