After the death of Cecil the lion and his brother Jericho at the hands of American trophy hunters, international outrage has been swift and hard.
Cecil’s was first injured by arrow and crossbow on June 31, 2015. American dentist Walter Palmer has taken credit for the kill. Jericho was killed by another American in circumstances still being investigated.
Cecil, who was 13 years old, was then tracked, and approximately 40 hours later killed with a rifle
I assume that Palmer posted pictures of his hunting exploits in Zimbabwe online expecting a virtual high-five for his hunting prowess. This he didn’t get.
In fact, the more the international community found out about Palmer’s alleged luring of Cecil from his Hwange National Park in Matabeleland North, Zimbabwe to his death, the more forceful the condemnation.
He had status as a protected animal and wore a tracking collar as he was being studied by a group of conservationists from Oxford, England.
Cecil could be easily identified by his rare black mane and became a favourite of park visitors — who only “shot” Cecil with their camera lenses.
Walter Palmer, the American dentist and recreational game hunter from the state of Minnesota, reportedly paid $50,000 to a professional hunter and guide, to bag the lion.
Cecil was then lured out of the park sanctuary by Palmer and hunter/guide, Theo Bronkhorst, in an illegal hunt. First shot by a crossbow and then finally put down 40 hours later by a rifle, he was skilnned and his head was removed. Palmer and Bronkhorst also removed the GPS tracking collar and attempted to destroy the evidence.
As a result of this brutal murder by illegal big-game hunter Walter Palmer, a pride of African lions are apparently planning a trip to Minnesota to hunt big-game dentists.
According to an article released on July 29, 2015, “We have seen the lions acting a bit strangely and huddled in a circle with what appears to be a map of the United States” said park ranger Lionel Drodhorzt. “They seem to have Minnesota circled on the map and I think I saw one lion on the phone on hold with SouthWest.”
Apparently, late night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel has offered to help fund the trip. He also helped raise $150,000 in donations in less than 24 hours to Oxford’s Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, which had been “responsible for tracking Cecil’s activity and location”
Activists have been demonstrating outside of Palmer’s dental practice and more than one million people have signed the online petition “Justice for Cecil“.
Safari Club International has responded by suspending both Palmer’s and Bronkhorst’s memberships, stating that “those who intentionally take wildlife illegally should be prosecuted and punished to the maximum extent allowed by law”.
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