Cecil the Lion

#RIPCecil: Demand Justice for Cecil

I am devastated by the news this week that Dentist Walter Palmer, of Minnesota, paid between $50,000-55,000 to kill “Cecil the Lion.” Basically, Walter killed a perfectly healthy male lion in order to stroke his ego. Walter has publically stated his “regret” for his participation while placing blame on the guide and landowner. Walter is a COWARD. And a bastard! And we should take note.

• No one should kill an animal for a trophy.
• No one should pay an outrageous amount of money to decide who lives and who dies. Critics claim that the money raised by these killings support the poor and enrich the local economy. Studies show that a mere 2-5% actually goes to those who need it most.
• No one should play God. And that is what Walter and his “guides” did. They lured Cecil from his government protected home, wounded him, and let him suffer for 40 hours before Walter finally murdered Cecil.

Walter does not believe in God. If he did, he would have listened to God’s instructions to not hurt—no less kill—an animal for the pleasure of it. Walter stated: “I deeply regret that my pursuit of an activity I love and practice responsibly and legally resulted in the taking of this lion.”

Here are some of the problems with this statement:

• Walter doesn’t regret his actions. If he regretted them, he wouldn’t pursue them. Walter likes to kill innocent animals.
• Walter does not “practice” this “activity” responsibly. If he had, he would have known that luring an animal from his government-protected homeland was illegal. Walter would have known that baiting an animal from his home is illegal.
• Walter has been arrested for this type of act in the United States. He was placed on probation and fined a paltry $3,000. Seems Walter did not learn his lesson.

Let’s be clear: Walter did not hunt down and slaughter Cecil for food or out of necessity. Walter paid a lot of money to experience the pleasure of killing. Walter is hiding behind the legality of his actions and placing blame on others. However, Walter alone killed Cecil. Now Walter should suffer the consequences of his actions. Walter should stand before the Zimbabwe government and explain his illegal actions. If needed, the United States government should aid in transporting Walter there.

Why Should You Care?

Walter is playing God. People who enjoy killing innocent animals and claim it is an “activity” are evil. There is something wrong with this man. His evil thoughts have manifested into purely evil acts. Walter is a killer. Where will Walter, and those like him, draw the line?

Everyone should pause and think about the consequences Walter’s actions have on society as a whole. When we allow one person to play God, another will want to play, too. Don’t let the Devil win. Don’t rest on your laurels, either. The Devil is still committed to converting God’s faithful.

For the fate of humans and the fate of animals is the same; as one dies, so dies the other. They all have the same breath, and humans have no advantage over the animals; for all is vanity.          Ecclesiastes 3.19

Demand Justice for Cecil