Cut off New York as a channel to import endangered animal "trophies," state Sen. Tony Avella (D-Queens) Tuesday rechristened his bill "Cecil's Law," for the Zimbabwean lion killed by an American dentist.

Cecil the Lion was killed by somebody who thought this is fun,"  "If we pass this legislation, we will stop this from happening because they will not be able to import it through New York."

The legislation, previously known as the "Africa Big 5" bill, was introduced earlier this year. If passed, it would ban the passage of body parts, or "trophies," of the endangered African lion, elephant, leopard, and white and black rhino through New York ports and airports, including Kennedy and LaGuardia.

"New York is the number one port of entry from Africa. By shutting down New York, we're majorly deterring trophy hunters," said Edita Birnkrant, campaign director for Friends of Animals, an organization that helped draft the bill. "A disproportionate number of trophy hunters are American."

Cecil was killed last month by a Minnesota dentist, sparking widespread outrage. Birnkrant said the incident was a tragedy, but also doubled as an opportunity to shine a "spotlight on trophy hunting."

She added: "We want to let people know there's a lot of other Cecils out there."

The lion's death seemed to wake up the public, said Joyce Friedman, the NYC coordinator for the Humane Society.

"We would like New York to lead the way to stop the importation, and the killing," she said.

Wildlife Planet will be sending this petition directly to Sen. Tony Avella and also Assemblyman Dean Murray so they can use this petition to help pass this important bill.