Thread: Cecil the Lion

At least this is calling attention to the mistreatment of zebras.

Is just lion food.

Originally Posted by rhensley

I have read a lot and watched a lot on TV about this lion and the hunt. I wasn't there so i can't say whether any of it was right or wrong. I can only hope that the truth will come out and what needs to be done will.

You will find good and bad in any sport no matter what the sport is. I myself hunt. not lions but small game and deer. I eat what i kill the same as they did years ago. I really believe that the professional hunter that guided the hunt was just as much at fault as the person that killed the lion. Whether on not the hunter knew he was doing wrong or not the guide did. Also in a lot of places you have to hire a guide before you can hunt.

The dentist had already been charged in the US for a similar game violation involving a black bear. There already have been 2 people charged in connection with the illegal killing of the lion, the guide and the landowner where the hunt/killing took place. Given the dentist's previous charge in the US for which he paid a fine and put on 1 years probation plus the fact that the two Zimbabweans are being charged I am more than willing to believe the dentist knew full well that he was involved in an illegal hunt. Ultimately the courts in Zimbabwe will rule on the legality of the hunt, as it should be.

Bob

I tend to think it all quite sad. Where these animals live is their last bastion. A primitive place, still. Mankind, money, and technology are accelerating the end of some species, I think. Leave them alone. Let nature take what is due . The only animals which should be 'sold' should come from a responsible government which determined so. No way to find the moneyed Dentist guilty, He paid for what he got. Certainly cost him a pile. He is extinct, now. Ironic that a black-maned lion has deserved some attention, upon his death. JMO

Some accounts describe a cut fence but all include the fact that the lion was lured from the game preserve. Given that latter fact, I think it's a lame defense for him to declare that he considered the entire thing to be legal. In my opinion the greater likelihood is that he knew exactly what he was paying for.

I just don't know where to start

Let's just say that anyone that doesn't hunt should REALLY do some research because so many statements here are really off the cuff and just not true... Not just hunt but trophy hunt there is a distinct difference..

For instance the things that the media reported that set people off

Luring the animal
Hunting with a spotlight at night
Tracking a wounded animal for days
Skinning and taking the head
Leaving the carcass after a 40 hour track
Hunting with a guide being mandatory

These are all legal / common, even here in the US, You can find this info easily

I personally don't trophy hunt but I understand the realities of why it is needed to perpetuate those species
This is especially true in poor countries.. You can find all this info easily if you chose..

As to guilt, I wasn't there, but I do know that most of the guilt if any will go against the PH ie: the Guide as that is his job and his license that are in jeopardy..


ps: I could fill this page with multiple links to back up everything I am saying, but honestly I doubt anyone really cares

Interesting perspectives, and facts on this topic.

Never understood trophy hunting, anything I kill is for food. Hell, I feel bad landing a big fish and will quite often release it if possible.

Saw interviews with some of the locals and they could care less that the lion is dead. in fact they celebrate the death of a potential life threatening predator.

Originally Posted by gssixgun

I just don't know where to start

Let's just say that anyone that doesn't hunt should REALLY do some research because so many statements here are really off the cuff and just not true... Not just hunt but trophy hunt there is a distinct difference..

For instance the things that the media reported that set people off

Luring the animal
Hunting with a spotlight at night
Tracking a wounded animal for days
Skinning and taking the head
Leaving the carcass after a 40 hour track
Hunting with a guide being mandatory

These are all legal / common, even here in the US, You can find this info easily

I personally don't trophy hunt but I understand the realities of why it is needed to perpetuate those species
This is especially true in poor countries.. You can find all this info easily if you chose..

As to guilt, I wasn't there, but I do know that most of the guilt if any will go against the PH ie: the Guide as that is his job and his license that are in jeopardy..


ps: I could fill this page with multiple links to back up everything I am saying, but honestly I doubt anyone really cares

Some of the things that you have listed are not legal in jurisdictions outside the US.

In Ontario luring/baiting is legal in areas where it is legal to hunt. The ethics of deliberately luring/baiting an animal out of a protected area is extremely questionable though.

In Ontario try jack lighting here and see what happens if you are caught. You can't hunt at night.

Tracking a wounded animal for days to finish them off is legal here and an ethical thing to do.

In Ontario skinning and taking the head is legal here but leaving meat to spoil isn't

In Ontario hunting with a guide is mandatory for non residents of Canada.

Yup, trophy hunting rankles a lot of people but it is legal so long as you meet certain requirements associated with it in whatever jurisdiction you are hunting in. Hunting provides an economic benefit and it is very important in poorer countries but also makes breaking/bending the law in those same poor countries much easier/likelier if you have the bucks.

Bob