Hwange National Park: Cecil the lion was brutally killed three months after another lion in the same Zimbabwean park
Zimbabwe FINALLY bans trophy hunting after 1 million sign petition
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Hooray for Zimbabwe for Leading the Way!
My faith in humanity is refreshed; my hope has been rekindled.
As a wildlife photographer I know where my tourist dollars are going someday. (There’s nothing worse than spending time getting figuratively close to an animal only to learn that they ended up on some psycho dentist’s or gynecologist’s office or trophy room wall.)
It’s refreshing to be among a majority who care and feel that the laws are on the side of goodness again.
My hope for humanity has been rekindled; my faith in the future has been refreshed…
……..
At least that’s what I was going to write, if the headlines here Zimbabwe FINALLY bans trophy hunting after 1 million sign petition turned out to be fully true…
…but here’s the fine print:
“Hunting of lions, leopards and elephants in areas outside of Hwange National Park has been suspended with immediate effect” [That protect 3 species in some areas, but falls short of an outright ban on trophy hunting.]
“He added big game hunters would only be allowed if “authorised in writing by the Director-General of the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority”. [Again, this leaves the door open for interpretation and corruption…]
It’s definitely better than nothing, but to see what an all out ban looks like, Zimbabwe would have only to look the example set by their neighbor, Botswana:
Botswana confirms ban on trophy hunting in wake of Cecil the Lion’s death
http://inhabitat.com/botswana-confirms-ban-on-trophy-hunting-in-wake-of-cecil-the-lions-death/
Exposing the Big Game 
I just read that they announced they would sell 50 baby elephants to make up for lost revenue from stopping trophy hunting. For their Parks, they say. Greedy Bastards
WTF! What kind of “parks” do they have there?!
When the animals are up against money and power, they always lose. We usually do too when we try to help them. Maybe someday if we keep on trying . . . In the meantime, pro-hunting groups were calling those who wanted Palmer punished for Cecil’s death “vigilantes.” Well there was a reason people became vigilantes–they were trying to stop lawlessness and gain justice when the authorities were corrupt, inadequate, or nonexistent. That is about how animal rights advocates feel now. Nothing is really getting done the legal way. So we take to the Internet in protest. Those who have the opportunity and the nerve, do some liberating. But according to recent law backed by big corporations, they are the terrorists of the future.
Botswana is a stable country with beautiful animals. South Africa has to stop its canned hunt of majestic lions and other animals bred for blood sport and high dollars. There is change happening but it’s very slow.
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