Death of Cecil the lion

Cecil the lion in Hwange National Park.
(Bryan Orford, YouTube)

Zimbabwe’s most famous lion, Cecil the lion was shot and killed by bow and arrow. The lion was kept at the Hwanga National Park and was shot outside the park two weeks ago by a tourist, who was reported to have paid $50 000 to the holder of the local hunting rights.

This lion was collared and was selected for research purposes. This was an extremely popular and loved lion by so many and was a real great loss that has reached international outcry. It was recently reported that is was a US Dentist that shot and killed the lion. It was also said that once he shot the lion with a crossbow the lion still needed to be tracked for another 40 hours before he fatally shot the lion with his gun.

This sort of hunting should be outright illegal and cannot be continued in any extent. There was a similar incident a few months ago too. I am glad to see the world standing together on this, and coming together to put a stop to future illegal hunting trips. Local media reports said Cecil, about 13 years old, was lured out of the national park with bait and was beheaded and skinned after his death.

Zimbabwe’s wildlife authorities have now announced that they will be adding restrictions on hunting around the countries largest game reserve. They will not be hesitant now to arrest, prosecute ,and ban for life anyone including professional hunters, clients and land owners who think they are above the law.

Cecil the lion has now been left alone for nature to take its course. Cecil’s carcass has been picked at by vultures, and it was decided the the most natural thing to do is to just leave it and let hyenas finish finish off the bones as it would be in nature.

This story has now been in the media both locally and internationally for the past week and just shows how many people actually care about our nature. Also a giant picture of Cecil has now been projected onto the Empire State building in New York to raise awareness. The death of Cecil the lion was an absolute tragedy!

R.I.P Cecil, you are a big cat that will be missed by many!

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