Illinois Could Be First State To Ban Lion Meat

By Amy Cavanaugh in Food on Mar 9, 2013 9:00PM

We eat our fair share of exotic animals in Chicago—Frontier makes kangaroo chili and antelope meatballs, while Hot Doug's offers sausages made from alligators and wild boar. But we haven't heard of lion meat on local menus, and if Rep. Luis Arroyo (D-Chicago) has his way, we never will.

On Thursday, Arroyo introduced the Lion Meat Act, which would stop the commercialization of lion meat. The act

Provides that it is unlawful for any person to slaughter a lion or for any person to possess, breed, import or export from this State, buy, or sell lions for the purpose of slaughter. Provides that it is unlawful to commercialize lion meat. Authorizes the Department of Agriculture to adopt and enforce any rules necessary to carry out the provisions of the Act. Provides that whoever violates any provision of the Act shall be guilty of a Class A misdemeanor.

According to the Sun-Times, "Arroyo revealed he was presented with the idea for the ban by 'a very interesting person' and said he’s aware of at least two places in the state where he believes the meat is sold. But he would not divulge exactly where the businesses are located."

Apparently there's an exotic meat proprietor who used to sell lion meat, and it's

a family business claiming to date back to 1914 when founded by Hungarian immigrant, John Czimer. According to its website, Czimer's Game & Seafood in Homer Glen sold anything from ostrich to black bear as of 2011 and at one time, boasted $24.95 per pound African lion tenderloins.

But according to a lawsuit filed U.S. District court, the meat shop became enveloped in controversy in 2003 when its owner and general manger at the time, Richard Czimer, Jr., was sentenced to six months in prison for involvement in an animal trafficking ring that purchased and sold endangered tiger and leopard meat throughout the 1990s.

On the federal level, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service sent a petition to the federal government last year asking to make the African lion an endangered species in the U.S., but the petition is still under review.