Delta And American Ban Big Game Trophies As Airline Freight

Updated at 1:30 a.m. ET

Delta says it will no longer allow freight shipments of big game trophies. The decision follows the killing of a popular lion in Zimbabwe.

The airline said in a statement on Monday that, effective immediately, it "will officially ban shipment of all lion, leopard, elephant, rhinoceros, and buffalo trophies."

Hours later, American Airlines announced the same policy in a statement on Twitter.

NPR's Jackie Northam reports that Delta is one of the few major American carriers with direct flights between the U.S. and Africa. "From now on, big game hunters are going to have to find another way to get their so-called trophies home," she says.

Jackie says that other major airlines such as Lufthansa, Qantas and Emirates have already put similar bans in place. She reports: "Delta was under pressure from activists to change its policies and stop transporting the animals. Nearly 400,000 people signed an online petition at Change.org."