UPS to continue shipping big-game trophies

Mary Bowerman | USA TODAY Network

In the wake of the killing of a protected Zimbabwean lion, multiple airlines announced they will no longer ship big-game trophies; but that doesn't mean those trophies won't make it to a hunter's living room wall.

The United Parcel Service will continue to ship big game trophies, including buffalo, elephant, leopard, lion and rhino trophies, so long as the trophies are legally obtained, the Washington Post reported.

"UPS accepts for shipment taxidermy items that are legally obtained and appropriately documented," Susan Rosenberg, UPS public relations director, wrote in an email to USA TODAY Network. "UPS is strongly against the trafficking or trade of endangered species."

Rosenberg told the Post, the carrier "[avoids] making judgments on the appropriateness of the contents."

"There are many items shipped in international commerce that may spark controversy," Rosenberg told the Post. "The views on what is appropriate for shipment are as varied as the audiences that hold these views.

On Monday, three major airlines announced they would no longer allow hunters to transport big-game trophies on flights. Delta, United Airlines and American Airlines said separately that certain trophies will not be permitted on board.

American Airlines tweeted it "will no longer transport buffalo, elephant, leopard, lion or rhino trophies." On Tuesday, Air Canada also announced it would discontinue shipping big-game cargo.

Wayne Pacelle, president of the Humane Society, told NBC News that Delta set a great example, one that other airlines quickly followed.

"No airline should provide a get-away vehicle for the theft of Africa's wildlife by these killers," Pacelle said.

Since Walter James Palmer, a Minnesota-based dentist, admitted to killing Cecil the Lion in a statement last Tuesday, he's become the center of criticism surrounding high-stake trophy killings.

Palmer said he paid a local guide to assist him in tracking and killing a lion while in Zimbabwe. Zimbabwean authorities said that Palmer ultimately killed Cecil, a protected lion and one of the most famous animals at the Hwange National Park. Palmer maintains that he thought the hunt was legal.

"I had no idea that the lion I took was a known, local favorite, was collared and part of a study until the end of the hunt," Palmer said in a statement last Tuesday, CBS reported.

Theo Bronkhorst, one of the Zimbabwean men facing charges in connection with Cecil's death, appeared in court Wednesday in Hwange, Zimbabwe.

Bronkhorst faces charges of failing to prevent an unlawful hunt and could face up to 15 years in jail if convicted.

"(Hunting) is an integral part of our country and it's got to continue," he said. "And if we do not use wildlife sustainably, there will be no wildlife."

Zimbabwean authorities have called for Palmer's extradition, AP reported. And on Saturday, officials announced a ban on hunting of lions, leopards and elephant in areas outside of Hwange, Zimbabwe.

Contributing: Will Cummings, Jane Onyanga-Omara, Lori Grisham

Follow @MaryBowerman on Twitter.