'What lion?' Zimbabweans ask, amid global Cecil circus

[MiG25]

Is it illegal and/or immoral to kill a lion on a farm in Zimbabwe?

Why isn't Bronkhorst tending his farm?

 

[Bland]

Hunting is hunting period. Trophy hunting is simply another style of hunting. As long as the wildlife management plans are successful it is a person's own prerogative to hunt the style they want. Trophy hunting is often held high by the anti's when they try to present hunting as some form of barbarism. Hunting as a political football will never respond to logic, the same goes for all shooting sports. One must play politics to protect our rights. Attaching a name to this lion humanizes it and then the BS really takes on a feverish pitch. Shades of the anti-sealing propaganda that still headlines with a photo with a baby seal with big liquid eyes staring into the camera. This even though a baby seal has not been harvested for decades. At the end of the day, hunt in a humane manner, do not waste edible meat and present yourself as a hunter in a positive light. That is the best we can do.

 

[sikwhiskey]

and the guide's words;

http://news.nationalpost.com/news/world/next-on-the-hit-list-for-cecils-killer-was-a-giant-elephant-but-guide-couldnt-find-one-big-enough

So, according to the Guide, the American bought the permit, but was taken to an area where the permit wasn't valid??? (No definite answer there), by his guide. Who happened to find an elephant carcass and the land owner to help drag the dead elephant to tall grass, no mention how far they dragged the carcass, or if was from the park or not. Shot the lion with a bow, at night,(didn't see the collar) tracked and killed the lion the next day, with a bow? Guide then goes to parks and informs them of what transpired but didn't take the collar.
Conflicting news reports, killed by gun or bow? permit or no permit? intentionally baited off the park or found a lucky carcass to hunt over?

I fail to see what the hunter did wrong, aside from trusting his guide and the property owner who is going to turn states evidence on the guide.............I wonder who acquired the bait, and how much the land owner paid, then later squeezed by officals? Alot of missing info. The article also states 4 other collared lions were killed in the same area, yet no outcry from anyone. And Headlines, NEXT ON THE HIT LIST A GIANT ELEPHANT !!! But couldn't find one large enough........ WOW Sensational propaganda.
If it were me who shot that lion, I wouldn't be going back for any kind of trial by that Govt or people, considering their track record. Maybe Hunters should boycott Zimbabwe.

 

[the spank]

My coworkers from Africa tell me if anyone in Africa even knows or hears of this story they will be laughing at the whole thing over the killling of a Lion or any other animal for that matter.

 

[Papaclaude]

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the world:
About a bombing near Kabul:

In one of the attacks, 10 civilians, including a child and four men, died as their vehicle struck a land mine in southern Helmand province. Seven other people in the group — which was heading to a wedding — were wounded And the outrage is where???????

 

[mark222]

I know it will probably be a waste of time, but I'll try to give you a quick enlightenment on the finer points and realities of trophy hunting.

A meat hunter hunts for any animal that can be legally taken under the criteria of his tag. Its better if its a young animal, but really, anything, young, old, male, female, or pregnant female, will do. Trophy hunting by contrast, is selective, and the hunter seeks out an individual animal, typically the oldest male of the species. Being old, the animal no longer contributes to the continuation of the species, and is often found alone, in the case of an old lion, or frequently in small groups of it's peers, as in the case of buffalo. Thus the removal of that animal is not a factor to the continuation of the species in that area.

The oldest animal didn't get old by being stupid or unlucky in life, he has great knowledge of his home range, and is far more difficult to hunt, thus the hunter's chance of success is diminished. But then being old is only part of the hunter's criteria. Trophy quality must make the animal desireable, and a discerning hunter will pass up many old males, after many time consuming and difficult stalks, in his search for the right one.

In nature, an old animal is not to be envied. His future holds only a lingering death through starvation, predation, or disease, the trophy male taken by a hunter has indeed won the lottery, and is awarded a comparatively quick and painless death. But whether from a hunter's bullet or from nature's cruelty, death is the final outcome. When the animal is taken, often the meat is used for bait, particularly if it is unsuitable for human consumption. Many animals, birds, and small organisms depend of the carcasses of dead animals in order to make a living; much is denied them when an animal is taken by a meat hunter. For these reasons and many others, trophy hunting therefore meets a higher standard than meat hunting.

Clearly you are not a meat hunter, and while the question of whether or not you are a shooter is irrelevant to the subject, I'd be surprised if you were. To answer your question concerning the consumption of lion meat, some folks consider it excellent fare, as is also the case with North American mountain lions, although personally I'm resistant to eat the meat of predators. Predators kill for pleasure. All of them, consider a weasel in a chicken coop, it will kill far more than it can make use of. Some people are predators, some aren't, which is something of an anomaly in the natural world, usually animals are predators or they are not. Perhaps it comes from too many generations of easy living, separated from the natural world. There is no shame in being a predator, but there is little glory in being a sheep.

Well said.