Posted on 07/28/2015 11:35:42 AM PDT by BenLurkin
An American dentist has been accused of killing a well-known lion named Cecil in Zimbabwe earlier this month, the chairman of the Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force (WCTF) confirmed.
The Zimbabwe tourism authority named the man accused of killing Cecil as Walter Palmer, a Minnesota dentist and avid big-game hunter.
“#WalterJamesPalmer was the man who killed #CecilTheLion. This was an #illegalhunt,” the authority posted on Twitter.
The Associated Press reported that Zimbabwean conservationists had accused an American of paying $50,000 to kill the lion.
The American “shot the lion with a bow and arrow."
...
Rodrigues told the Star that the 13-year-old lion, which was skinned and beheaded, was shot on a ranch after it was “drawn out” of the Hwange National Park.
The hunters used a spotlight and “tied a dead animal to their vehicle” to lure Cecil out, the WCTF statement said. “It took them another 40 hours to find where the lion was and then they killed it with a rifle,” Rodrigues said.
“A lot of people have seen this lion. He was magnificent. People came to Zimbabwe to see this animal and now he’s not here anymore, and it’s a pity.”
Rodrigues said Cecil was being studied by Oxford University researchers, and its tracking collar was recovered alongside its carcass. “They tried to destroy the collar but failed because it was found,” the WCTF said.
(Excerpt) Read more at thestar.com ...
Killed it 40 hours later with a rifle.
Savage beast.
The dentist, that is.
Disgusts me to share the planet’s oxygen with such filth.
Total scumbag.
I truly despise this poacher.
By having killed this lion, he has doomed about two dozen cubs to an almost certain death.
I hope he loses everyone of his patients.
I did happen to read the story.
Bad as it reads I put the blame on the local “professional hunter” who lead him to the Lion.
It appears the two locals are facing 15 years in jail.
“In a statement, the WCTF said the hunt took place on or around July 6, and Palmer was led by professional hunter Theo Bronkhorst. Bronkhorst is the owner of Bushman Safari company, ...”
“Bronkhorst and another Zimbabwean man, a farm owner, have been charged in connection to the hunt, and will appear in court Wednesday, Rodrigues said.”
While I totally agree that this dentist is a total scum and a$$hole for doing what he did in this and past instances, the incident can and should also help to expose the corruption of African nature park officials and their involvement with poaching. In terms of exposing and stopping something like this, hopefully some sort of good can come out of this sad episode.
This person, not a man, is human garbage.
This is his second poaching offense.
He is beneath contempt.
Scum.
From what I read Cecil resides at a national park. The guides the dentist paid for used bait to lure the lion out the protected park to be slaughtered. Isn’t that poaching? I am no hunter but isn’t one the rules you don’t let a wounded animal suffer. Waiting 40 hours to finish the kill appears to very cruel.
The guy shot a lion with a bow for his own ego. There was no other reason to kill that wonderful animal.
Blame the hunter. The guy with the gun always bears ultimate responsibility. Always.
Never take a shot without knowing what you are shooting. The collar would have been obvious.
Dragging an animal to bait the lion out of the park? Obvious.
Tracking a wounded animal for two days? Cruel.
Trophy hunting a protected lion whose cubs will now all die? Idiocy.
And this guy has a prior poaching conviction in Wisconsin.
He’s indisputably garbage.
As a rule, the fees from trophy hunting tags in Africa support a lot of wildlife programs.
When run on the up and up animals are selected by specialists to improve the herd.
The Safari Guides know which animals have been selected and guide the paying hunter to them.
That does not appear to be the case in this incident but I do not condemn all trophy hunting for it.
Zimbabwe.
That alone should raise a lot of red flags about the story.
Drive the dentist out into the bush. After finding a pride of lions, push him out of the vehicle and drive off. Return the next day to pick up the skeleton—if the lions will allow that.
Imagine what he's like with a root canal?
I understand how it works, but killing a lion makes anyone a dick immediately.
"...the 13-year-old lion, which was skinned and beheaded, was shot on a ranch after it was “drawn out” of the Hwange National Park...
“It took them another 40 hours to find where the lion was and then they killed it with a rifle,” Rodrigues said.
Which?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.