Copyright 2013 Michael Paredes, Zimbabwe (details below) Big game hunting…really? Didn’t that die along with Baron Bror Fredrik von Blixen-Finecke -- the Swedish aristocrat who was once married to Karen Blixen, whose memoirs inspired Out of Africa -- in 1946? No, sadly there are morons who do it all the time, not just the current poster boy for insatiable and demonic greed, Walter Palmer. No matter that in 1950 there were an estimated 300,000 lions in the wild in Africa and now there are less than a tenth of that; there are those who would gladly kill the remaining few.
Canned hunting for conservation? Bullshit! Destroying under the guise of saving? Healthy wildlife populations bring in a lot more revenue via sustainable tourism than the sociopathic bloodlust resulting in a lion head on the wall of a dumb McMansion in Minnesota. There is no way that I could explain the vacuous arguments in favor of canned hunting more thoroughly than Jacalyn Beales, writing for Selva Beat: Don’t Be Fooled, Canned Hunting Will Never Save Africa’s Lions.
Will this situation actually change, when greedy cowards can continue to facilitate this barbarity to make money and spoiled jerks can keep fulfilling their sick needs? How fantastic would it be if “lion ranches” went extinct instead of wild lions?
There is hope for change:
For anyone who might think that this is too much focus on a lion and not enough on people who are in harm’s way in this often cruel and unfair world -- wouldn’t it be wonderful to envision African children growing up to be wildlife biologists, veterinarians, photographers, and safari company owners? This absolutely affects people; there are myriad ways that individuals can get involved and benefit from robust wildlife populations. Picture people thriving in countries that have vibrant, healthy economies thanks to their natural heritage.
What a beautiful, and truly rich, world that would be.
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The gorgeous photo was taken by aviator & passionate wildlife advocate/photographer, Mike Paredes. The lion was photographed in the same wilderness area where Cecil lived in Zimbabwe - Hwange National Park. Check out Mike's website Map Photographic - partial proceeds from a photo purchase will be donated to a lion conservation.
This Avaaz petition has momentum, help it reach a Million: US, EU: Save Africa's Lions
Thinking that now is the time to go see Africa’s wildlife? It is! Check out the reasonably priced adventures offered by GrassTrack Safaris.
Canned hunting for conservation? Bullshit! Destroying under the guise of saving? Healthy wildlife populations bring in a lot more revenue via sustainable tourism than the sociopathic bloodlust resulting in a lion head on the wall of a dumb McMansion in Minnesota. There is no way that I could explain the vacuous arguments in favor of canned hunting more thoroughly than Jacalyn Beales, writing for Selva Beat: Don’t Be Fooled, Canned Hunting Will Never Save Africa’s Lions.
Will this situation actually change, when greedy cowards can continue to facilitate this barbarity to make money and spoiled jerks can keep fulfilling their sick needs? How fantastic would it be if “lion ranches” went extinct instead of wild lions?
There is hope for change:
- The incredible outrage directed at Walter Palmer; the volume is up on this issue and though it will die down, there are new recruits for the battle to save biodiversity. A White House petition to extradite Palmer reached its threshold in record time.
- Clearly, Cecil having a name made a huge difference. I suspect that we will know many more lions, elephants, and others by first name after this.
- Jimmy Kimmel. And others like Ricky Gervais who have long optimized their celebrity to try and reach a larger audience on the crucial topic of “we are losing the beauty, magic, and sustainable economic potential of our natural world.”
- The potential that future canned hunters will not want to risk being publically shamed.
- Enormous pressure on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service to list lions as endangered. Listing the African lion under the Endangered Species Act wouldn't stop American hunters traveling to Africa to hunt lions, but it would establish a stringent new permitting process – the more challenges the better.
- New Jersey! The state of New Jersey has been very progressive in the battle to save elephants from extinction and recent events caught the attention of state Assemblyman Tim Eustace. On Wednesday he announced that he will file a bill during the next legislative session that would ban transporting animal carcasses of endangered or threatened species through airports overseen by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey -- Kennedy, LaGuardia and Newark Liberty airports. A similar effort is already underway in New York via the Africa Big 5 Bill.
- There are many more signs of change – I would love to see some in the comments!
For anyone who might think that this is too much focus on a lion and not enough on people who are in harm’s way in this often cruel and unfair world -- wouldn’t it be wonderful to envision African children growing up to be wildlife biologists, veterinarians, photographers, and safari company owners? This absolutely affects people; there are myriad ways that individuals can get involved and benefit from robust wildlife populations. Picture people thriving in countries that have vibrant, healthy economies thanks to their natural heritage.
What a beautiful, and truly rich, world that would be.
------
The gorgeous photo was taken by aviator & passionate wildlife advocate/photographer, Mike Paredes. The lion was photographed in the same wilderness area where Cecil lived in Zimbabwe - Hwange National Park. Check out Mike's website Map Photographic - partial proceeds from a photo purchase will be donated to a lion conservation.
This Avaaz petition has momentum, help it reach a Million: US, EU: Save Africa's Lions
Thinking that now is the time to go see Africa’s wildlife? It is! Check out the reasonably priced adventures offered by GrassTrack Safaris.
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