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Dying to try lion? If you live in Illinois, you'd better get your fix quickly before proposed legislation would make the "mane" course a Class A misdemeanor. Illinois State Representative Luis Arroyo proposed HB 2991 to the state's General Assembly last month. If the Lion Meat Act passes, Illinois will become the first U.S. state to forbid lion slaughter, or for any person to possess, breed, import, export, buy or sell lions for the purpose of slaughter - making it illegal to serve or sell lion meat at restaurant, hotel or other commercial establishment. Offenders would face a year in jail and a fine of up to $2,500 if convicted. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, lions are not currently protected as an endangered cat in the U.S., and there are no laws prohibiting its sale. It also falls outside the USDA's inspection parameters and under those of the Food and Drug Administration, which categorizes lion as a "game meat." Still, the king of the jungle doesn't exactly abound on American menus, so why is Arroyo mounting an attack? He continued, “I want to make it illegal to butcher or sell it because if you are in the jungle and you see a lion and he’s coming at you, you might as well shoot him because he might eat you, but we are not in the jungle, so I prefer not to consume them.” Arroyo, who did not specify the names of the companies, says he has never tried lion meat and has no plans to taste it anytime soon. But not all diners share his pride in the noble cat. In 2012, Wichita, Kansas restaurant Taste and See came under fire when chef Jason Febres added lion meat (which he claimed was sourced from a U.S. farm) to a menu featuring exotic meats. That item was canceled after a roar of protest from consumers, but the restaurant continues to serve non-traditional animals. A "dining experience" special for March 12 includes iguana, alpaca and python. Two year prior, Il Vinaio restaurant in Mesa, Arizona faced a bomb threat after offering a "lion burger" (ground lion meat mixed with other animals) in honor of the 2010 FIFA World Cup's South African location. The proprietors were told that the animals were raised on a USDA-regulated free-range farm in Illinois, but according to a CNN Money report, the meat arrived in a box from Czimer's Game & Sea Foods - a butcher shop in Homer Glen, Illinois. The proprietor, Richard Czimer, has been cited for food-related offenses from bear meat mislabeling and insufficient temperature regulation of exotic meat slim jims to illegally buying and selling tiger and leopard meat – which led to a six-month prison sentence in 2003. Czimer told CNN Money that the lion meat (which he mixed with tiger, mountain lion and liger meat) was a byproduct from another man's skinning operation and he had opted not to follow the supply chain any further. Family-owned Eickman's Processing Co., which opened in Seward, Illinois in 1953, has processed exotic meat including black bear and lion, but proprietor Tom Eickman told Grub Street Chicago the lion meat that come to them was all farm-raised, mostly from Wisconsin and Minnesota. Eickman’s is one of 16 slaughter facilities in Illinois to process exotic meat, and it is the only one that intakes lions. While African lion (loin roast and steaks $19.95 per pound, ribs $9.98 per pound) is currently listed as "not available" on Czimer's site (though yak and alpaca are ready for purchase), in 2010 chef Dave Arnold of the International Culinary Center purchased several exotic meats including beaver, yak and lion from the distributor and chronicled his kitchen process on CookingIssues.com. "Bears and lions are raised by big game dealers for circuses, exotic pet enthusiasts and zoos," Arnold wrote. "When those animals get too old to breed or their owners discard them they are slaughtered for their fur and the meat goes to Czimer’s. Sad but true. If the animals are being slaughtered, it is a sin not to eat them." Arnold found the meat to be tough and pork-like in flavor, but "with a special savory twang" and in the final assessment, decided he'd stick with the easier-to-find swine. Arnold later told DNA Info that after learning of the distributor's previous dealings, he would not order from Czimer's again. Arroyo also cited the species' potential extinction as an impetus for the bill. A recent study published in Biodiversity and Conservation and funded in part by National Geographic Big Cats Initiative found that only 32,000 lions remain out of the 100,000 that were roaming Africa in the 1960s. Wild animal advocacy group Born Free USA embarked on an undercover investigation into the lion meat trade in 2011, and as part of their campaign to curb the trade, have petitioned to have African lion listed as "endangered" under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service concluded that the petition presented substantial evidence indicating that listing this subspecies may be warranted, but has yet to issue a finding. Born Free USA, executive vice president Adam Roberts issued a statement applauding Arroyo for introducing this bill, saying, "The lion meat industry is fraught with regulatory pitfalls and shortcomings that place people and lions at risk. People who are interested in lions should focus on ways to protect them in the wild where they belong, not ‘farm’ them for their cubs and meat for cheap thrills, and restaurant gimmicks." Not every Illinois resident was enthused by Arroyo's use of his platform. Illinois Policy Institute executive vice president Kristina Rasmussen tweeted a link to the bill with the commentary, "Because Illinois has no more pressing problem then lion meat: introducing the Lion Meat Act" and later that, "Legislators have bigger issues to tame than the commercialization of lion meat." Additional reporting by Carma Hassan, CNN Previously: |
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This is just cruel. Since lions are part of the beautiful cat family, this is similar to eating a house cat. Imagine your (or your friends') house cat being purposely murdered,cooked, then you eating it. This is messed up. D:
had some lion meat in africa recently, it was great. had it like steak and some great sauce. red wine is best with it.
had some lion meat in africa recently, it was great.
Well done Congressman. This should be a felony and banned throughout the United States.
for those who donate to 'wildlife charities' be careful who you donate to and do some research 1st. Many are fronts and have NOTHING to do with nature conservancy.
IF you had a lion wander into your back yard while your kid was playing, would you shoot it if you could? That is what Africans do. bad day to be a lion. Nature wiped out over 95% of all species that ever lived on this planet. What nature doesn't wipe out man will. Are we part of nature? Not saying it is right or wrong, just is.
unfortunately, your an idiot due not knowing what nature means i.e. " it includes all things natural to this planet". your not part of nature due your clearly unnnatural in your thought process, even though your probably from the Eart but most likly from Ur-ranis! Ever shoot a lion have a .50 caliber of 300 Weathersby fool! and the chance of one visiting your house or anyones, would be 1,000,000,000 to 1. Stay of the net OK
"Your an idiot"? Now that's funny!
reminds me of a movie I saw years ago. wealthy people got to look at live exotic animals and pick what they wanted to eat. Unknown to the rich folks, In the kitchen, a chef prepared chicken, beef, etc in fancy ways and the rich people payed high prices to eat 'exotic' meats. everybody was happy. the exotic animals were never touched, just showed before the meal.
I have seen so many issues with animal's missing in the last many weeks. Is this the way we need to survive? What ever happened to planting crops? The Government is disabling the human race. If we need to prey our own animals, which has turned humans against each other, and disable them to bred for our consumption Which is to carry on., we are not living, we are killing to make an end.
What about Baby Makoon? Toronto getting 2 panda's , yet they let 2 before age back in the wild? What's wrong with this picture?
With that kind of mentality it's easy to see how our politicians turned IL into the worst fiscal state in the nation. Good thing Arroyo has his priorities in order. What's next, banning farm raised cows and chickens? IDIOT!
If you want to eat a lion,then you MUST be allowed to kill it with your bear-hands,naked,in a bit of fire.
ONLY after that,you earned your right to consume the beast
I'll have the lion, tiger and bear combo, please.
Oh MY!
This just points out that all the necessary laws have already been made for Chicago and the politicians there are making busy work to keep themselves employed.
do you think this is unique to chicago?
Another liberal politician with way too much time on his hands...and not a very bright one either, considering he apparently doesn't know that lions don't live in the jungle.
Rhetorical question: What kind of gluttonous, gout-riddled aristocrat would order up lion or tiger for their dinner?
Nevermind, I see my answer down below – he's posted as "getalife."
The state of Illinois is deeply in debt. Violent crime in Chicago is out of control. Businesses are fleeing the state as taxes are doubled. Unemployment is high. Pensions are going bankrupt.
And this moron is worried about the "problem" that someone in Illinois might want to eat a lion?
Well, Illinois, you elected him. Sounds like you deserve him.
Arroyo says “I have always considered lions to be in the zoo or the king of the jungle, not for consumption." I didn't think there was anyone left who believes that lions live in the jungle. The lion's habitat is savannah grassland. Regardless of the merits of his position on eating lions, Arroyo would look more credible if his research didn't consist of watching old Tarzan movies.
Why is it that people find some animals OK to eat and not others? Why is it that no one has come up with a "save the salmon" or "save the tuna" campaign yet like "save the whales" when those two species of fish are on the verge of extinction? Yet people still keep demanding to eat tuna and salmon at a voracious rate that is going to make those fish extinct in our lifetimes.
Even worse, how come no one wants to Save the Botflies?
Protect the Leaches?
Where's the outrage over the ongoing cockroach genocide?
And Bigfoot! How could we forget about Bigfoot! Breeding bBgfoot for slaughtering must be made illegal!
Tastes like chicken.
King size chicken, that is.
Whether you agree with it or not I thought I'd show anyone who was wondering what Lion meat looks like in it's frozen state before cooking. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6J9EAcRVBU
All you bleeding heart libs make me sick if I want to eat a lion I am going to.
Lions are on the verge of extinction.
Protecting Lions = Conservation
Conservation = Conservatism
Or are you so idiotic that you so assume anyone with ideologies that do not fit your own ideologies are "liberal"....If anyone is a liberal on this issue, it is you, ya imbecile.
Lions are "on the verge of extinction" because ordinary Africans are so selfish that they object to having their livestock and children eaten by lions, and do things like set traps with poisoned meat or shoot lions with AK47s.
Obsessive love for large dangerous predators is something only seen in very silly and very spoiled people from rich countries like the US.
"Africans are so selfish that they object to having their livestock and children eaten by lions, and do things like set traps with poisoned meat or shoot lions with AK47s."
Yeah! Stupid Africans! Everyone knows AK47s should be reserved for shooting innocent people. GO NRA!!!!
Or maybe the lion will eat you. (which is why I'm not interested in eating any lions.)
knock yourself out, pen-day-hoe.
So, you should be able to kill and eat an endangered species just because you feel like it, but loving same sex couples should be prevented by the government from engaging in equal legal relationships? Sounds fair. Good to know you conservatives have your priorities in order.
Wow, Maya. Thanks for the demonstration of truly loony leftist "thought."
He wants to eat lion meat, so therefore he's some zealous homophobe.
If you keep crawling up your asss like that, will you eventually disappear?
Maybe this guy is talking metaphorically when he's talking about eating lion.
here kitty kitty...
Oh, wait, that's Cougars.
You silly, silly conservs. Most of the people here are for the eating of lion...if that's what you want.
Stated like the gluttonous King Henry VIII...and to those who aren't, you must be a liberal – there could be no middle ground.
sooo whats next after lion? they already started back with horse meat...uhmm whales too right ..IM PROUD OF YOU POLITICIAN ARROYO GOD BLESS
I can't carry a concealed weapon in Illinois but lions are protected! I am so glad Illinois politicians have settled all of the important issues in the state and can now address this critical issue! Very perceptive to notice this rampant problem and take steps to address it!
AMEN!
Can I have an extra large soda?,....no, its been banned. Can I have some Lion meat?,...nope, its been banned. Can I have an AR15 with a 50 round clip?,....sure you got it. Lemme check your background and you're good to go in a couple of weeks. Go figure.
Yet the very same people who are banning large sodas - Mike Bloomberg, et al - are trying to ban guns.
And the nut trying to ban lion-burgers? A Chicago Democrat, part of the voting bloc that has repeatedly tried to ban guns in Chicago, in Illinois and at the federal level.
Sounds like they're just control freaks about everything.
Being omnivores, we humans do have a wide variety in our diets. And different cultures have different taboos. Some eat cows, some don't. Some won't eat pigs, some won't touch horses, etc. In the end, it comes down to this. Can we evolve past the laws of the jungle? There is a circle of life. But, can we be above it? Can we evolve to stop eating any animal? Can we synthesize the nutrients we require and/or clone/grow animal parts, instead of killing a whole creature? I love my dog, yet I know that some people out there do eat dog. Who knows....
Cats and dogs get killed in shelters by the millions every day, but we don't eat them either. Once you turn something into a commodity for sale, there's no end to the corruption (and for animals, cruelty) that will ensue. Surely we haven't sunk that low (yet).
There are a lot of countries where eating animals that we consider pets is a normal thing. I hear dog is pretty good and I can tell you that guinea pig isn't bad.
When you start petitioning for the protection of cows and chickens then I will take your point seriously. Or not.
Good for that politician! I refuse to go to zoos because they manipulate animals for their own profit. The circus is just plain cruel, and we could do with some politicians banning lions, and other animals, on the road. I have lived 30 years without going to a zoo or circus. I can do without lion meat. Gawd!
We can live without your noise.
For that matter, we can live without cyni.
All the violence in Chicago is probably caused by eating lion meat.
Uhm not every part of chicago is violent you idiot.
So you are saying every part of Chicago eats lion meat? Who knew!!
LOL. So much wrong with that. Most of chicago doesnt even know what a lion is.
It's sad to see government taking exotic foods away.
And all because the pol personally doesn't like it. What if he personally did not like people who drove motorcycles?
Oh don't worry John, we've got a few of those pols in California.
The Chinese must be laughing reading this and telling to themselves wait till you see what we eat...
GLAD I DON'T KNOW ANY OF YOU!
Someone should really tell Arryo that Lions don't live in the jungle. If you meet a lion in the jungle it is really badly lost.
That song "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" has always bothered me with their reference to the "jungle".
When you're a lion rancher "branding time" is really a dangerous part of the process. Just roping them presents some serious challenges!
Like herding cats, I tell ya!
I'm surprised at the morons who dont see a difference between eating an intelligent, socially advanced animal, and a cow or other herd animal. They are right in one regard however, there are more important things to legislate; sadly, their ignorance and unwillingness to do the right thing unless told to forces us to stop and say yes, really, you can't eat lions.
These types always scream freedom and I can do what I want, don't you dare tell me what to do. That's kind of how the world has gotten to the state it's in.
This is the kind of garbage these so called politicians deal with? It's no wonder this country is a mess.
If Bloomberg can't ban sodas how can you ban lion meat? Where are the patriots on this?
It should also be illegal for restaurants to put too much salt on my steak. Disgusting.
(sarcasm)
Nanny-staters are working on that as we speak.
New York politicians have proposed a complete ban on the use of salt in restaurants.
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.COM/2010/03/10/pass-the-salt-ban/
When are you sheep going to grow backbones and say enough is enough?
All I hear is another "government" official trying to take away another slice of what is currently classified as freedom because he "doesn't prefer it" or "doesn't see any need for it." I say mind your own damn business...at all times. It is like saying "I don't see any need for the opinions of people named Luis Arroyo. I don't prefer them and there is no need for them in today's society. Let us ban Luis Arroyo's opinions for everyone." If meddling government underlings like this keep it up, there will be a fine & prison term for everything.
Humans really are unbelievable creatures. We really will eat anything and everything under the sun – edible or not.
It's not comforting to see state politicians performing at the same level as those in our U.S. Congress. All of the real problems in Illinois must be solved...
why in the world would they want to ban the slaughter of domestically raised lions? what if this nut had a fancy for cows? would we allow him to try to ban the consumption of them?
It doesn't seem to me that there would be alot of meat on a lion or any big cat. And as a cat owner/lover, I find this DISGUSTING......
Lion's are the king of the jungle, feasting on other defenseless animals.
Karma's a b1tch huh Lions?
tigers are much larger than lions, and would tear them apart
Alien vs Predator vs Godizilla vs KingKong would be so totally sweet!!!!1!!111
Arroyo is trying to codify his personal tastes in law. That depth of misunderstanding of the law should disqualify him from being a lawmaker.
codifying personal tastes is not new
Hopefully if enough people speak out against this kind of dimwitted lawmaking it will stop happening eventually.
In addition to the humane concerns folks should consider the risks to human health.
Lion meat sold as a by-product of the trade in lions raised for public display or “hobby” may not be raised with adequate attention to required antibiotic or other drug withdrawal times. The FDA does not regularly or proactively conduct residue testing in exotic meat. In addition, there are no regulations that prevent feeding lions “specified risk material” (SRM) – brains, eyes, spinal cord and other organs – that are prohibited in feed for other animals raised for human consumption due to the risk of transmissible spongiform encephalopathy caused by “prions” – abnormal proteins the eat holes in the brains of infected humans and animals.
There is no evidence that anyone that has eaten lion meat has suffered from anything you mention. Lets try to legislate on facts not fear mongering.
Bear is pretty good in sausage, but I don't know if I could get behind cat. Just thinking of how their muscles work, I'd guess it to be really tough and stringy. Especially if they were old.
Disgusting. Why would anyone want to eat meat from one of the large cat families? Just to "see what it's like?"
Go suck on some dirt for the same reason!
I would give a kings ransom to shoot every idiot involved in the business of killing lions and other wild animals for meat.. and then serve them up to their families..and call it bonehead stew!
We pay taxes to put violent crazy people like you in prison.
Another lawmaker with a pointless agenda. Great. Another reason why America is going down the tubes. Meanwhile, in his own state, more gun violence and murders went on as usual in Chicago.
I hadn't ever really thought about eating lion, but I won't lie to you, I am curious about what it tastes like...
Some people think it's ok to eat lion meat because to them it is just another type of meat. Well, isn't that what Jeffrey Dommer thought about little boys? Where does it stop? It should be banned.
well I try to become veterinarian
but in America is worst to being gay
you're not an American
if you don't eat meat!!!
"well I try to become veterinarian
but in America is worst to being gay"
veterinarian?
worst?
Aren't there more important things to pass legislation on than this?
In India they are probably disgusted that we eat cow. Geez, relax. If the lion had a chance he would eat you.
They are. All the McDonalds restaurants over there serve vegetarian burgers. With curry flavour. It's true.
It should be illegal to distribute meat of any endangered species, period.
Lion is not endangered.
Lions are not endangered but their numbers are decreasing.
Can't believe anyone would joke or promote killing and eating lions. They aren't endangered in the US, geez you don't say. Their numbers are actually very low, groups are trying to get them on the endangered animal list. To keep a species healthy there needs to be a healthy variation. The fact the mentally ill person who wrote this article talks about them as being "farmed" is just plain disgusting. What next Rhinos? Der...I can't figure out why they shouldn't be farmed. I hope Arroyo is successful, thankfully someone has a conscience and a brain.
"they arent endangered in the US"
No, thats not what the article said. It said they arent protected as endangered in the US. That means that the US doesnt consider them endangered anywhere on earth.
Proposed laws to ban lion meat might result in rising interest in trying it. Similar to what happened to proposals to make assault weapons illegal. It will be flying off the shelves soon.
Wait, there are lion farms in Wisconsin and Minnesota?
Where can you get lion meat?
If people eat lion meat and are that disgusting, they might as well eat the cats in the animal shelters... I mean, just because it's alive does not mean it has to be eaten! Soon restaurants are gonna offer human meat from dead prisoners etc. Really who is the beast here ? Some humans are worse than cannibals !
What does eating lion have to do with eating human? That's a strange logical leap you make there.
Many cultures do eat cats, not sure where you're going with that.
By definition, a cannibal is a human...
You couldn't be more wrong, Honest John.
A cannibal is any animal (or plant) that consumes its own species.
From dictionary dot com:
can·ni·bal [kan-uh-buhl] noun
1. a person who eats human flesh, especially for magical or religious purposes, as among certain tribal peoples.
2. any animal that eats its own kind.
adjective
3. pertaining to or characteristic of a cannibal.
4. given to cannibalism.
Is this a serious issue? Aren't there more important things for the government to worry about?