There has been a lot on the news and the internet about the Dentist who lured Cecil, a beloved lion in Zimbabwe, out of his protected reserve to kill him. I agree with the outrage over this ridiculous killing, and my sentiments were eloquently and beautifully put forward by scientist Jane Goodall.Goodall said:
“I was shocked and outraged to hear the story of Cecil, Zimbabwe’s much loved lion. Not only is it incomprehensible to me that anyone would want to kill an endangered animal (fewer than 20,000 wild lions in Africa today) but to lure Cecil from the safety of a national park and then to shoot him with a crossbow...? I have no words to express my repugnance. He was not even killed outright, but suffered for hours before finally being shot with a bullet. And his magnificent head severed from his wounded body. And this behavior is described as a “sport." Only one good thing comes out of this – thousands of people have read the story and have also been shocked. Their eyes opened to the dark side of human nature. Surely they will now be more prepared to fight for the protection of wild animals and the wild places where they live. Therein lies the hope.”
(Both the picture of Jane Goodall and of the lion are from Ms. Goodall's website.)
