A Chicago Democrat is pushing legislation that would ban the slaughtering and selling of lion meat in Illinois.
State Rep. Luis Arroyo says he knows of at least two locations in Illinois that sell lion meat.
“It’s just inhumane. Those are zoo animals,” he told the Chicago Sun-Times. “Then you talk about eating elephants, eating all kinds of zoo animals. There’s other meats we can eat besides the lions.”
Critics have mocked the bill, saying Illinois is facing much bigger issues than the sale of lion meat.
“Legislators have bigger issues to tame than the commercialization of lion meat,” Kristina Rasmussen, vice president of the Illinois Policy Institute, told Fox News.
“Most people would never even conceive of eating lion meat,” she said.
“If this is a problem — and I’m not convinced that it is — surely it can be solved by civil action and community consensus and open debate. Do we have to rush in with a law, especially when we have so many other problems right in front of our face?” Ms. Rasmussen said.
Those who violate the bill could be tossed in jail for up to one year or fined up to $25,000.
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Jessica Chasmar is a continuous news writer for The Washington Times. Previously, she was part of the start-up team for The Washington Times’ digital aggregation product, Times247. She can be reached at jchasmar@washingtontimes.com.
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