Conservation experts condemn killing of Cecil the lion
Attendees at a conference in Vancouver say animal’s death by an American hunter was unethical and inhumane
The death of Cecil, a 14-yearold lion from Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park, has outraged many of the wildlife conservation biologists attending the Compassionate Conservation conference in Vancouver.
Whether it’s endangered African lions, or Canada’s own abundant wildlife, trophy hunting is unethical and inhumane, agree most biologists attending the conference at University of B.C.
Cecil was killed in July by an American dentist, Walter Palmer, who paid local guides $50,000 to help him track and hunt the famous lion.
The outcry occurred not just because Cecil was a popular lion with tourists, but also because he has been part of a research study by Oxford University’s Wildlife Conservation Research Unit since 2008.
News of Cecil’s death became public this week, and the conversation dominated watercooler conversation at the Vancouver conference.
Among the vocal detractors at the conference were many African biologists who offered their insight on the African trophy hunting business.
While hunting supporters argue that their activities aid conservation practices and provide a source of income to many, the biologists argued these claims are largely unfounded.
“The hunters like to notch up which species they have managed to kill … it’s a macho thing in that they like to say that they have killed as many different species as possible,” said Amanda Lombard, a wildlife conservationist from the University of Cape Town in South Africa.
One argument is that the fees that hunters pay to their guides help the local economy.
“No it doesn’t,” said Lombard. “The money is paid to the guides and then most of it sent offshore again, as these people don’t want to keep their money in South Africa due to its instability.”
“Only about three per cent of the revenue from trophy hunting remains in the local area, with the rest going elsewhere,” said Will Travers, president of the Born Free Foundation.
Yolanda Pretorius, a wildlife ecology lecturer with the Centre for Wildlife Management at the University of Pretoria in South Africa, further explains why the process used to lure Cecil is so unacceptable.
“Cecil came into contact with many tourists and was probably very used to people observing him. He wouldn’t have seen the hunters as threats and so he wouldn’t have moved away from them. It means that he was never given a sporting chance. This makes it even more unethical. ”
Pretorius explained how it is relatively easy for animals to roam or be encouraged to cross from a protected area into places where there are hunting concessions.
“The borders between these areas are just virtual, there are no fences. These prey species can be easily lured across these boundaries by using dead animals as bait. They probably played the sound of an animal in distress to attract Cecil’s attention to trick him into thinking that there was a prey animal nearby.”
Pretorius added that it is not uncommon for hunters to lace bait with drugs that make the target animal drowsy and so easier to shoot.
“Lions that are not habituated to humans wouldn’t even take a bait that smells like humans … this technique has certainly been used in the ‘canned’ lion hunting industry.”
As for the argument that lions are no more important than any other animal, Pretorius concludes, “No one species is more important than another, but species like lions and elephants are more charismatic and iconic species for Africa. They are like ambassadors for African animals. That’s why this is so important.”