While I was reading this article, the entire time all I could think was "How could anyone think that this is okay?" Personally, I am completely against what Dr. Walter Palmer did, though I don't think I would go so far as to dress up my child in a lion suit and protest in front of his office. I just don't understand how Palmer thought that luring a lion out of a reserve in Zimbabwe and killing it was a completely normal thing to do. He claims that he didn't know that the lion he "took was a known, local favorite, was collared and part of study until the end of the hunt." Apparently, he relied on local professionals to ensure that the hunt was legal. But how could he not notice that he was hunting right near a reserve? Cecil lived in the Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe, the largest reserve in Zimbabwe. That sort of place, with cottages, camping sites, picnic sites, etc. doesn’t exactly blend in. I think that Dr. Palmer knew exactly what he was doing and that he didn’t care.
The main problem that I have with this whole situation is that hunting animals like Cecil is a sport to some people. Some protesters started a Facebook page called “Shame Lion Killer Dr Walter Palmer and River Bluff Dental,” where the cover photo displays Dr. Palmer with a dead lion, a dead rhinoceros, and a dead cheetah. This, to me, was appalling.Lions, rhinoceri, and cheetahs are not eaten by humans, which means that Dr. Palmer simply hunted them down and murdered them for fun, which is NOT okay. He also hunts with a crossbow, as indicated by the article, which caused Cecil to suffer for 40 hours before he finally died. That sort of killing is just cruel.
The main point I want to get across is that animal hunting for sport should be banned. I understand why some people hunt deer and geese, because they actually put the meat to use. But hunting and killing wild animals like lions and rhinoceri simply should not be allowed! The only reason why people hunt those animals is for fun or to sell their furs, which is not something that is necessary or moral, in my opinion. Further precautions need to be taken in order to stop illegal hunting in places like the Hwange National Park. It shouldn’t have been so easy for Dr. Palmer and his associates to lure Cecil out of the park. Hopefully, after this story dies down, the government in our country and in other countries will buckle down on illegal hunting and poaching.
RIP Cecil!
http://www.cnn.com/2015/07/30/us/walter-palmer-whereabouts/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1040002419352406/
