With re: to the "Cecil" debacle. I have NEVER seen such a shit storm via one incident (with the exception of 9/11), and I know that social media has played a major part in this issue going viral. However, now that some time has passed & I am less emotional about the incident (i.e. just sitting around thinking about it), I have a few questions re: the "facts" as they have been "reported".
1.) It has been said that the lion in question was "lured" out of the park by dragging meat. How does anyone know this? DId they actually see someone dragging meat and if so, why didn't they say "Hey, stop dragging meat.....you'll lure a lion out of the park" and/or report it to authorities? How do we know (or not know) that whatever "meat" Cecil was shot at was a carcass that just occured there naturally?
"We set off quite late, with the sun down, and found the carcass of an elephant which we dragged and moved into the long
grass and used for bait," he said
2.) The dentist that shot poor Cecil is a felon; he's been convicted of poaching before! Really? If this is true, then how come he is allowed to practice dentistry? Of all the medical boards I know of (medicine, nursing, dentistry, etc), if one is a convicted felon, one is not allowed to practice the profession! PERIOD!!! If he had been convicted, (and back in the 80's), how was he able to maintain such a successful practice (until Fay Dunaway decided to broadcast personal information to the world.......funny how 'celebrities' don't want their personal emails, phone numbers, or addresses shared to protect their "privacy", but feel no sense of restraint when it comes to doing the same thing (esp. if it gets them some more "15 minutes of fame).
3.) The lion was shot with an arrow, and lanquished for 40 hours before being finished off with a rifle. Again, how do you know? Where you there? Did you actually watch the whole thing from somewhere and again, if so, why didn't you step in and do something? Or is is all bullshit, and just makes for good copy?
"The client then fired using a bow and arrow, and it went away into the long grass. This was about 10 pm."
Mr. Bronkhorst said he had a sense that the lion was hit, but could not be sure.
"Bow and arrow wounds are different to gun wounds, and they don't show much. But we couldn't do anything that night."
The four men went home for the night before returning to search for Cecil at dawn the next day.
"I was worried about the lion and what had happened," said Mr. Bronkhorst
"We got there about 9am, and we found it and it was wounded, and the client then shot it, with his bow and arrow, and
killed it"
4.) The tracking collar was destroyed, proving guilt! Supposedly the tracking collar was burned, proving that the kill was illegal. Really? If the tracking collar was indeed burned, wouldn't it stand to reason that it would no longer be transmitting? If it is no longer transmitting, how was it found? And it amazes me that as much as the antis LOVE to show photographs, no one has a photo of the "burned collar".
"I could not have seen the collar at night. We would never shoot a collared animal. I was devastated, and so was the client,
we were both upset, and I panicked and took it off and put it in a tree."
"I should have taken it to Parks [the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlfe Management Authority], I admit that. So we did what
had to be done. We took the head and skin, as the client had paid for the trophy"
"I went to Parks and reported what had happened. I wish I had taken the collar"
I'm just curious....maybe I don't have the facts. Maybe these are the conditions......but they don't make sense. All I hear is a lot of emotion from a lot of 'talking heads', (one of which claimed that Cecil was killed in a 'pen').
Can anybody quote an impartial source? (other than PETA).
