A New Jersey lawmaker has proposed legislation inspired by the killing of Cecil the Lion that would curb the sport killing of endangered species.

U.S. Senator Bob Menendez, D-N.J., announced Friday that he will be introducing the Conserving Ecosystems by Ceasing the Importation of Large (CECIL) Animal Trophies Act that would apply to species listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act of 1973.

The CECIL Animal Trophies Act is named after an African lion who was allegedly lured outside of a National Park in Zimbabwe earlier this week, shot with an arrow, and tracked for 40 hours while injured before being shot.

“Let’s not be cowardly lions when it comes to trophy killings,” said Menendez, in a release. “Cecil’s death was a preventable tragedy that highlights the need to extend the protections of the Endangered Species Act.”

Cecil the lion, once considered the king of a Zimbabwe national park, was recently shot with a bow and arrow and a gun, and then beheaded for a trophy and skinned by a Minnesota dentist, drawing international outrage.

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