WASHINGTON - Four Democratic senators announced Friday that they will introduce a bill named for the beloved Zimbabwean lion Cecil, who was killed by an American trophy hunter earlier this month.

The Conserving Ecosystems by Ceasing the Importation of Large (CECIL) Animal Trophies Act would extend current U.S. import and export restrictions on animal trophies to include species that have been proposed for listing as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act. Current law provides protection only for species whose status on the list has been finalized by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and it can take over a year for the agency to complete an assessment.

Democrats Bob Menendez (N.J.), Cory Booker (N.J.), Richard Blumenthal (Conn.) and Ben Cardin (Md.) are co-sponsoring the legislation. Click here to read the full text of the bill. http://www.menendez.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/CECIL%20Animal%20Trophies%20Act.pdf