Current Events > trophy hunter killed lion who was part of research project

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The killing of a collared lion involved in a research project in Zimbabwe by a trophy hunter has been condemned by wildlife groups, echoing the infamous case of a lion called Cecil whose death at the hands of an American tourist in the same country a decade ago was met with international outrage.

The latest lion, known as Blondie, was part of an Oxford University study and wore a research collar sponsored by Africa Geographic, a safari company. Africa Geographic said Blondie was killed by a hunter in June close to the countrys flagship Hwange National Park after being lured out of a protected area and into a nearby hunting zone with the use of bait.

After Blondies killing became a new rallying cry for those opposed to hunting, a spokesperson for Zimbabwes National Parks told The Associated Press on Thursday that the hunt was legal and the hunter had the necessary permits. Zimbabwe allows up to 100 lions to be hunted a year. Trophy hunters, who are usually foreign tourists, pay tens of thousands of dollars to kill a lion and take the head or skin as a trophy.

Africa Geographic CEO Simon Espley said Blondies killing made a mockery of the ethics trophy hunters claim to prescribe to because he wore a clearly visible research collar and was a breeding male in his prime. Hunters say they only target ageing, non-breeding lions.

That Blondies prominent collar did not prevent him from being offered to a hunting client confirms the stark reality that no lion is safe from trophy hunting guns, Espley said.

Hunting lions is fiercely divisive, even among conservationists. Some say if it is well managed it raises money that can be put back into conservation. Others want killing wildlife for sport to be banned outright.

Some countries in Africa like Kenya have commercial hunting bans, others like Zimbabwe and South Africa allow it. Botswana lifted a ban on hunting six years ago.

Tinashe Farawo, the spokesperson for the Zimbabwe parks agency, said money from hunting is crucial to support the southern African nations underfunded conservation efforts. He defended the hunt and said they often happen at night, meaning the collar on Blondie may not have been visible.

He said he had no information on Blondie being lured out of the park with bait which is usually a dead animal but there is nothing unethical or illegal about that for anyone who knows how lions are hunted. This is how people hunt.

Our rangers were present. All paperwork was in order. Collars are for research purposes, but they dont make the animal immune to hunting, Farawo said. He declined to name the hunter.

Cecils killing in 2015 unleashed furious anger against Walter Palmer, a Minnesota dentist and trophy hunter who lured the lion out of the same national park in Zimbabwe and shot him with a bow before tracking him for hours and finally killing him. Cecil, whose head and skin were cut off and taken for trophies, was also involved in a research project by Oxford University.

Zimbabwe authorities initially said they would seek to extradite Palmer over the hunt, although that didnt happen, while a hunting guide who helped him was arrested, only for charges to be dropped.

Zimbabwes national parks agency says the country makes about $20 million a year from trophy hunting, with a single hunter spending an average of $100,000 per hunt which includes accommodation and hiring vehicles and local trackers.

Zimbabwe is home to approximately 1,500 wild lions, with around one-third of them living in the vast Hwange National Park. Across Africa, the wild lion population is estimated at around 20,000. However, their numbers are decreasing due to habitat loss and human conflict. Lions, one of Africas most iconic species, are currently listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Luring him out of a protected area with food is fucking bullshit

Fuck trophy hunters.

Fuck trophy hunters.

I'm actually okay with trophy hunters. IF they do it the way the natives did for thousands of years: up close, with a spear. ^_^

Cecils killing in 2015 unleashed furious anger against Walter Palmer, a Minnesota dentist and trophy hunter who lured the lion out of the same national park in Zimbabwe and shot him with a bow before tracking him for hours and finally killing him.

Taking out a lion with a bow is a little impressive.

What a shithead

I'll never understand why people enjoy huntin.g

I could understand it if they did it in some way that tests their skill. I would still think it was a vile way to "entertain" oneself, but I could at least understand it.

But what the fuck did this guy do here? Lure out a lion with bait, then shoot it with a high-powered rifle? Taking a "trophy" implies that you did something notable, worthy of remembrance. All this trophy says is, "I used a large weapon to kill a creature that didn't even know I was there, from a safe distance, after luring it to my location so I didn't have to walk too far."

I'll never understand why people enjoy huntin.g

This reminds me of a topic about somebody luring somebody's pet pig out of an enclosure so their dogs could hunt and kill it, and a certain user here went all in on saying there was nothing wrong with that.

Some people have literally no respect for animals of any sort.

it says in the same sentence that they tracked it for hours before finishing it off, he didn't hit it in the heart for a quick clean kill, he plinked it and just followed it as it bled

which is normal for bow hunting for food, sure, but this was "for fun," and supposed to be something to brag about

On the night of 1 July 2015, Cecil was lured out of the protected area and wounded with an arrow by Walter Palmer, an American recreational big-game trophy hunter,[2][3][4] then tracked and killed with a compound bow the following morning, between 10 and 12 hours later.[1][5]

I'll never understand why people enjoy huntin.g

Zimbabwes national parks agency says the country makes about $20 million a year

So the rest of the world could pay them 30 million to outlaw hunting.

its legal murder, some people are just monsters

Without knowing the full story, I'm willing to cut the hunter some slack here. The way I understand it, trophy hunters are usually accompanied by park rangers who tells them which lion to kill.

He could be under the assumption that the rangers were doing the usual kill an aging male to give way to younger males routine.

I'd say this is one is on the park management.

Without knowing the full story, I'm willing to cut the hunter some slack here. The way I understand it, trophy hunters are usually accompanied by park rangers who tells them which lion to kill.

He could be under the assumption that the rangers were doing the usual kill an aging male to give way to younger males routine.

I'd say this is one is on the park management.

Taking out a lion with a bow is a little impressive. But it was a compound bow so I dock some points off for that.

"It's not on the guy who paid thousands to shoot a lion for jollies" is an odd take

1. The park gets income to continue maintaining the park for other animals under their care.
2. Aging non-breeding lions are removed, allowing for the pride to thrive by letting younger males in.
3. The lion carcass is given to local tribes as a food source.
4. The hunter gets to brag about his "mighty" feat to his buddies.

It was probably a poisioned arrow.

The way I see it, it's no different than culling and it's allowed by the park as a source of income. Aging lions are marked for removal anyway, might as well make some money from it.

1. The park gets income to continue maintaining the park for other animals under their care.
2. Aging non-breeding lions are removed, allowing for the pride to thrive by letting younger males in.
3. The lion carcass is given to local tribes as a food source.
4. The hunter gets to brag about his "mighty" feat to his buddies.

Win-win situation for everyone. Well except for the killed lion, sucks for him >_>

This wasnt an aging lion. It was a breeding lion in its prime. As denoted by the collar.

Yes, and for that I fault the park rangers for misidentifying the lion. Trophy hunters don't go alone, they're usually accompanied by park staff to ensure their safety. The millionaire is just a glorified hunter, he doesn't know shit except to pull the trigger when the staff point at the lion and say, "kill that one".

Now I'm willing to retract my statement if more info is revealed showing otherwise.

The way I see it, it's no different than culling and it's allowed by the park as a source of income. Aging lions are marked for removal anyway, might as well make some money from it.

1. The park gets income to continue maintaining the park for other animals under their care.
2. Aging non-breeding lions are removed, allowing for the pride to thrive by letting younger males in.
3. The lion carcass is given to local tribes as a food source.
4. The hunter gets to brag about his "mighty" feat to his buddies.

Win-win situation for everyone. Well except for the killed lion, sucks for him >_>

So weird how this keeps happening when trophy hunting advocates keep assuring us they believe in conservation. So weird indeed!

Almost like they're pathetic little men who need to kill things to feel big. Always the same shit.

"Trophy hunters pay to local groups and put that money in towards conservation!"

"Couldn't they put the money into conservation without killing animals?"

">:("

The way I see it, it's no different than culling and it's allowed by the park as a source of income. Aging lions are marked for removal anyway, might as well make some money from it.

1. The park gets income to continue maintaining the park for other animals under their care.
2. Aging non-breeding lions are removed, allowing for the pride to thrive by letting younger males in.
3. The lion carcass is given to local tribes as a food source.
4. The hunter gets to brag about his "mighty" feat to his buddies.

Win-win situation for everyone. Well except for the killed lion, sucks for him >_>

Culling endangered species?

That's why proper conservation methods are carried out to increase their population. Culling non-breeding lions is one of them. These aging lions drive away younger males and stunt the pride's growth. But sometimes mistakes do happen as shown in this topic.

Or it could be corruption, I wouldn't put it pass that too.

Why mention aging lions? The one in question was a breeding lion in his prime.

Zimbabwe allows up to 100 lions to be hunted a year.

But again, why mention it when aging lions werent relevant?

That's why proper conservation methods are carried out to increase their population. Culling non-breeding lions is one of them. These aging lions drive away younger males and stunt the pride's growth. But sometimes mistakes do happen as shown in this topic.

Or it could be corruption, I wouldn't put it pass that too.