UN takes aim at wildlife traffickers amid outrage over Cecil the lion

The UN General Assembly has unanimously adopted its first ever resolution aimed at combating illicit trafficking in wildlife as its sponsors expressed outrage at the killing of a beloved protected lion in Zimbabwe.

The resolution, approved on Thursday by consensus by the 193-member world body, is not legally binding. But its universal support reflects growing global opposition to the escalating poaching and trafficking, especially in elephant and rhinoceros horns, but also in other wild animals and plants.

It follows recent commitments by the United States and China, the world's top market for illegal ivory, to end commercial ivory trading.

The resolution, sponsored by Gabon and Germany and co-sponsored by over 70 countries, urges all nations "to take decisive steps at the national level to prevent, combat and eradicate the illegal trade in wildlife, on both the supply and demand sides".

The assembly said this should include strengthening legislation to prevent, investigate and prosecute illegal trading and called on all countries to make illicit trafficking involving organised criminal groups "a serious crime".

Meanwhile, professional Zimbabwean hunter Theo Bronkhorst said yesterday he did nothing wrong on the hunt that killed Cecil the lion, adding he was shocked to find the animal was wearing a tracking collar.