U.S. agency probes possible legal violation in lion killing - source

Protesters hold signs during a rally outside the River Bluff Dental clinic against the killing of a famous lion in Zimbabwe, in Bloomington, Minnesota July 29, 2015. REUTERS/Eric Miller

(Reuters) - The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is investigating whether the killing of a beloved lion by an American dentist in Zimbabwe was part of a conspiracy to violate a U.S. law against illegal wildlife trading, a source close to the case told Reuters on Thursday.

The source said the service is investigating the killing under the Lacey Act, a U.S. law that bars trading in wildlife that has been illegally killed, transported or sold.