You’d have to be living under a rock to not have heard about the brutal and illegal killing of Cecil the Lion outside of Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park.
I’d like to be able to say that I am not one of those animal loving emotional messes that gets all riled up at stuff like this. But I am.
That aside, for me, this was less about the lion and more about the inhumanity. It’s about playing by the rules, being a liar, doing the right thing, being a good citizen and making an effort not to be a lying ass-hat (a technical term).
The Minnesota dentist, Walter Palmer, didn’t do any of those things.
Instead, he cheated. The hunters baited and lured the much-loved black-maned animal – the collared subject of Oxford University researchers – away from the park’s protections and on to private land. All so he could shoot him with a high powered bow. He did. But, the lion didn’t die. Instead he ran, and was stalked for 40 hours until cornered and shot. Whereupon the esteemed great white hunter skinned and beheaded him. What’s a kill without the trophy?
I question anyone’s character when they have the need to kill, skin and behead a wild beast to feel exhilarated, accomplished or pleasured. There is nothing humane about the act of senseless killing. Nothing. Animals were not placed on this earth to satisfy man’s ego. If you’re not going to eat it, or the act of killing it isn’t to preserve your life, you shouldn’t be doing it. This is especially true if you are hunting endangered species. What the hell is wrong with these people?!
Mr. Palmer is simply a sneaky cheat. You are not a hunter if you have to pay $65,000 for the pleasure of the kill, and pay your guides to lure an animal out for you. You are just a pathetic poser.
What a disappointment to humanity this man turned out to be. Sadly, he is in good company. To all of these people who go to great lengths to murder giraffes, lions, elephant, rhinos, etc. I would say to you; get a life, get a hobby and get some help. There is something very wrong in the need to kill to feel good. Very wrong.
This is about the difference between right and wrong. It’s about NOT allowing people to break the rules of humanity and citizenry. It’s about accountability; something we have way too little of these days.
You and I know that the principles of humanity are crossed and broken every day. Many times displaying much more brutality than what we saw from Mr. Palmer. So why was there such an uproar over a 13 year old lion?
Maybe it’s because a lion cannot speak for itself. Or maybe it’s because people saw a situation that they could finally do something about. I think a lot of the vitriol was because the act was so vile, unfair, cruel and morbidly unnecessary.
Social media spoke for the majority. Facebook, Twitter and even Linkedin voiced its outrage. And the world listened. Somehow watching it all unfold made me feel like I wasn’t alone in my caring or my disgust. Speaking of which, I would venture to say that Mr. Palmer has very few friends at the moment.
Evidently Delta Airlines doesn’t want to be friends with hunters and they don’t want to fly their trophies home for them anymore.
On Monday, Delta Air Lines became the latest carrier to change its rules about transporting hunting trophies. Its announcement came as a group of airlines including Air France, KLM, Iberia, IAG Cargo, Singapore Airlines and Qantas signaled last week they would ban the transport of trophy-hunting kills, according to Paul Ferris, the campaign director at SumOfUs.org, a consumer-based petition agency in Brooklyn, which has pressed for changing cargo policies.
It’s a start, a step in the right direction and an epic victory for the hunted. It is indeed something to celebrate and support, and it is undeniable proof that if you make enough noise YOU can make a difference.
Does Mr. Palmer deserve to lose his business, receive death threats, and have to go into hiding because of his actions? You tell me.
As my grade school teacher would say “get your act together and fly straight, or there will be consequences to pay”.
Did you hear that, Mr. Palmer? I think she was talking to you.
And here is a word or two from Jimmy Kimmel. I couldn’t have said it better myself. Thanks, Jimmy!
Can’t wait to see the hate mail pile in on this one. Gees!
mel glenn - Dear Tammy,
Though saddened by Cecil’s, I have visited his brothers in Hwange Preserve just recently. Of course, what Dr. Palmer did was a moral outrage, but it is nothing new. Big game hunting (and poaching) has gone on for years and the world now is just becoming aware of it? Seriously? It will still go on as long as there is big money involved.Unfortunately, Zimbabwe is so poor – generally no electricity, no running water, dirt roads in rural areas,that the proper protection of wildlife is almost, sadly, an afterthought. People are more interested in extracting minerals from the country than they are in doing the right thing for its national symbols.
Cathy Chester - This story has haunted me. Someone posted the last photo of Cecil kissing his two cubs. TWO CUBS! OMG. How heartbreaking is that? What kind of (less than) human being needs to kill an animal, hunting it for hours?
I am a non-violent person, but where animals are concerned all bets are off. This guy, and others like him – like the woman bragging on FB and Trump’s two moronic kids – should face serious consequences. I guess I’m living in la-la land but G-d did not put these beautiful creatures on earth for this purpose.
Thanks for writing this, Tammy. My blood is boiling again…
Sherry Macdonald - This is the sadest thing ever! It made me cry. Thanks for getting the work out.
Tam Warner Minton - It is amazing to see the the shift in public opinion! Airlines have come out against carrying any trophies, and also against carrying shark fins and manta gill rakers. Hotels in Asia have followed suit in not serving endangered species. It is wonderful to see people getting it…we have to make sure they continue to do so!
Tammy - You are so right, Mel, on all levels. The world is a big place. If there are places on our planet that cannot protect their own, help should be forthcoming. What we do to the animal kingdom will be done to us… one day. An inevitable slant on the circle of life. It’s all so very sad, isn’t it?
Tammy - Cathy, we can boil together. Read a post made by my cyber friend Mel (below yours). It says a lot about the state of the country. The problem is bigger than it seems, but it always comes down to greed, ego and money. I’m with you … all bets are off!
Lois Alter Mark - I signed so many of those petitions to get the airlines to stop, and I’m glad to see they’re finally working. I can’t even talk about my feelings for hunters – their disregard for life is astonishing.
Ruth Curran - No hate mail coming at you from my part of the world! I think awareness is good and necessary — ignorance is just as bad and horrible behavior. I would love to see shifts however, to positive — focus on the good and the kind acts and let that go viral. Yep, it is nice but very quiet in my little world right now.
Doreen Mcgettigan - I cried for that poor lion and am so sad that it happens every day in Africa and in South America. It also happens here. These crazy hunting trips are pretty common. Hopefully the spotlight is brighter now and these so called hunters (murderers) will see how the dentist is being treated and think twice about spending there money on something so disgusting.
It always feels good when so many people can agree something is inhumane and come together to effect change.
Carol Cassara - It’s amazing to see how many organizations are hopping on this bandwagon. Maybe one day we’ll see this in, dare I say it… gun control. Blessings to Cecil and damn that idiotic hunter.
Mary La Fornara Gutierrez - My heart hurts for all the beautiful animals that have died so sencelessly. I am so happy that the airlines are taking a stance.
Nancy Hill (@nerthus) - This whole thing is so sad. I understand hunting for food. I do not understand hunting for sport. Thank you for letting us know that there are airlines we can support that are refusing to support such barbaric actions.
Toni McCloe - I love what you said – that animals were not placed on this earth to satisfy man’s ego – Mr Palmer has killed so many animals, I dare say nothing would satisfy his ego.
Tammy - Nancy, I think it’s epic that so many manor airlines are supporting the ban on this kind of killing. Epic. Baby steps. Let us hope that it’s not too late.
Tammy - Hi Toni, I think you are right on. People who’s ego is that big and unbalanced have an insatiable need to constantly satisfy their wants. It’s all a bit scary to know that there are so many people out there who are arrogant enough to believe it is their right to kill endangered species. The world has gone mad….and is finding it’s sensibility again. One can hope.
Carolann Iadarola - This whole situation upset me to my core. It got to the point where I couldn’t even read about it anymore. My heart is still broken over that poor lion. I hope he suffers a thousands deaths for what he did!
Estelle Sobel Erasmus - This is a disgusting excuse for a human being.
Michele Linse Jeffers - This makes me sick to my stomach and feel that there is no hope for the human race. Sometimes I think God just watches us in wonder as we destroy ourselves and our beautiful world. Simply barbarric. There are no other words.