This whole story is full of manufactured BS. It has never been claimed that ‘Cecil’ was killed on the refuge, but was drawn out by bait, which is how you hunt lions. They stated that they had meat on the truck to lure him out. Real story is that when the professional hunters hang a bait, they drag it behind the truck, so that if a lion crosses the path, it will follow the trail to the bait. Virtually all lions are killed over bait. I have a pretty good feeling that lions, much like other game have little respect for the borders of the game reserve, so one wandering off and getting shot isn’t that uncommon. The only thing questionable I saw about the whole thing was whether the guide had a lion on quota in this area, which is hardly the hunter’s fault. Just for information, yes, I have hunted in Africa, as well as a few other countries. It is also not unheard of for guides in Zim to break the rules, since the Mugabe led country is unbelievably corrupt, and greasing the right palms will get them additional hunting access. People paying money to kill lions, elephants, etc are the only reason they aren’t extinct. Can you imagine the crop damage an ele could do, without the upside of selling a $30-50000 hunt? They would kill every one they saw, and Africa is vast and laws are largely unenforceable.
I guess it’s a hell of a lot better to sell body parts off of aborted black babies to fund your Lamborghini purchase, after all.
This whole story is the ultimate in ignorance of how hunting really works, and I am a ‘real’ hunter. I’ve spent weeks in tents in Alaska (unguided), BC, every state in the west, packed out moose in a backpack on foot, which I think qualifies me as a real hunter. My living room is covered with heads, and some I didn’t eat.
Exactly. I'm curious what SCI says about the guide, although even that is not definitive. The temptation to cut corners to get good testimonials, especially from someone as well traveled as Palmer apparently is, has to be strong in places like Zimbabwe.