Quote:
Originally Posted by GenuineRisk
I hope you're right, Rupert. I would like him to be extradited to Zimbabwe (the US and Zimbabwe have a pretty generous extradition agreement with each other), but I suspect he'll pay a fine (which, since he can apparently afford $55,000 to hunt lions is not likely to be a hard financial hit on him) and that will be that. I think the court of public opinion is the only place he's likely to see any real financial damages, if it keeps people away from him as a dentist.
I'm not opposed to hunting (it preserves open wilderness, and hey, venison is freaking delicious), but I do not, do not, understand the obsession with hunting big game, especially predators. As was pointed out in another site following this story, lions aren't exactly challenging sport. They live in groups, so they aren't as aggressive as say, tigers, who are solitary, and in this case, Cecil was a particularly docile one who was accustomed to people, making him an easier target. There's no courage in "sport" like this; it's just an insecure little man trying to make himself feel like a tough guy.
Not to mention, the guy has killed a bear illegally (and then lied about it), and was fined for fishing without a license. He'll pay over 50K to kill a lion, but is too cheap to buy a fishing license. What a reprehensible human being. There is no way he didn't know the lion was being hunted illegally.
Plus, the young male who was part of the pride will probably now kill Cecil's six cubs, as that IS part of the natural cycle. Nice work, dentist. You killed seven lions for the price of one. Ugh.
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a repeat offender poacher. wonderful.
when i hunt, which is not often anymore, it's for food.
i don't and won't shoot anything that i won't eat. neither will hubby. i was lucky enough to watch two coyotes play one morning, like two dogs...it was hilarious. when i'd tell people about watching them play, invariably the other person would say 'you shoulda shot them'. i'd ask why. well, they eat turkeys and small deer. ok, isn't that part of nature?
the guy said he had no idea that the lion was who he was, or that he'd been on a game preserve...but i find when someone is unethical, they manage to find others like-minded to help them reach their goal.
jerk.
i hope that he gets the stiffest possible penalty.
and GR, hopefully the other male won't kill the cubs. i know new males to a pride do that, but i don't know that this will happen in this case, since the other male was already part of the pride...here's hoping.