In all areas of the world, thousands, if not millions of different species exist. Sadly, today many of these beautiful species are facing extinction due to natural and intentional causes. On top of this are poachers who purposely game on endangered animals for “the joy of the hunt.” As many of you know, there was a lion by the name of Cecil who was famously known throughout the country of Zimbabwe. His death is a symbol as to how beautiful each animal is to our planet, as well as the atrocities of what mankind can do.
A Minnesota Dentist paid $50,000, according to CNN, to have the lion lured out of its protective facility to be killed. This Doctor shot Cecil with an arrow and hours later, he went back to shoot him in the head, skin it, cut off its head, and leave the decapitated body for mother nature. This news has shocked some, if not all, parts of the world at just how disturbing human beings can be. This lion represented more than just a tourist attraction to Zimbabwe, he represented the nature of the wild.
Lions, elephants, tigers etc. are all animals that are placed on the endangered species list, and it is because of people like the man who killed Cecil that it keeps growing. As of right now, The Minnesota Dentist, as well as the two guides who are native to Zimbabwe are being charged with the murder of Cecil the lion. Sadly, there is no telling as to where the Dentist is at present time, making it difficult to pursue anything further in regards to punishment for the lion’s death.
There is a difference between hunting for food and hunting for bragging rights. Hunting for food is casually going out with your friends to the lake and catching a few fish for a good meal. That same enjoyment of hunting could be going to shoot deer in order to feed a family of four. Trophy Hunting is different in a sense that the bigger the game, the greater the worth. This concept is absolutely sickening because if an animal is not checked off to be hunted, why kill it? Why would someone want to kill the last living animal of a species, for example, just to obtain bragging rights? While bragging to your friends about how great of a hunter you are, you are basically calling yourself a coward. The reason you are a coward is because these animals are innocent and have done nothing wrong. It is as if killing a cute little puppy just to tell your friends you did it. That animal is just as alive as you and I are right now, and that being has a pulse, meaning it has a purpose. That purpose is not to be nailed onto a wall, it is to propagate the earth and to add to the worlds beauty. The more we destroy what makes us beautiful, the less worth we have. What is it that makes this planet worth living in? Last time I checked it wasn’t having a zoo on your wall.
Although this news is sad to the world, I believe that in every bad situation something good has to come out of it. The name Cecil is of the Latin word meaning blind. Yes, he was not physically blind, but what if that blindness means more than just the death of one lion? His death should be a symbol as to why we all need to come together. What if we used our own voices to speak for those who don’t know how? What about the elephants of Africa being killed daily for the tusks, being yanked from their families and slaughtered for the “fun of the game?” What about the generations of species that are being maliciously killed just to hang their head above the fire place? This needs to end now!
As of today, there are a minimal number of lions left in the world, and that number is dropping daily due to trophy hunters. Sadly, it was learned on August 1, 2015 that Cecil’s brother, Jericho, was also murdered, leaving no one to protect Cecil’s pride or motherless cubs. This is absolutely devastating. Because of Cecil we should no longer be blinded by reality, we need to fix it. There are thousands of programs created to protect those who are helpless; if we all banded together to make a change, maybe these animals can enjoy a longer future. There are so many organizations that have come together to protect these animals, and I have listed them below. I am not a part of any of these organizations. However, I am fed up with seeing the animals I have grown up loving being killed for fun. This blindness needs to end, and this generation has more of a voice than any generation in history. Let’s say we fight for those who cannot fight back.
- World Wildlife Fund https://www.worldwildlife.org/
- Natural Resources Defense Council http://www.nrdc.org/
- The Sierra Club http://www.sierraclub.org/
- Oceana http://www.oceana.org
- Wildlife Conservation Society http://www.wcs.org
