It got a lot harder today for American big game hunters to bring lion trophies back home thanks to a new order to include African lions under special federal protection, a move at least partially inspired by the brouhaha that followed the killing in Zimbabwe of Cecil the lion five months ago by a Minnesota dentist.

Cecil the Lion, before he was killed by American hunter Walter Palmer (AP)

The Fish and Wildlife Service in Washington for the first time designated lions from Central and West Africa as “endangered”, which will virtually prohibit hunters from shipping lion parts – whether a head, a paw or just a lion skin – back to the US.

Lions from other parts of the continent are to be categorised as “threatened”. Shipping of their parts will be more strictly governed.

Since Walter Palmer stirred global outrage by shooting the beloved Cecil, France has announced a ban on importing lion trophies and Britain has promised to enact a similar measure soon.