Tragic loss of lives: legendary Cecil (Part I)The month of July witnessed a series of tragic deaths

Tragic loss of lives: legendary Cecil (Part I)The month of July witnessed a series of tragic deaths in the animal kingdom. Many of you have likely heard about the senseless killing of Cecil, the iconic lion from Zimbabwe. Reports of that killing were followed by news of the tragic death of Nabiré, the 31-year-old white rhinoceros at a Czech zoo who died of disease. Finally, another tragedy which did not receive as much attention from major conservationists was the horrible death of two tiger cubs at Sunderban Mangrove forests in India. These three deaths from the three corners of our world are not only tragic but at the same time they are making us face an uncomfortable question: is it right to kill creatures in the name of hunting? Lions are hunted, even protected ones; illegal poaching has completely decimated white rhinos in the wild, and this year until now, 41 tigers were hunted and killed in India. Many people at the social media sites seem to agree that we should share our world with them instead of killing them. In remembrance of their majesty, we shall seek to know a little bit more about them in this series.The untimely and tragic death of 13-year-old Cecil provoked outrage all over the world. Zimbabwe has formally requested the USA government extradite Dr. William Palmer, the hunter who killed him, to face charges for Cecil’s death. Oppah Muchinguri, the Environment Minister of Zimbabwe believes “this must be condemned in the strongest possible terms by all genuine, animal-loving conservationists who believe in sustainable utilization of natural resources.” That sentiment was echoed by Brent Stapelkamp, an Oxford University researcher who tracked and studied Cecil for the last 9 years, and who first alerted authorities after Cecil’s GPS collar stopped sending a signal.After the killing, Stapelkamp recounted to reporters the story of how Cecil became a celebrity of Hwange National Park. Cecil arrived at Hwange as a refugee, lonely after being displaced from his home. At the park, he became friends with Jericho and they grew up like brothers. As adults, they watched over two prides of six lionesses and seven cubs in total. The fate of the cubs are hanging in balance; with Cecil gone, now it will be up to Jericho to protect them from other adult males.Stapelkamp went on to reveal the brutal methods used to ‘bait’ and hunt these beautiful animals. The hunters first shoot and kill a giraffe or a zebra. They then hide the carcass on a tree, take the dead animal’s gut, drag it in front of their car, and move around the park boundary to attract a lion to the scent. Once the lion ventures out of the park in search for his free meal, they injure him by shooting arrows. The use of bow and arrow in hunting is becoming increasingly popular as it doesn’t create any noise like gunshots.Theo Bronkhorst, the professional hunter who helped Palmer in his hunt confessed to the authorities. Bronkhorst mentioned how they lured Cecil out from Hwange park at night using 'bait’ before shooting him with an arrow, confirming Stapelkamp’s version of how the hunt went down. When an injured Cecil went into hiding, they pursued him and after finding him the next day on 1st of July, they shot him, removed his collar, beheaded, and skinned him in contravention to the park rules which forbid hunting of collared animals. Hunting permits are issued by National Parks and Wildlife Authority in Zimbabwe and this year, they have specifically suspended game hunting of lions, leopards and elephants, both in and outside of Hwange National Park, even suspended bow and arrow hunts.“He was one of the most beautiful animals to look at,” said Johnny Rodrigues, the head of Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force. Stapelkamp, Rodrigues and Zimbabwe authorities are not buying Palmer’s excuses that he had no idea the hunt was illegal, after hearing Bronkhorst’s version of how it went down. Stapelkamp believes that the Safari operators who invested millions of dollars in the area have lost one of their biggest tourist attractions.–RB.Further information: http://cnn.it/1hcYCamhttp://yhoo.it/1KJz2Dwhttp://bit.ly/1D8oKwxImage: http://bit.ly/1ORypJA -- source link
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