Cecile the Lion

[E. Jensen]

I agree, the story is fishy.  I just think the story has gotten WAY more attention that it merits, given it happened across the glove, and that there are far more important things domestically that people are basically ignoring.

[bubbles]

I feel like this has gotten more attention than the Game of thrones writer getting killed by the lion.  I wonder how she feels about Cecile. 

[tallpine]

This whole story just doesn't add up. 50K is about the going price to take a legal lion in Africa, why poach one for that price? I'd be willing to bet the rich, idiot dentist got taken for a ride. Zimbabwe is one of the most corrupt places on the face of the earth. 

[mullet]

I just thought there might be a reason he was hunting next to a Wildlife Preserve with a Crossbow. If you read about the bear hunt this isn't his first Rodeo.

[Del the cat]

The fact that they tried to destroy the tracking collar doesn't say much for his argument.  You figure that since he had a bit of a run in with the law before that he would have been more cautious and made certain that everything was above board.

If we back him up then aren't we essentially shooting ourselves in the foot?

+1
It's people like that with more money than sense who tarnish all of us. Next thing you know we'll find we need a licence to own a bow.
It's not about one Lion or a couple of dead critters... I don't s'pose the Lion shed many tears over it's prey.
It's about responsible hunting for meat.
I don't s'pose for a minute he ate the Lion, or was even hungry enough to consider it.
He also sound s pretty incompetent if he couldn't kill it cleanly, after all it's not a pachyderm.
Del

[half eye]

I was not going to post on this because it made me so angry. The man has no ethics, integrity, or scruples. He roams the world with his pockets full and does whatever he see's fit. I believe the Odawa had a way of dealing with trouble makers that might be appropriate in this case. Strip him naked, two small cuts on his butt, blind him and turn him loose for the hyenas to eat alive. Seems about right.
     He reminds me of a schoolyard bully that needs a comeuppance severe enough to breach his type "A" attitude once and for all. Oh ya, string them guides up right beside him. Aint a single one of those people that are not equally guilty.....rant over.
rich

[Zuma]

If the lion was on a preserve, shouldn't his care takers
be at least as responsible for the death?
I am sorry, but for the world to pass FLASH judgement
in a case that has not been tried in court is barbaric.
What the hell ever happened to innocent until proven guilty.
The rifle shot and radio collar removal may have been done
 with out the knowledge of the dentist. Seems like Cecil had quite a DO.
Elephants are rounded up on preserves and destroyed by the hundreds.
By the folks tasked to eerrr," preserve them".
If he is guilty it is the law that should pass judgement not the public.
Once trashed like this an innocent person cannot recuperate.
Some want more from the dentist than the law gives murders and rapists.
I wonder how many cars have crashed and killed People while the drivers
were texting this story?
Zuma

[Josh B]

I have mixed emotions on this deal.  Do I think this guy was a pure as the driven snow ethical hunter that's above gaming the rules?  No.  Do I think this guy deserves all the hate and animosity over this?  Nope.  For one thing, he was hunting next to a preserve, not on it.  It was a free ranging critter on presumably legal to hunt ground.  I've hunted on property that was adjacent to posted property all my life.  Is that any different?  As far as the tracking collar goes, did you see the mane on that thing?  I wouldn't have seen a collar in all that hair.  Also, he paid a guide service what, by all accounts is the going rate for a lion hunt.  Sounds like a legitimate effort to do things legal for the most part.  I don't much appreciate giving the anti's more ammo to use against us, but I'll be darned if I'm going to let them tell me what to think of this mess.  I refuse to let there rhetoric convince me to condemn a man without the facts.  Furthermore, I agree with E. Jensen.  Is there no more pressing issues to devote our time and energy towards than this?  Josh

[Marc St Louis]

It is possible he didn't see the collar but he was hunting with a bow and therefore would have had to wait for a"decent" shot so the likely hood that he did see it was pretty good.  If he didn't then I am pretty sure he saw it when he went to collect his trophy and if he would have been an ethical hunter then he would have contacted authorities to report it, I don't think he did that.  In any case, it's his conscience that will win the day.

[Josh B]

The decision to destroy the collar is, at least in my mind the point where a touchy situation became a bad one.  I absolutely agree that as soon as the collar was discovered the authorities should have been notified.  I can envision the scene from the point of discovery that really got this snowball rolling....
Dentist- oh crap, this lion has a tracking collar
Guide- so?
Dentist-shouldn't we turn this in?
Guide-we can't! we have no licenses.
Dentist-double crap! What did I pay you for?
Guide- you paid to shoot a lion.  You shot one.
Dentist-how was I supposed to get the trophy home?
Guide- you won't have a trophy if you call the authorities.
Dentist-like hell!  Get rid of that collar!
It was at this point that he went from sucker to idiot in my mind.  Obviously I just made that all up and don't know anymore about the scene than anyone else.  But after reading a few articles, that's how it played out in my mind.  As I said I don't think he's innocent, but I don't think he was up to any shenanigans until the collar was found.  It was all down hill from there.  Truth be told, we'll never really know what happened.  The courts have the ball, I'll let them run with it.  There's too many more important things in life to worry about this too much.  Josh

[Del the cat]

@Zuma.
"shouldn't his care takers be at least as responsible for the death?"
Nope, total doublethink.
It's like saying it's your fault that someone stole your car because you didn't watch over it 24/7.
IMO that's the big problem today, the blame culture... it's never the fault of the person who does the dirty deed ... it's always someone else's fault, parents, school, the authorities, computer games, TV, the Chinese etc take your choice.
Nope... it's the guy who pulls the trigger, steals the car or looses the arrow.
If you don't like this post, don't blame me.... my Mrs Cat made me write it  
Del

[Marc St Louis]

@Zuma.
"shouldn't his care takers be at least as responsible for the death?"
Nope, total doublethink.
It's like saying it's your fault that someone stole your car because you didn't watch over it 24/7.
IMO that's the big problem today, the blame culture... it's never the fault of the person who does the dirty deed ... it's always someone else's fault, parents, school, the authorities, computer games, TV, the Chinese etc take your choice.
Nope... it's the guy who pulls the trigger, steals the car or looses the arrow.
If you don't like this post, don't blame me.... my Mrs Cat made me write it  
Del

 

[Zuma]

LOL, Well you guys are Cats! Sorry for your loss.
But then, why didn't I hear all this noise when my car was stolen?

I can understand the ruckus about the loss of the lion.That is a shame.
What I mean is-- if you pamper and use a wild animal
to make money ($ for safari) don't you have some responsibility for
it's safety?? If he was free to come and go from the preserve then the owners
of the preserve must have known the lion could fall into hunters sights.
You know the collar was used to guide tourists to the cat not to keep folks
from shooting it. An ear tag would have been a better deterrent.
Zuma

[JackCrafty]

The whole thing is a game. And $50K for a lion hunt is probably on the less expensive side.  Guided hunts can be one of the most ridiculously overpriced things on the planet.  Compare this to the price of a lion cub ($5K each here in the US) and you can see there is a lot of room for huge profits and greed.  Bending the local laws soon follows in the name of easy tourism money.

The story is a waste of time, IMO.  These hunters were "caught" by people who were making money from Cecil's life.  Now that he's dead, they stand to loose money (unless there are donations rolling in for the purchase of new lions, new fences, etc...).

I tend to favor the "life" side of this money-making game, but all sides are all guilty of exploiting Cecil including the media outlets making money off views of this story.

[sleek]

I have mixed emotions on this deal.  Do I think this guy was a pure as the driven snow ethical hunter that's above gaming the rules?  No.  Do I think this guy deserves all the hate and animosity over this?  Nope.  For one thing, he was hunting next to a preserve, not on it.  It was a free ranging critter on presumably legal to hunt ground.  I've hunted on property that was adjacent to posted property all my life.  Is that any different?  As far as the tracking collar goes, did you see the mane on that thing?  I wouldn't have seen a collar in all that hair.  Also, he paid a guide service what, by all accounts is the going rate for a lion hunt.  Sounds like a legitimate effort to do things legal for the most part.  I don't much appreciate giving the anti's more ammo to use against us, but I'll be darned if I'm going to let them tell me what to think of this mess.  I refuse to let there rhetoric convince me to condemn a man without the facts.  Furthermore, I agree with E. Jensen.  Is there no more pressing issues to devote our time and energy towards than this?  Josh

Well spoken.