The Cecil saga

About lions
Lions (Panthera leo) belong to the family Felidae and are classed as true carnivores eating a meat only diet. They are found in sub Saharan Africa and Asia and are the second largest cat after the tiger. They are typically found in savannah and grassland but can also be found in bush and forest. They are generally social creatures forming prides of multiple females and one or more males and their offspring. Males typically are ejected from the pride upon maturity and will live solo or form a coalition with another male, until they are able to gain a pride of their own. Females hunt together typically bringing down large ungulates such as gazelles and bison however, once a kill is made the adult male eats first with the females and cubs eating once he has finished.

About Cecil
Cecil was named after Cecil Rhodes a British imperialist (colonist of country) and mining magnate in the 19th century. He is the namesake of Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) and founder of Rhodes university in South Africa and the Rhodes scholarship at Oxford university.
Cecil was first seen in Hwange national park in 2008, alongside another male presumed to be his brother. In 2009 they encountered a pride; a fight occurred and Cecil's brother was killed and both he and the pride male seriously injured. Cecil retired to a new area of the park eventually establishing a pride of 22 lions however in 2013 he was evicted by two younger males. This led him to form a coalition of his own with a male lion called Jericho and regained control of the pride. By 2015 the pride consisted of the two males, half a dozen females and cubs sired by Cecil or Jericho.
Cecil was well known at the park and was easily identified by his black fringed mane and GPS collar. He had been studied by a team of scientists from the wildlife conservation research unit at Oxford university since 2008. It was suggested that Cecil was so popular due to him becoming accustomed to human presence, allowing tour groups to get as close as 33ft (10m) away from him.

What happened

In June 2015 an American dentist called Walter Palmer supposedly paid $50,000 (Approx £32,000) to a professional hunter called Theo Bronkhorst to kill an adult lion. It was allegedly said that Cecil was lured out of the safety of the park by a jeep towing meat and then shot with a bow and arrow. He was tracked and found roughly 40 hours later, where he was killed with a rifle. He was then skinned and his head was removed; when his body was found by park investigators his GPS collar was missing.

The aftermath

Zimbabwe national parks stated that neither Bronkhorst or the landowner of where Cecil was shot, had the right permit for a lion. Bronkhorst stated however that they had a permit for both the use of a bow and arrow and for a lion from the council. Both Zimbabweans have been arrested for assisting Palmer with the killing but Palmer had since returned to the USA where he stated that he had relied on the guides to ensure a legal hunt.

In Zimbabwe Cecils death went generally unnoticed by the locals who were unaware of the famous lion who lived amongst them however, it had huge implications for Hwange park which the lion used to call home. Visitor numbers dropped significantly, with bookings being canceled after the death of the lion was announced. This is a huge blow for the park as money from tourism helps to support the management and conservation of the park.

When the news broke to the rest of the world it caused outrage amongst the general public, conservationists and politicians. Palmer received hundreds of death threats and his personal details were published online, forcing him to close his dental practice and go into hiding. 

The death of Cecil led to many conservation groups pushing for a proposal banning imports of lion trophies to the US and European Union, as well as discussions on the ethnics of big game hunting and the possibility of getting African countries to ban bow hunting, bait hunting and hunting blinds (cover for hunters). 

A petition called justice for Cecil gathered over 900,000 signatures on social media, the petition calls for Zimbabwe's government to no longer issue permits to hunt endangered animals and talk host Jimmy Kimmel raised $150,000 (Approx £96,000) in donations to Oxfords wildlife conservation research unit.

Safari club international (group comprised of hunters) stated that it had suspended Palmer's and Bronkhorst's memberships, mentioning that anyone who takes wildlife illegally should be prosecuted and punished to the extent of the law.

Bronkhorst appeared in court at Victoria Falls and was charged with poaching offenses for not having the required permit and is due back in court on August 5th. He was reported as saying that Palmer was innocent and thought it was legal but having discovered that Palmer was prosecuted in America for illegally killing a black bear, makes anyone question the truth behind that statement. Ndlovu whose land was where the lion was killed was prosecuted for allowing an illegal hunt on his land, as it is a area that does not have a quota for lion kills.

On the 31st July Zimbabwe officials stated they initiated proceedings to extradite Palmer to face charges, with a petition to the US government which supported this reaching over 100,000 signatures, forcing the white house to respond by saying they will review the petition. 

The fate of the pride

Normally when a male lion is removed from a pride, the cubs are killed by the new male, this prevents the male from raising cubs that are not his but also causes the females to be ready to breed again so he can pass on his genes. Fortunately due to Cecil's coalition with Jericho, Jericho has taken control of the pride and has even been seen defending the cubs from rival males. This is because the cubs will be a mixture of both Cecil and Jericho parentage therefore, it is in his best interest to defend the cubs and protect his legacy, allowing Cecil's legacy to live on too.

My Views

Hunting is no longer a term associated with one meaning, it generally now is viewed as associated with the words sport or trophy. I have no problem with those who hunt for the true meaning of the word which is for food, as even though most of us have disassociated ourselves with where the meat on our plates comes from, others still have to go out and catch their meals themselves. It is sport/trophy hunters who give these people and this term bad press as there is no need for these to occur, they are not providing food, they are viewed as 'fun', 'exhilarating' and the corpses are used to 'decorate' a home. To me there is no pride, no manhood in killing a animal for sport, from a distance and then adopting a domineering presence over it's body with a cocky grin thinking your the business because you've killed a top predator or large game. The truth is these people are the weakest of the weak, they hide the fact that they are in reality meek and mild people that probably would not say boo to a goose, behind guns and weaponry that provide them with the protection and strength that they lack without. Others believe that we as a species are dominant and therefore we have a right to decide what lives and what dies, this arrogance is unfortunately the small proportion of the human race which lets us down. If they faced any of the animals that they kill with the use of weaponry without them, they would not stand a chance and would be forced to remember just how weak and unpowerful they really are.

I fully believe that if you want the thrill of following and finding an animal, waiting for the perfect shot and then having a trophy of that moment that will last forever then become a wildlife photographer! At least the animal will survive to live another day and provide someone else with that perfect moment as well as future generations, instead of being mounted in some rich guys house for all his narrow minded friends to see and admire until its slowly forgotten as it is replaced by more, left to collect dust, a life that was once majestic and beautiful, taken for a pointless short lived moment of glory.

As always thank you for visiting my blog and taking the time to read my posts. Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comment box below and until next time Keep It Wild!!!!!!