The Pros And Cons Of The Killing Of Cecil The Lion

“Our task must be to free ourselves by widening our capacity to embrace all living creatures” This quote by Albert Einstein perfectly shows that animals deserve to be treated with respect, and their population should be preserved. However, the killing of Cecil the Lion by Walter James Palmer displays the exact opposite and is an unlawful crime. Cecil was a prized lion who brought many tourists to the Hwange National Park, and was a favorite among visitors (Don Melvin, cnn.com).In July of 2015, Walter Palmer and his tour guides enticed Cecil out of Hwange National Park, and shot him with a bow and arrow (Owen Jonathan, the independent). Cecil was able to survive, but was pursued for forty hours, and was later shot again, skinned, and decapitated

(w). The killer claims he had a permit, payed fifty thousand dollars to participate in the hunt, and that he had no idea that it was Cecil. In reality, he illegally lured the lion outside of the national park, and then unlawfully slaughtered Cecil in an unpermitted area (Don Melvin, cnn.com). The killing of Cecil the lion was both illegal and morally wrong. The actions of Walter Palmer and his hunting crew were absolutely wrong as they killed Cecil illegally and intentionally, and murdered an endangered species simply for game. To further this point, Walter Palmer has taken illegal actions involving animals in the past.
First of all, the killing of Cecil the lion was wrong because Walter Palmer and his guide lured him away from the safety of the National Park.

After hiring professional hunter Theo Bronkhorst and paying fifty thousand dollars, the hunt began at Antoinette farm, which was very close to the National Park where Cecil lived (Marc Dorian, Lauren Putrino, Cat Rakowski, Alexa Valiente, abcnews.go.com). This land was not an approved area to hunt for lions, therefore making it illegal to kill Cecil or any lion (abcnews.go.com). Walter Palmer and Bronkhorst then tied an elephant carcass to their car, and attempted to draw a lion towards their car, and then kill it (abcnews.go.com). A lion known as Jericho appeared, but the hunters did not pursue him (abcnews.go.com)! This clearly shows that Walter Palmer had every intention of killing Cecil and wanted to kill one of the world’s greatest lions. If Walter Palmer didn’t know that he was going to kill Cecil, why didn’t he pursue the first lion? Finally, Cecil arrived, was shot with an arrow, and was later killed (abcnews.go.com). Again, this evidence shows how Walter Palmer was wrong for killing Cecil, and committed an actual crime. In addition, Cecil was part of an Oxford University study and was outfitted with a GPS, therefore, it can be proven that Cecil was lured out, and that she was killed in an illegal area

(cnn.com).
Besides the fact that Cecil was killed illegally, he was also killed intentionally. Walter Palmer was wrong for killing Cecil because he was aware that he was killing one of the most prized lions in the whole National Park. The primary reason for his trip to Zimbabwe was to hunt a lion; whether it was Cecil or and other lion in the area. Brent Stapelkamp, one of the lion researchers tracking Cecil with the GPS collar, believes that Walter Palmer and Bronkhorst knew that they were killing Cecil. He says “If you are coming to Zimbabwe to hunt a lion, you do a bit of research. I think ignorance is no defense, they knew what they were coming for.”(abcnews.go.com). Wildlife expert Dex Kotze says it is impossible that Palmer or his hunting team didn’t know it was Cecil (Debora Patta, cbsnews.com). Cecil is such a unique lion with a black mane, that he should be easily recognized. In addition, he was the most popular lion in the area; there is no possible way Palmer or his crew did not recognize him!

To further prove the previous two points, Palmer has a history of illegal actions involving animals.

A man with the same name and age, and lives in the same street illegally killed a black bear in Wisconsin (Don Melvin,cnn.com). In addition, he lied to the U.S fish and Wildlife services and was sentenced to one year on probation and was fined (Don Melvin, cnn.com). This shows how Walter Palmer has illegally killed animals, and broken the law before. If he killed a black bear illegally, then he most likely killed Cecil deliberately. He wanted to add Cecil to his “trophy collection” of animals that he has killed.
In conclusion, the man who shot and killed Cecil the lion is absolutely wrong for doing it. He killed an innocent animal illegally, and knew exactly what he was doing. He deliberately killed Cecil just for sport, and treated him as a trophy. To further prove that Palmer was wrong, he has illegally killed animals before. Citizens across the nation and throughout the United States are outraged at Walter Palmers actions, and want him to be brought back to Zimbabwe, and face a court trial. In fact, over one hundred thousand people across the United States have signed a petition to send him back to Zimbabwe! In the end, no person should be able to kill an endangered species simply for fun, and Walter Palmer should face serious charges in

court.

Work Cited
Owen, Jonathan. "'What Is Fun About Death and the Killing of a Beautiful Creature?'." The Independent. 01 Aug. 2015: 6. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 20 Sep. 2015.
Marc Dorian, Alexa Valiente, Lauren Putrino, and Cat Rakowski. "What Happened in the Harrowing Hours Before Cecil the Lion Was Killed." ABC News. ABC News Network, 13 Aug. 2015. Web. 20 Sept. 2015.
Patta, Debora. "Cecil the Lion Illegally Poached by American Hunter in Zimbabwe, Groups Say." CBSNews. CBS Interactive, 28 July 2015. Web. 20 Sept. 2015.
Don Melvin. "U.S. Dentist Wanted for Killing Cecil the Lion - CNN.com." CNN. Cable News Network, 28 July 2015. Web. 20 Sept. 2015.