Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock this past week, it’s more than likely that you will have come across the cautionary tale of the wealthy, American dentist who bought himself the chance to hunt and kill one of Zimbabwe’s oldest and most beloved animals, Cecil the lion. Walter Palmer intact paid £35,000 for the big game permit, which gave him the opportunity to add Cecil to his collection of big kills, which already include a rhino and a leopard, among others.
Ever since the story broke that this legendary lion had been killed, along with the cowardly smile of Dr Palmer, the internet has been up in arms calling for the the capture of Dr Palmer himself and for him to be charged for the killing of the protected animal. He claims not to have been aware of Cecil’s importance to the area and was ‘relying on local guides to ensure a legal hunt’. Basically, as long as he stumped up the dollar then he can be protected by the poachers who own the land in which these wild animals can be coaxed into, using carcasses, then killed for trophies and distasteful photographs. Some people are suggesting that it is wrong that when this sort of hunting goes on in those parts of the world everyday, Dr Palmer is unfortunate to be the one to be used as an example against everything that is wrong. The way i see it is, he knows that what he is doing is not right. When he goes out to kill an endangered animal (white rhino), he is fully aware that he is destroying a part of history, contributing towards making them extinct from his children’s children’s lives in the future. He is a doctor and no doubt a smart guy, and hopefully this has made him think about his actions in a way that he hasn’t before. I personally hope that the publicity generated by poor Cecil’s killing will help raise general awareness across the world of the hunting of endangered and none endangered animals that goes on everyday. Hunting was originally meant for survival, not as decorations for your house, hopefully the public vilification of Dr Phillips will at least make a few others think twice about doing it in future.
R.I.P Cecil
