10 Cecil the Lion and Trophy Hunting Facts - WMNews Ep. 39

10 Cecil the Lion and Trophy Hunting Facts - WMNews Ep. 39

#10: Who Is Cecil the Lion and How Did He Die?
The Hunt

Cecil was a 13 year old Southwest African Lion, named after 19th century British imperialist Cecil Rhodes, and the most well known of his species in Zimbabwe. The head of his pride alongside another male named Jericho, he was first noticed in the Hwange National Park in 2008. As he was famously comfortable around people, it wasn’t uncommon for tourists or researchers to get within 33 feet of Cecil - meaning he ultimately became a major tourist attraction, with wildlife enthusiasts the world over travelling to Zimbabwe in the hope of seeing him. However, it isn’t just animal enthusiasts that travel into Africa for lions, as the animal is also a major pull for big game hunters - and it was at the hands of such a hunter that Cecil died on July 1st, 2015.

#9: Who Is Walter Palmer?
The Hunter

An American dentist and recreational game hunter from Minnesota in the U.S., Walter Palmer is Cecil the lion’s killer. Palmer reportedly paid up to $55,000 to professional hunter Theo Bronkhorst in order to hunt the animal. A regular big game pursuer, stories have since emerged detailing Palmer’s other kills - including his claims of achieving the world record for the biggest white rhino ever killed by crossbow. The American is adamant that he believed his pursuit of Cecil to be legal, although this isn’t the first time that he has been in trouble with the authorities. Following his slaying of a Black Bear in Wisconsin in 2006, Palmer lied to a U.S. Fish and Wildlife agent about exactly where the killing was made, and was placed on probation for one year as a result. As media intensity surrounding the case of Cecil has grown in the summer of 2015 though, Palmer has gone further into hiding.

#8: Why Is Cecil’s Death Such a Big Deal?
The Lion

Big game hunting in itself isn’t a new thing, or an especially rare activity – but it is a hobby mainly limited to those with enough money to pursue it, and a moral standing that supports it. However, the killing of Cecil has gained international attention because of the apparently illegal circumstances under which it was carried out. Cecil had lived within a zone protected from trophy hunters, but was lured away from his home by Palmer, Bronkhorst and local landowner Honest Ndlovu - none of whom were in possession of the necessary permits to hunt lions. The trio tied a meat carcass to the back of their vehicle, after which Palmer injured Cecil with a crossbow, and eventually killed him with a gun forty hours after the original injury. However, Cecil was fitted with an electronic tracking device installed by Oxford University. Though this device was partly destroyed by Palmer’s group, it worked enough to locate Cecil’s body - which had been skinned and beheaded.

#7: What Will the International Community Do?
The Petition

Worldwide reaction to the story was almost unanimously shock and outrage. Palmer was forced into quick and complete hiding, as global discussion turned to a proposal for bills banning imports of big game trophies into the U.S. and EU, with matters of poaching and wildlife trafficking also reaching the UN General Assembly. Protests popped up online as well, with the ‘Justice for Cecil’ petition receiving over 900,000 signatures, and calling for the Zimbabwean government to stop issuing any form of hunting permit for endangered animals. The story has also prompted over $450,000 worth of donations made to the Oxford Wildlife Conservation Research Unit - $150,000 of which was triggered by a plea made by U.S. talk-show host Jimmy Kimmel.

#6: What Has Been the Reaction in the U.S.?
The Outcry

With the other two members of the hunting party, Bronkhorst and Ndlovu, already having appeared in a local Zimbabwean court in early August 2015, there was massive calling for Palmer to do so as well - with a separate public petition demanding Palmer’s extradition receiving over 100,000 signatures. Given the massive public interest, the White House agreed to review the situation, although the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was unable to get in contact with Palmer as of early August, 2015. Palmer had not yet been charged in either the U.S. or Zimbabwe by that point, either. The public outcry over Cecil’s death mobilized many to protest against animal cruelty and big game hunting, but it also upset others that the death of a lion in Zimbabwe appeared to unleash more outrage than the death of humans on their own soil. Case in point: African-American Sandra Bland was found dead in mid-July 2015 under circumstances that many believed were racially motivated. Though there was certainly social media and public outrage following her death, the apparent universal union of Americans behind Cecil was seen by some as hypocritical.

#5: What Is Big Game and Trophy Hunting?
The Sport

The pursuit of lions like Cecil is one part of an altogether bigger activity practiced the world over known as Big Game Hunting. A sport where man makes prey out of some of the largest, most potentially dangerous, and often-endangered species on the planet, it can usually be carried out legally as long as the correct permits have been obtained for the country in which the hunt is taking place. The ‘trophy’ is the part of the animal (usually the skin or the head) that is kept by the hunter as recognition of his or her achievement. The wall-mounted moose’s head is perhaps the most cliché example of a trophy, but the most prestigious within hunting circles are often referred to as ‘The Big Five’. Africa’s Big Five Game includes the lion, the leopard, the African Elephant, the White Rhino and the Cape Buffalo, while tigers and other rhino species are also sought-after on the Indian subcontinent.

#4: Does Big Game and Trophy Hunting Help Local Economies?
The Benefits

While some view the activity as immoral, there are economic benefits for the local communities in which such hunts take place. Palmer himself reportedly paid upwards of $50,000 for his single hunt. South African Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa said of the 2010 hunting season that over 1 billion South African Rand (equal to over $78 million USD) was generated through the hunting industry - and that’s only taking into account the land and species fees that benefit directly. However, those opposed to the practice point to the idea that wildlife hunting achieves a series of one-off, naturally unrepeatable payments into the local economy, therefore making it unstable and unreliable financially. In contrast, wildlife tourism offers a steadier, safer, and – depending on your outlook – less sinister alternative.

#3: Will Cecil’s Death Trigger Hunting Restrictions in America?
The Fear

The repercussions of Cecil’s death were felt the world over, which prompted fear in hunting circles that the event could trigger legislation change within America itself. Within a month of the killing, New Jersey senator Bob Menendez had already proposed an act to ‘disincentivize trophy killings’, entitled the ‘Conserving Ecosystems by Ceasing the Importation of Large Animal Trophies Act’, which can be neatly abbreviated to ‘the CECIL Act’. However, big game hunting is not solely practiced overseas (with bears and deer being among the most pursued in North America), and campaigners hoped that Cecil’s death would push politicians into making it more difficult to practice the sport legally in the U.S. as well.

#2: What Is the State of Endangered Animals in Africa?
The Poaching

Regardless of your stance on big game hunting or hunting in general, worldwide law and understanding of poaching is fairly universal and firm - it’s illegal. Poaching is hunting with incorrect permits and/or incorrect methods, often taking place in incorrect or protected areas and regions – which is essentially what Walter Palmer could be found guilty of doing, whether or not he did so intentionally. A consistent threat against wildlife numbers and systems, poaching is a main reason why the endangered animals of Africa remain endangered - and those that are not currently listed, are steadily becoming so. While the hunting communities and some conservationists might argue that the hunting industry actually helps keep populations up because of increased breeding of animals by ranchers, illegal kills such as Cecil’s - carried out knowingly or not - have a severely negative impact on protective efforts.

#1: Will This Have an Effect on the Industry?
The Future

Cecil’s death was one of the most high-profile cases of its type to occur in recent years, and brought the issue to public and political attention once more. On August 4th, 2015 three big American airlines, Delta, United and American, all issued a ban on the transport of big game trophies – namely of lion, leopard, elephant, rhinoceros and buffalo carcasses. There’s clearly a need to prevent similar situations from occurring in the future, but it’s a complex issue involving both politics and ethics. As highlighted by Cecil’s death, there remain questions surrounding the morality of big game and trophy hunting for some. However, gray areas will continue to exist as long as there are no universal laws regarding certain animals or certain countries, and these loopholes will allow big game hunters like Walter Palmer to pursue their sport.

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