Cecil the Lion, I'm sure you've heard about this

[Mr Peepers]

Cecil the lion lived in Zimbabwe on a protected park reserve, he was a majestic lion who became a celebrity icon there years back due to his unusual rich black mane surrounding his face.

Cecil was a project that was being monitored by GPS collar daily he was a protected lion.

Sadly a person hunted and lured Cecil off the protected park reserve after they had shot and wounded him with a cross bow and arrow. Cecil was lured with a dead carcass behind the truck of the hunter. Some 40 hours after he was wounded from the arrow shot, the hunter killed Cecil with his rifle and skinned the animal and took the head of the lion for his collection of trophy's at home. The meat was left to rot.

The hunter and the guides tried to destroy the GPS tracking device but didn't manage to. 2 of the guides have been charged and released on bail.

The hunter a dentist from Minnesota paid to hunt the lion paying $50 thousand dollars to do this. He is being threatened and harassed by outraged people who are horrified and angry about this senseless killing. They surround his dentist practice and have made threats to him online via twitter and many other media sources. The police have been keeping a close eye on the dentists business location which is currently closed.


I'm sure many of you have read or seen news about this and I'm curious to hear/read your thoughts about this.



[Users must be registered and logged in to view attached photos or hyperlinks]

[Mr Peepers]

I am angry and disappointed animals are still killed in the name of sport, I understand when animals are culled to help the blood line or protect the species and environment. I'm all for using the culled animals meat to feed people who have nothing such as some places like Africa. But hunting for sport to hang a head of the animal in your den is just wrong in my books.

I also don't agree with harassing or threatening the life of this dentist from Minnesota, he goofed, he goofed bad and he has to pay for this. So I will be hopeful that he will be prosecuted by the law for doing this. I'm really surprised by the comments and anger I've been reading online.

There is a site that wants to pay for a hitman to hunt the dentist and is asking for money to do so.

Really? Seriously? [Users must be registered and logged in to view attached photos or hyperlinks]


What do you all think about this?

[kendrafitz]

I am beyond disgusted. There is just so much wrong.

Killing animals for "sport" is something I cannot even comprehend. Luring an animal off a preserve to kill it...how is that even "hunting"? WTF is wrong with these people?

This person, who thinks so little of living sentient beings has been in trouble before. Something to the effect of lying about killing a bear a few years ago. He has murdered countless other animals, including another lion and a rhino. Why??? Decoration? Ego? Narcissism? I am just so saddened and sick that this type of thing happens all the time.

The kicker was his apology. Not sorry that he lured a lion away from a preserve. Or that what he did was pointless and cruel. He was sorry that he "had no idea that the lion I took was a known, local favorite, was collared and part of a study". Apparently luring a lion who was not a local favorite and collared off a preserve is just a ok. By the way sir, what you did was not "taking", it was killing. More to the point murdering a living being for your entertainment.

Just so disgusting and pointless!!

[spiritbird]

I am one of those angry people. This dentist has a history of killing animals in the name of sport. For every animal he has killed he should receive like punishment. The law in US is looking for him. Now he is the hunted.

[kendrafitz]

Oh, I forgot to add:

I am not in agreement with anything like people taking the law into their own hands. I get the anger, but not the violence. The whole mob mentality is scary to me. Hopefully whatever punishment he winds up with will be more than just a slap on the wrist. The damage to his reputation and business is also something he now has to live with.

[Casper's 2nd best friend]

Zimbabwe are seeking his extradition so he can face trial there. I expect he will get one of his rich lawyer friends to fight this. I would laugh if they all said no way are we going to defend you but I expect they are just as evil as he is.

[Mr Peepers]

I am beyond disgusted. There is just so much wrong.

Killing animals for "sport" is something I cannot even comprehend. Luring an animal off a preserve to kill it...how is that even "hunting"? WTF is wrong with these people?

This person, who thinks so little of living sentient beings has been in trouble before. Something to the effect of lying about killing a bear a few years ago. He has murdered countless other animals, including another lion and a rhino. Why??? Decoration? Ego? Narcissism? I am just so saddened and sick that this type of thing happens all the time.

The kicker was his apology. Not sorry that he lured a lion away from a preserve. Or that what he did was pointless and cruel. He was sorry that he "had no idea that the lion I took was a known, local favorite, was collared and part of a study". Apparently luring a lion who was not a local favorite and collared off a preserve is just a ok. By the way sir, what you did was not "taking", it was killing. More to the point murdering a living being for your entertainment.

Just so disgusting and pointless!!


Perfectly put!


Jimmy Kimmel talked about this on his show and said killing an animal like this just so you can hang its head on your wall and gloat with your idiot buddies to see is because you have a small penis. :th_biggrin:

[Mr Peepers]

Oh, I forgot to add:

I am not in agreement with anything like people taking the law into their own hands. I get the anger, but not the violence. The whole mob mentality is scary to me. Hopefully whatever punishment he winds up with will be more than just a slap on the wrist. The damage to his reputation and business is also something he now has to live with.


THIS!


The mob mentality is really scary and I can't get past some of the things people are saying and posting online about this whole situation. Violence to this person by strangers is not the answer.

This dentist has kids and a wife, they didn't kill Cecil but I'm sure the wife and kids are being scared by people who are really being scary while online stalking and threatening this dentist.

I really hope he is charged to the fullest and made to be an example of for his actions.

[Mr Peepers]

Zimbabwe are seeking his extradition so he can face trial there. I expect he will get one of his rich lawyer friends to fight this. I would laugh if they all said no way are we going to defend you but I expect they are just as evil as he is.


I thought the same thing, he will get a rich buddy lawyer to fight this.

Sometimes people of this world just make me sad and sickened. :th_sad14:

[Mr Peepers]

Some more comments that I'm cringing about.

There was a tv show with a host/guy and his panel of 3 expert guests regarding Cecil and the public outrage. One panelist was a games hunter who is hired to cull animals on reserves due to over population/health reasons environmental situations and other reasons. There was a NY police officer??????? The 3rd person was a specialist with regards to protection and animal rights etc.

The shows host asked the animal protection rights guy if lions were on the endangered list. He said they were just above endangered list on the Vulnerable list. The host stops the animal prot-rights guy in mid sentence and says angrily, "so lions aren't endangered so who cares? Its just a lion."

The cop jumps in and says Cecil was a protected animal, that Cecil was a major tourist attraction in Hwange National Park - Zimbabwe's largest game reserve. He mentions the 13 year-old animal was renowned for being friendly towards visitors attracting masses of people to see the animal and pay much needed income to protect the park reserve and many other species that lived there.

The host quickly interrupts the Police officer and says, "come on now I've been out for dinner with you and have seen you eat a massive steak. Aren't you calling the kettle black."

WHAT? SERIOUSLY WHAT??????????

What does the fact this officer had eaten meat at a dinner with the shows host have anything to do with the senseless killing of this animal?

Then the host says to his 3 panel of guests, whats the difference here between us eating steak/pork/chicken/fish every day? We hire assassin hunters to kill our meat for us every day.

At this point I'm ready to kick my TV hoping the kick will reach the host of this horrible program.

The panel then argued that Cecil was beheaded and skinned and his body was left to rot. The meat didn't feed anyone.

Then the host of the show said why are people so upset about this one lion when baby's are aborted every day being murdered.

WHAT????????????

At this point I had to turn off the tv.

Who gave this man a tv program? What was he rambling about with regards to ABORTION? What has abortion got to do with killing this lion?

I couldn't understand why he didn't have any compassion for the creatures of this planet that we are killing off daily weekly yearly by pollution land grabbing environmental disasters and more.

What have we become?

[spiritbird]

I guess the countries hosting sport hunting make money too. We do this in some US states like Texas.

[spiritbird]

[Users must be registered and logged in to view attached photos or hyperlinks]

[Mr Peepers]

[Users must be registered and logged in to view attached photos or hyperlinks]


I guess the countries hosting sport hunting make money too. We do this in some US states like Texas.



Wow, I don't know what to say. That is really sad.


My father was a hunter, he had been since he was a young boy. I asked him why he hunted and he said he needed to so he could feed the family (his mom dad and older brothers.)

His dad and brothers worked out in the bush doing cutting for paper mills so he was at home with his mom, he would fish and shoot small game like pheasants partridge and wild rabbits etc which his mom would put in the freezer or cook and jar. He use to tend to a very large garden with his mom and this food was also stored away frozen or jar'd for future use.

My dad never lost that mentality as he aged, each year he would obtain a license to shoot and kill a deer or moose and in October/November he would go and shoot one of these creatures bringing it home where an assembly line of family helped cut package and prepare the meat.

This meat was shared with other family members and filled our freezer with the vegetables and fruits grown every year in my fathers garden he maintained.

I don't feel bad for my fathers killing a deer for meat to feed a family, this was what he knew and he believed in.

I don't look or lump my father in the same category as the dentist from minnesota or the texas hunters who look like this is a celebration of death and destruction of these amazing animals for fun?

[Mr Peepers]

Saturday Aug. 1, 2015 it was reported the Jericho the lion who is Cecil the lions ‘coalition’ partner, not a blood-related sibling was killed.

It was reported Jericho was shot and killed yesterday, leaving speculation that the pride of females and cubs would now be claimed by a new male lion who would immediately slaughter all the cubs when it took over the pride.

Jericho is living and being monitored with GPS by Brent Stapelkamp of the Lion Research Project, it released a photo of Jericho as of 7:06 a.m. on Sunday feeding with the pride.


GREAT NEWS! Looks like the cubs are going to be safe for now. :th_smile:


[Users must be registered and logged in to view attached photos or hyperlinks]

[Mr Peepers]

Some amazing videos of Cecil and the pride.



[Users must be registered and logged in to view attached photos or hyperlinks]


He really did enjoy putting on a show for the camera's........... he just walks on by an open truck full of people without a care.



[Users must be registered and logged in to view attached photos or hyperlinks]

[kendrafitz]

That was part of the problem, right? Poor guy trusted humans. :(

[PeachyDoll]

Well Thank God his pride brother Jericho is alive and well.

[Mr Peepers]

That was part of the problem, right? Poor guy trusted humans. :(


No, not exactly. He lived on a protected reserve where people came to view wild life and shoot pictures of the animals not shoot the animals with a gun or bow and arrow.

Cecil was lured off the protected reserve by the dentist from minnesota by them dragging a carcass of a dead animal behind their truck.

Once he was close enough he was shot and wounded with a bow and arrow then he wandered away trying to hide, the hunter followed and tracked the wounded lion for 40 hours before the hunter shot the lion and killed it.

He lured the beast off the reserve.

[kendrafitz]

That I know. He was lured without question.

I just meant that due to him being around people, he wasn't as wary as a lion that doesn't see people.

[Mr Peepers]

Well Thank God his pride brother Jericho is alive and well.


This is good news!

[Mr Peepers]

That I know. He was lured without question.

I just meant that due to him being around people, he wasn't as wary as a lion that doesn't see people.



All the animals in the reserve are fairly close to people who came to view the animals and take pics daily. They weren't or aren't hunted (or so they thought) so they would easily get use to humans who aren't threatening them.

Unfortunately.... :(