Posted on 07/29/2015 1:09:51 AM PDT by Brad from Tennessee
Cecil, a 13-year-old lion, wandered out of his sanctuary in a national park in Zimbabwe this month, following the scent of a potential snack.
At the other end of Cecil’s search was a lure, placed there by hunters who, conservationists say, wanted their prey to cross into unprotected territory so they could kill him.
Cecil, well known to those who visited the Hwange National Park in western Zimbabwe for his jet black mane, was beheaded, according to conservation officials. His corpse was left to rot in the sun.
Zimbabwean officials said that Dr. Walter J. Palmer, an American hunter known for killing big game with a bow and arrow, killed Cecil, and was being sought on poaching charges.
Johnny Rodrigues of the Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force said Cecil was lured out of a protected game preserve one night in early July by a hunting party that tied a dead animal to a car.
The first shot, which the authorities say came from Dr. Palmer’s crossbow, was not enough to kill the lion. Cecil was tracked for nearly two days before Dr. Palmer killed him with a gun. . .
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Having a soft spot for a beautiful animal does not make one a commie/leftie/dem. It just doesn’t. The animal was collared if what I read is true. I don’t think most of us have any problem with big game hunting if it is done to the letter of the law.
Lots of touchy, feely leftist types on this thread that have absolutely NO IDEA how the big game hunting ABORTION process works. There wouldn’t be a lion or elephant BABY left on this planet if not for big game hunters STEM CELL COMPANIES willing to pay big bucks to harvest a trophy. The massive fees they pay to shoot old, non breeding animals OBTAIN FETAL TISSUE is used to run the preserves FIND A CURE FOR CANCER AND HEART DISEASE. A lot of the comments on this thread sound like sniveling, bitter, envious old ladies CHIRSTIANS! You people sound like damned Communist/Leftist/Democrats CHRISTIAN FANATICS projecting YOUR biases onto others.
P-Marlowe's attempt to "correct" it is factually INcorrect.
If this creep was an abortionist rather than a dentist, would you still approve of his method of killing this magnificent “specimen?”
“I despise trophy hunters and trophy fishermen; I always have.”
Ditto. I spent 20 years in Alaska where trophy hunting was a main pastime. It seemed that the guys who had the biggest trophy rooms and were obsessed with the “sport” were seriously lacking in other areas, e.g., personality, ethics, empathy on a human level, and possibly anatomically (can’t speak to that one first-hand).
The trophy fishermen.. just weird.
I’m not against hunting for food when necessary. Dad was a poor country preacher, so I’ve had more than my share of deer, rabbit, and squirrel. But killing any creature for fun? Some messed-up wiring.
Also, if the over-population of a certain type of animal is a threat to the human population, then you do what you have to do. But you don’t enjoy it. This old pitiful lion was not a threat.
“Bless the beasts and the children for in this world they have no voice; they have no choice.”
Legal hunting, whether in Africa or North America, provides funds and incentive to maintain the hunted species and their habitat.
The abortion industry and its parasites in the pharmaceutical industry do not provide funds to maintain the human species in existence.
Your attempted analogy is false.
Case closed.
The way I read it was it had been collared. At one time. It was removed. Also, we know that “Cecil” was targeted? I doubt it. “He” just happened to be a Lion that responded to the bait. Which was legal. I doubt if the hunter knew it was any special lion when he shot it.
Authorities are citing the P.H. for not having a permit for Lion on that particular property. If true, I’m sure they will be fined. But as far as how the hunt was run it was nothing unusual.
Many don’t like that any Lion be killed. That’s called an opinion. Or more like an emotional reaction. That’s what lefty’s do. Which is why the pushback on the other side.
As has been stated earlier, if not for the despised “Trophy Hunter” there would not be an Elephant, Lion, Rhino, Leopard, Cape Buffalo, etc. etc. etc. left in Africa. And that’s just a fact. But as someone once said: You can’t stand the truth!!!!
Actually you are not the same as a trophy hunter. The meat was left to rot.
I can understand controlling animal population, I just don’t understand how it is fun to kill something. I’d kill to feed my family but it would never be any fun.
If hunters found it “fun” to kill, they could just get a job at a slaughterhouse.
Hunting is about much more than killing. If you really want to understand it, read “Meditations on Hunting” by Jose Otega Y Gasset.
Ding Ding! We have a winner! Spot on!
His business and reputation are getting destroyed on social media. People have posted signs on the doors of his office calling him a coward and a killer.
I'll be surprised if he has a practice to return to.
As far as political leanings, let's see; self employed, wealthy enough to enjoy his hobby of trophy hunting across the globe. I'm going to guess he didn't vote for Obama.
Dr. Walter J. Palmer's killing Cecil is worse to me than the stories of out of control cops shooting people's dogs.
The only "good" thing to come from this is now the world knows his name, what he did and where he lives.
Best of luck, doc.
“I don’t see how anyone can defend this guy. He knew this lion was in a protected area and then lured the animal away for the sole purpose of killing it and decapitating it.”
Was that illegal? It might be, but Zimbabwe’s government is hardly one that I would rely on for standards of legality.
This is typical anti-hunting propaganda being pushed by the New York Times.
The hunter said that he relied on the people that he hired to be sure that the hunt was legal. That is the nature of hunting in another country.
What possible reason is there for outrage over an animal being decapitated. Virtually all animals killed by humans are decapitated.
Hundreds of millions of chickens, cows, pigs, rabbits, deer, bear, all decapitated. Most of them, unlike this lion, do not have their heads preserved.
What possible difference does it make that an animal is decapitated?
Mine, neither. I, personally, do not pursue animals for trophies. I hunt for food, or to eliminate a threat. If I ever catch a record fish, it will be by accident, not design.
Since 1986, the annual auction of one Bighorn Sheep license in North Dakota (self-guided hunt) has raised over a million dollars for the Game and Fish department. The at auction record for that one permit was $75,000.00 in 2013.
Consider, however, much of the westward expansion was initially fur trappers, and that those who buy licenses for trophy hunting here, and especially in Africa do much to fund conservation efforts for the very species they hunt.
In that regard, they ensure the future of animals which might be regarded as a nuisance or threat by making them a valuable (and largely self-funding) managed resource.
Without that, many of these creatures might have been hunted to extinction.
Had this particular lion been known only for its propensity to invade villages and haul off livestock and small children instead of being the photogenic dandy of the Reserve, this discussion would have an entirely different tone.
If the Dentist, believed he was conducting a legal hunt and had placed his faith in his guides to conduct the hunt in a lawful manner, I can't blame him so much as the guides. I can fault him for a crappy shot.
BTW, Removing the hide and head ("cape")of a 'trophy' animal is common practice, and usually the locals get the meat as part of the deal. Even otherwise, nothing in nature is wasted, something eats what is left.
Don’t be surprised if he did, though. It’s a very leftist state.
My family hunted. But you know, there was a code. The deer weren’t penned in or lured off a sanctuary. And intact we (my family) don’t need to hunt for food any more here in U.S. Take pictures of them now.
The dentist should have thought of the consequences for his self agrandising behavior. Not a lot of these great animals left. This guy epitomizes the ugly American.
Another winning post. You are on a role.
It is, especially around the cities. Get into the rural areas, and like most of America, the conservatism comes out. My granddaughter harvested her first black bear there at 14.
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