Zimbabweans couldn’t really grok the whole Cecil the Lion kerfuffle that erupted when Minnesota dentist Walter Palmer offed the world’s favorite big cat (that no one had ever heard of before). As one puzzled local replied when asked, “You are saying that all this noise is about a dead lion? Lions are killed all the time in this country…What’s so special about this one?” It was only the western press and anti-hunting lefties who anthropomorphized the beast and treated the situation as they would someone shooting Mickey Mouse with an RPG at Disney World in front of 200 six-year-olds. But now, after much sturm und drang, as far as Zimbabwe in concerned . . .
Zimbabwe will not charge American dentist Walter Palmer for killing its most prized lion in July because he had obtained legal authority to conduct the hunt, a Cabinet minister said on Monday, angering conservationists. …
Environment Minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri said on Monday that Palmer’s hunting papers were in order, and therefore he could not be charged.
“We approached the police and then the prosecutor general, and it turned out that Palmer came to Zimbabwe because all the papers were in order,” Muchinguri-Kashiri told reporters.
He may not be completely in the clear, though.
The environment minister’s comments immediately drew the ire of the animal conservation group Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force, which maintained that Palmer had committed a crime and said it planned to pursue legal action against him in the United States. …
“The fact is the law was broken,” said Johnny Rodrigues, the head of the Zimbabwe task force, which first reported news of Cecil’s killing. “We are going to get our advocates in America to actually see what they can do to bring justice to him.”
The professional hunter Palmer used and the owner of the game park are still facing charges, though. As for the doc, he’d proclaimed his innocence from the beginning. Not that it much mattered.
Palmer has previously said that the hunt was legal and no one in the hunting party realized the targeted lion was Cecil, a well-known tourist attraction in the park.
I guess he wasn’t lyin’.
drang.
I hate autocorrect.
The first of the Planned Parent hood videos had just come out, the press used the Cecil the lion story to deflect from the Planned Parent hood sales baby parts story. Remember all the posts comparing the outrage at killing one frigging particular lion to the ambivalence towards abortion?
Let me state that I have hunted all my life but in this case the Dentist was a liar. When you shoot an animal with a bow you are up close as compared to a rifle where the range may be long. The Dentist and his guide would have been clearly able to see the radio tracking collar and due to the fact they were on the border of a sanctuary you would have to be retarded not to know you were shooting at a protected animal. Remember they bated the Lion which may have been legal but that would have lured the Lion out of the sanctuary. It was like shooting a fish in a barrel. I personally would have got much more pleasure on shooting a truly wild lion of lesser trophy quality, not one that was used to thinking people were there to feed him.
What really made it bad for the Dentist was the fact that he had been caught previously breaking the law when he shot a bear in an illegal area to boot. Now if all this is not enough evidence then I would not know what would be. The Dentist and his outfitters did more to harm responsible and honest hunters than any anti-hunting organization could ever have done with their misleading and false propaganda.
I’m pro Palmer. I think he should shoot more Lions.
http://indefinitelywild.gizmodo.com/lion-murderer-walt-palmer-has-done-more-for-conservatio-1720901473
You obviously have no idea what you are talking about. If you don’t want people to hunt lions just say it. Baiting is how lions are hunted, always has been always will be. As far as the collar is concerned: how many bowhunters accidentally shoot button bucks? I’ve done it. Those little nubs are on top of their head. This collar was under a mane.
Is it even illegal to shoot a radio collared lion? I would think it’d add to the trophy-ness. Like a banded duck or ear tagged buck.
Actually, it’s not illegal to shoot a lion with a tracker collar. Further, it was the reserve that was protected, not the lion. Just like hunting game near a National park in the USA, if the animals are in a protected area they cannot be hunted, but once they leave the park boundaries they can be.
He had hunted in Zimbabwe before and did not break any laws.
Obviously there were laws broken or Zimbabwe would not be currently prosecuting the outfitter or originally want to extradite the Dentist.
I refer you to my previous comment . . .
Well, for number one, having worked supporting projects in Zimbabwe, I can tell you that if you are white, you will be targeted.
Second, this guy has been accused of several things lately, such as helping to smuggle gazelles from Zimbabwe into South Africa, but has been cleared of the other accusations so far. This is harassment and Mugabe’s response to all the publicity the media has given this sideshow.
Third, laws in Zimbabwe are incredibly complex and change frequently, there could have been something they did was illegal without them even knowing it.
Bottom line, lions are hunted all over Africa and hunters are a major source of revenue for all the countries there who have large populations of wildlife and parks that need a source of revenue to operate them. This became an issue because the media and the sincere but woefully uninformed Liberal tree huggers made it one.
“Remember they bated the Lion”
They did WHAT to the lion?!?!? I mean, I don’t know if thats illegal in Zimbabwe, but legal or not you could not pay me enough to get that up close and personal with a lion and his… lion. I mean, once I got into it I’m sure he’d enjoy it, but I’m not willing to take that chance.
Seriously though, you do realize baiting (with an ‘i’) lions isn’t illegal, nor is shooting one with a collar, nor is shooting a lion that lives on a preserve (so long as you don’t shoot him on the preserve, which no one is accusing). The preserve is protected. Not the individual animals.
Well if what you say it totally true then why did Zimbabwe arrest the outfitter and is still prosecuting him and want to extradite the Dentist originally.
Well, for number one, having worked supporting projects in Zimbabwe, I can tell you that if you are white, you will be targeted.
Second, this guy has been accused of several things lately, such as helping to smuggle gazelles from Zimbabwe into South Africa, but has been cleared of the other accusations so far. This is harassment and Mugabe’s response to all the publicity the media has given this sideshow.
Third, laws in Zimbabwe are incredibly complex and change frequently, there could have been something they did was illegal without them even knowing it.
Bottom line, lions are hunted all over Africa and hunters are a major source of revenue for all the countries there who have large populations of wildlife and parks that need a source of revenue to operate them. This became an issue because the media and the sincere but woefully uninformed Liberal tree huggers made it one.
“We are going to get our advocates in America to actually see what they can do to bring justice to him.”
Show me the man and I’ll show you the crime. I’m having more and more trouble finding any common ground with these kinds of people.
I am unclear on what, if anything, this story has to do about guns.
Nothing. Who cares?
I agree, it’s a stretch.
The thing is, there’s quite a bit of overlap between the people who don’t understand wildlife conservation and think we just should leave all the cute fuzzy lions alone, and the people who don’t understand the need for firearms for criminal deterrence and self-defense. It’s largely the same group of morons involved in anti-gun rights and anti-hunting crusades.
It has to do with hunting. Which at least in america is related to guns. Most hunters value the 2nd amendment so stories related to hunting have a connection to our 2nd amendment.
You would think so, right? Great illustration of the FUDD gap. Hunters need to care more about gun rights, and POTG should consider anti-hunting movement as a threat to 2nd Amendment.
Yep.
Amen
Tunnel vision
Big Game Hunting > Hunting > Rifle > Firearms/Guns/Ammunition
It’s not a hard flowchart to follow, folks.
I am unclear on what, if anything, this story has to do about guns.
The lion was killed with a rifle, not an arrow. Does that help?
I am equally unclear as to why, just because the name of the site is “The Truth About Guns”, every single damn post has to be directly related somehow to guns or people get annoyed. There is more of interest in life than just the guns and if Cecil stories bother you, move on to the next one.
Charging American hunters for crime isn’t good for business. I’m sure they’re in no hurry to go back to printing trillion Zimbabwean dollar notes when American dollars dry up.
As it happens those hundred trillion Zimbabwe dollar notes are rising in value…in the collector market. I paid 25 bucks (US) for one (bundled with a 50T, 20T and 10T) several years ago, and I am sure that even then they had never been worth that much as foreign exchange. They are no longer legal tender now, so all they have is collector value.
They won’t even have collectible value if they start printing them again.
I didn’t even know about those! Thanks! I just got my dad $160 trillion for his birthday after I read your post!
This. The last thing they want is to scare away American hunters.
You are obviously not very familiar with Zimbabwe if you don’t think that the corrupt government would give their left nut for an opportunity to pin something like this on a foreigner.
They would much rather pin it on a local. Corrupt governments love money. Foreigners bring money. Wealthy foreigners who hunt bring lots of money.
The only reason the government cares at all about this incident is that foreign tourists who visit the park (and bring their money) care about it.
The government doesn’t want to lose a beloved animal that draws tourist to their park. However, they REALLY don’t want to lose the money foreign hunters bring in. Prosecuting the dentist would cost them. Big time.
Anyone see the documentary Blood Lions? South Africans raise thousand of lions in an electrified fenced areas. US hunters pay a fixed rate and guaranteed a kill in a few days. As oppose to a real hunt that you have a 50% kill rate after hunting up to 10 days.
http://www.bloodlions.org/
The level at which men massage their ego knows no bounds.
So lets see…
I have money. You want money. You raise Lions. I want to kill lions. Villagers get to eat lion. Everybody gets what they want. Where exactly is the problem?
If you have a problem with stock being raised to slaughter, you must be a vegan.
If it’s livestock being slaughtered then every party involved should at least have the scruples to call it slaughter and not hunting.
Yes I agree. I think when you raise lions for slaughter its really obscene. I am all for “real Hunting” of wild animals but to shoot tame lions out of a cage is really disgusting and gives hunters worldwide the worst possible image. I do not even like to go to “Pheasant Farms”. I tried this once and it was really disgusting as well. Shooting wild Pheasants and learning to outwit them without dogs is the greatest of challenges and you must know the habits of the birds and the terrain they use and how they use it to escape. Shooting in a preserve is just target practice and really takes all the fun and challenge out of it as compared to shooting truly wild game. The same could be said of shooting tame lions out of an electrified cage fence.. I wonder how many of those hunters shoot their tame lions out the window of a safari car just in case the lion would get wounded and charge them. I think you can begin to see those types of guys are not real hunters, there what I would call slob hunters and that title is being generous because they are not real hunters in any sense of the word.
Nope, I live the life of a carnivore.
I have no problem with the economics on either side of killing a caged lion. It’s the individual character and measure of the parties involved. Measuring ones character and integrity against caged nature is the sum of arrogance and contempt.
Saying that, I will yield to the man that steps into the electrified fence with a Masai spear to cull a lion without firearms supporting his effort.
Far better men than I died in the Collisseum fighting lions.
So what? It’s not my cup of tea but either are guided whitetail hunts in North America where they do everything for you but pull the trigger. Hunting is what you make it. It can be a stimulating challenge that requires true woodsmanship and understanding of your quarry. Or it can be as easy as slaughtering livestock. To each his own.
“shooting Mickey Mouse with an RPG at Disney World in front of 200 six-year-olds”
That, would be awesome.
That was the best part of the whole story
“angering conservationists. …”
This ticks me off a bit. I’m a conservationist and I’m not angry at all.
Oh, but I’m not a looney Progressive conservationist-in-name-only. I hunt and fish so I’m out IN the world they just talk about. Their world is one of lawsuits and policy-making; mine is taking my children hunting and fishing, picking up litter from the woods and the water, etc.
They talk; we conserve by DOING.
This reminds me of the time I was verbally assaulted (and seemed quite close to being physically assaulted) in downtown Denver for not taking the flier some cause-head was passing out. She was VERY irate that I did not submit to her berating lecture on saving whatever she was trying to save. Didn’t get ugly with her, just said, “No thanks” when she tried to press the paper into my hand, and it was ON.
Thing is…I already knew we actually DID more in a week to benefit our local ecosystem than her whole sheltered, spoiled, urban life of passing out fliers. At the time, we lived a VERY low footprint lifestyle literally ON the water and spent considerable effort keeping our area clean from the pollution of touristy/urban visitors.
So, I wish these leftist jerkwads without a clue about how the real world works would stop lumping nonsensical ideology in with “conservation.” They are as wrong about this as they are about everything else they open their illogical, emotional mouths about.
I used to be polite to those people, but they’ve gotten so aggressive (in downtown Denver and in Cherry Creek) that I derive great joy in telling them to piss off.
“Sod off, Swampy!”
I used to be polite to those people, but they’ve gotten so aggressive in downtown Denver and the Cherry Creek area that I take great joy in telling them to piss off.
I wonder if bear spray would work?
Today’s democrat socialist is just like the socialist Adolf Hitler. They both love animals and hate people. And both want a disarmed civilian population and we’re against animal experimentation but supported human experimentation.
An RPG would be overkill on Mickey. Barney, otoh…
One of my shooting buddies had a Barney plush years back that we shredded at the range…
Purple fabric and white fluffy stuffing went *everywhere*…
That felt oh-so *good*…
🙂
(with an added)
*snicker*
Zimbabwe has worse problems to deal with than lion-hunters.
Cecil was a 13 yr. old lion, better shot than ending up toothless, staving and having hyenas eat him alive. Time for a younger lion to take over the betterment of the pride.
The lion was given his silly and cartoonish name by researchers at Oxford who were conducting a study paid for by hunters.
If the lion’s name was Throat Ripper or Antelope Killer — both of which would certainly be more accurate than Cecil — would we still be having this conversation?
People who want this hunter’s head on a pike have been fooled, gulled, conned, hornswaggled — and they swallowed the bait.
I have repeated with family, “But this is Zimbabwe, it was legal, everything was legal.” And this is the problem, people can’t mentally separate the USA from Zimbabwe.
Yup. Still don’t care about this story.
I guess that if authorities in Zimbabwe do not care, why should anyone else? If they wanted to protect the lion, then lion hunting should be outlawed. Money, however is more important for them. Conservationist should NOT be concentrating on the HUNTER but on the LAWS that allow HUNTING FOR SPORT of certain species like lions, otherwise their outrage is for nothing.
Conservationists understand that hunting is part of conservation.
Batcrap crazy progressives that lay claim to the label conservationist without understanding the first thing about how real ecosystems work are just haters with too much time on their hands.
Did Cecil the Lion ever exist?
Why was Cecil the Lion so beloved? Was he tame? Was he in a petting zoo?
Was Cecil a therapy lion at the Ronald McDonald House at Riley Hospital?
Has anyone ever proved that there ever was a tracking collar?
What was so illegal about the hunt?
Did Jericho really protect Cecil’s cubs?
Did Jericho ever actually exist? Was Jericho tame? Was Jericho in a petting zoo?
This is no surprise. Anyone who has done any work in Zimbabwe knows that Mugabe’s regime is all about the spin . . sort of like Obama’s. So they make a big deal to get the publicity and build outrage, and then when the rubber meets the road, they back off.
The guy paid for his permits, followed the law, and shot a lion. Was it the best lion to shoot . . . probably not, but he followed the advice of his guides like any safari hunter. And here we are. The left made him a whipping boy, the haters attacked him, and then he is found not guilty.
Sound familiar?
Expect Zimmerman-like hits…. These anti-hunting psychos will try to kill him. That’s why this is a gun-related article. He’s very likely going to have to defend himself from would-be liberal zealot hitmen.