Lion Conservation Under Threat - Cecil the Lion The Facts

African Hunter ^ | July, 2015 | IJ Larivers

[marktwain]

As I read the reports of the killing of the famous Hwange National Park lion, Cecil, by an American client, hunting with a licensed professional hunter, I anticipated a rerun of the Musango Bull incident of a couple of years back. The bull elephant was another rock star of an attraction - in the Matusadona national park. He too was radio collared and he was shot by a sport hunter outside the park. There was within days the anticipated media frenzy over both the Bull and Cecil, but it turned out the two cases were markedly different.

One element that immediately leapt out was where Cecil was hunted. The concessions bordering on Hwange National Park have been a hotbed of controversy since the beginning of the new millennium. The former stomping grounds of the Big Bad himself, Dawie Groenewald of Out of Africa Adventurous Safaris, it seems that just about every corrupt politico and safari operator has been drawn to that area like a magnet over the last fifteen years. Alarm bells just went off from force of habit.

(snip)

There is a very real chance that sport hunting of lion could be dealt a death blow in the near future, and we all know what will happen then. All we have to do is look at Kenya, where the country on the one hand lauds itself for having banned all sport hunting in 1977, and then bemoans the fact that its lion population will be extinct within a decade - and that was half a decade ago. Its lions have no value to the rural villagers, and between habitat loss and their being killed off as stock predators - of course with no value - they have no chance.

[Rockpile]

A 13 year old feline in the wild is close to the end of the lion.

The great part about getting rid of the white debbil colonial governments and the reduction in trophy hunting compared to many decades back is that now there are less of these useless animals and more room for people.

[LucyT]

My problem is that they lured the animal out of the park, and then the injured animal suffered for two days.

Regarding his earlier behavior, Walter J. Palmer was not poaching for food; he lied to a federal agent and then repeatedly lied to US Fish and Wildlife investigators.

The information posted in my previous post is from the lengthy article.

Here’s more about Walter J. Palmer, and whether it’s true, the courts believed it was. When there’s smoke, usually there is fire:

Dr. Walter Palmer, the Minnesota dentist who has achieved worldwide notoriety for killing the most famous lion in Africa paid out $127,500 in 2009 to settle a sexual harassment claim, it was revealed today.

The settlement was made to a former employee at his Minneapolis practice who alleged that Dr. Palmer subjected her to ‘ongoing and unwelcome sexual harassment by, but not limited to, verbal comments and physical conduct involving her breasts, buttocks and genitalia’.

The woman alleged that Dr. Palmer, who has gone into hiding since he slaughtered Cecil the lion, was asked to stop his behavior, but continued. Her complaint also alleges she also lost her job - because she reported his alleged untoward conduct.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3179047/Dentist-killed-Cecil-lion-accused-sexual-harassment-former-employee-practice-settled-court-127-500.html#ixzz3hLcnW8JD
]

[Rockpile]

Maybe there is a recording of the deposition that day.

[marktwain]

Bait can “lure” an animal from considerable distance. It is common for animals to overpopulate in a park, and the excess animals to leave the park. The best way to preserve animal populations is to have hunting areas outside of the park, rather than simple agricultural areas.

Lions tend to have a pretty large range.

It looks bad for the guides, landowner and the hunter.

It is possible that the particular lion was targeted; but it seems less likely, because of the collar. If there had not been a collar, then it is likely that the taking of the lion would never have come to the public eye.

You can consider it similar to thieves stealing a bait car that is all set up to catch them.

As for lying to federal investigators; that is the apparent felony part of the charges against him in Wisconsin.

[backwoods-engineer]

but I am not against abortions.

You are on the wrong forum, FRiend.

Also, you need to re-calibrate your conscience. Murdering the helpless is evil.

[Lopeover]

I agree, abortion is evil. No argument.

Abortion was legalized by the Supreme Court 42 years ago.

Perhaps this issue should be waged in a different arena. Not a political one.

Building on people’s faith, so they can make the correct choice using their free will God gave them.

But no, you want me to leave, you are not willing to take a look at your political battle that has seen no forward movement. Why has there been no forward movement to stop it?

[LucyT]

To iterate:

the injured animal suffered for two days,

and therein lies the problem.

.

[X-spurt]

This horse-hockey ‘Cecil’ thing is about some African gubmit trying to extort big money from the hunter. Damn! sounds a whole like the halfrican regime in the WhiteyHut.

Some people are simply not capable of ethically governing with any kind of liberty for their citizens. Point to one, just one in Africa that does not fall within my admonition. Our ‘experiment’ proved no different.

[TheOldLady]

I completely agree with you. This man is stupid and vile, and he should be in
prison for 13 years, since Cecil was 13 years old when the creep murdered him.

There are some things I don’t understand, like why anyone would want to kill a
popular, magnificent animal in a stable environment with two successful prides.

Also, why would someone just bound into the place, lure the lion away from his
environment, and then kill him without asking any questions about his background
and about how popular and beloved he was, and illegally removing his collar and
attempting to disable its GPS (his beaters knew what they did was illegal).

After Cecil was slaughtered and beheaded was NOT the time to find out that the
entire world will hate this butthead for the rest of his life for being such a
stupid buffoon.

This particular dentist... uh... “hunter” has lied about the circumstances of
several of the animals he has taken that were out of bounds, and therefore
illegally killed for his pleasure. The man is a liar and a thief, and he should
be banned from hunting again, anywhere, for the rest of his life. He’s a crook.

[marktwain]

LucyT wrote:

“the injured animal suffered for two days,

and therein lies the problem.”

marktwain replies:

Why is that so? If the animal had not been hunted, it likely would have suffered more in a “natural” death. Apex predators, such a lions, often suffer long, lingering deaths in the wild. The lion was 13 years old, near the end of its life. It is not as if the hunter deliberately wanted the lion to suffer for 40 hours.

I believe that hunters should be ethical and attempt to take animals cleanly and quickly.

This case aside, the randomness of the universe makes that impossible in every case. Stuff happens. It is impossible to prevent all suffering.

Nature is cruel and indifferent to suffering. Lions inflict enormous suffering on other animals during their lifespan. They often eat their prey alive. That is their nature.

So, please clarify why, outside of the likely illegality of this case, the 40 hours of suffering is important, when it is clear that the hunters did not intend the lion to suffer, and in fact went to considerable effort to locate it and end its suffering.

Consider that this particular lion likely would have suffered just as much, if not more, if it had died a “natural” death.

[bgill]

Set him inside a game preserve without a weapon and let nature take it’s course.