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What’s worse: to hunt a lion in Africa or not to care about Africa except when someone hunts a lion?
ideas.aeon.co ^ | 29 July, 2015 | Brigid Hains

Posted on 07/30/2015 7:15:24 PM PDT by marktwain

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I do not completely agree with Brigid, but she approaches the topic with rationality.
1 posted on 07/30/2015 7:15:24 PM PDT by marktwain
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To: marktwain
Utopian Zimbabwe.


2 posted on 07/30/2015 7:17:17 PM PDT by cripplecreek (Sad fact, most people just want a candidate to tell them what they want to hear)
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To: marktwain
Preachy. What's her point?
3 posted on 07/30/2015 7:21:22 PM PDT by hinckley buzzard
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To: marktwain

Long term future for those African animals does not look good. African governments are inept when it comes to.managing the land.


4 posted on 07/30/2015 7:27:07 PM PDT by MinorityRepublican
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To: hinckley buzzard

I would say her points are:

1. Lions are not people, and the death of “Cecil” was not an important event for lions or people in the big picture.

2. Sport Hunting is what is keeping most lion populations in Africa afloat.

3. The emotional outpouring about “Cecil” is irrational, and we should not make policy based on it.


5 posted on 07/30/2015 7:27:41 PM PDT by marktwain
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To: marktwain
The black bear population of California is exactly the same size as the African lion population, yet is deemed to be sustainably harvested at 6 times the rate of African lions.

This person is aware that there is a slight difference in the sizes of Africa and California and that population density does play a role here?

This person seems to be less hysterical then others. I do not think that qualifies as "rational".

6 posted on 07/30/2015 7:36:16 PM PDT by Harmless Teddy Bear (Proud Infidel, Gun Nut, Religious Fanatic and Freedom Fiend)
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To: Harmless Teddy Bear

There are a lot of significan differences.

Bear are omnivores, so a given area can sustain more of them.

But she makes a valid point that it is an emotional response to the death of a lion, rather than a rational one.

She does not come out and say it, but if you want wild lions in Africa to survive, you shoud support sport hunting of them.


7 posted on 07/30/2015 7:46:09 PM PDT by marktwain
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To: marktwain
Lions are not people, and the death of “Cecil” was not an important event for lions or people in the big picture.

Oh boy, you left out the Disneyfication factor.

SIMBA, just like BAMBI, has become the anthropomorphized representative of the species. (Cousin Cecil is just a Simba surrogate, unsafe when Man is in the Forest--or on the plains).

Humans is eeevil, dontchaknow.

8 posted on 07/30/2015 7:47:01 PM PDT by Smokin' Joe (How often God must weep at humans' folly. Stand fast. God knows what He is doing.)
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To: marktwain

Interesting article. Thanks for posting it.


9 posted on 07/30/2015 7:47:39 PM PDT by kalee
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To: marktwain
She does not come out and say it, but if you want wild lions in Africa to survive, you should support sport hunting of them.

That is quite true. And that goes for many species. Sport hunting is one of the ways to add value to species that are dangerous or destructive to human habitat.

When you limit the number of animals taken, raise the price to hunt them and employ as many people as possible to help care for the hunters then you have turned something that has no value into something that is a resource.

I cringe when I hear the "no ivory" commercials. Elephants are majestic creatures unless they are stomping across your fields and uprooting your orchards.

Controlled harvests keep the population in check and gives the locals a reason to want to keep them around.

I fear they are going to "protect" the animals right into extinction.

10 posted on 07/30/2015 7:58:57 PM PDT by Harmless Teddy Bear (Proud Infidel, Gun Nut, Religious Fanatic and Freedom Fiend)
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To: Harmless Teddy Bear

“I fear they are going to “protect” the animals right into extinction.”

That is precisely the path that we are on. The people emotionally reacting to the death of an old alpha male lion are working hard to ensure the extinction of African lions.

They do not realize that is what they are doing, but it is exactly what they are doing.


11 posted on 07/30/2015 8:09:20 PM PDT by marktwain
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To: marktwain

So, we have to destroy the village to save it. Hmm. The 1970s called, and ...


12 posted on 07/30/2015 8:25:01 PM PDT by sparklite2 (Voting is acting white.)
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To: sparklite2

“So, we have to destroy the village to save it. Hmm.”

Nope. Sport hunting is what has saved habitat and wildlife populations all over the world, but particularily in the United States.

Sport hunting preserves animal populations, because you cannot have sport hunting without the animals to hunt.


13 posted on 07/30/2015 9:26:56 PM PDT by marktwain
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To: marktwain
but if you want wild lions in Africa to survive, you shoud support sport hunting of them.

Not many people get this.

14 posted on 07/30/2015 10:58:51 PM PDT by MarMema
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To: marktwain; grania
Sport hunting is what has saved habitat and wildlife populations all over the world, but particularily in the United States.

Again, you are awesome. You beat me to making this point on this thread.

15 posted on 07/30/2015 10:59:56 PM PDT by MarMema
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To: MarMema

But...is the world better off without Cecil or did his presence make the world a better place? Probably the latter if one had to choose. Or do we only see human beings as having distinct souls/personalities? At any rate in the grand scheme of things I don’t understand all the outrage over this story, but...the lion deserved a clean kill.


16 posted on 07/31/2015 1:33:36 AM PDT by kelly4c (http://www.freerepublic.com/perl/post?id=2900389%2C41#help)
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To: kelly4c

The many hundreds of baby animals this lion killed did not get a clean kill.
See the video in post 16.


17 posted on 07/31/2015 2:55:59 AM PDT by MarMema
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To: kelly4c

Different thread, sorry.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Llb_f3pNZdo


18 posted on 07/31/2015 2:57:09 AM PDT by MarMema
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To: kelly4c

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MiOUpM1jak

My point is that these are brutal cruel killers, see the above video for evidence.
One less of them most definitely makes the world a far better place.
Without a doubt.

My salute to the dentist.


19 posted on 07/31/2015 2:58:58 AM PDT by MarMema
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To: MarMema

I know they’re dangerous but I admire them from afar. They have every right to be here as they are God’s creatures as well.

We are given dominion over animals such as these yes and I have no problem with killing humanely for certain purposes but just for the “fun” of it. Nope.


20 posted on 07/31/2015 4:21:45 AM PDT by kelly4c (http://www.freerepublic.com/perl/post?id=2900389%2C41#help)
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