Posted on 07/31/2015 1:56:27 AM PDT by Brad from Tennessee
HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — While the death of a protected lion in Zimbabwe has caused outrage in the United States — much of it centered on the Minnesota dentist who killed the animal — most in Zimbabwe expressed a degree of bafflement over the concern.
The discovery that Cecil, the star of Zimbabwe national park had been lured out and killed by American bow hunter Walter James Palmer has resulted in online anger and protests at his dental clinic.
Outside Zimbabwe's environmental and activist circles, however, the reaction been muted.
"It's so cruel, but I don't understand the whole fuss, there are so many pressing issues in Zimbabwe — we have water shortages, no electricity and no jobs — yet people are making noise about a lion?" said Eunice Vhunise, a Harare resident. "I saw Cecil once when I visited the game park. I will probably miss him. But honestly the attention is just too much."
An economic meltdown over the last few years has closed many companies and left two thirds of the population working in the informal economy while battling acute water and electricity shortages.
Most people questioned in downtown Harare hadn't actually heard about the lion and said they were too busy trying to make a living to care about it.
Zimbabwe authorities, however, have not announced any charges against Palmer, only saying they want to speak with him and the U.S. embassy was not aware of any extradition requests.
Prosecutors have charged the hunter who supervised Palmer's outing, Theo Bronkhorst, for killing a lion not authorized to be hunted. . .
(Excerpt) Read more at usnews.com ...
Throughout all of Africa....if you did the average of lion attacks...roughly 250 people...more or less....get killed by lions each year.
If you had such numbers in the US....there would be a national outrage and we would hunt the American lion to extinction. There are more people killed by lions in Africa....than people killed in mass shootings in the US.
These people with some reaction or agenda....are fairly naive and not living in the real world.
Throughout all of Africa....if you did the average of lion attacks...roughly 250 people...more or less....get killed by lions each year.
If you had such numbers in the US....there would be a national outrage and we would hunt the American lion to extinction. There are more people killed by lions in Africa....than people killed in mass shootings in the US.
These people with some reaction or agenda....are fairly naive and not living in the real world.
I am awaiting news of a slain Zimbabwean Mugabe
******
I can understand why the average poor people in the country are confused about the killing of the lion: The lion hunt brought 40 to 50 thousand into the struggling economy, while the country sacrificed one lion to help its poor economy.
My point is this: To the poor people of the country, giving up a lion for 40 to 50 thousand dollars seemed more than a fair exchange.
I'm guessing that if more rich Americans wanted to visit the country and kill other lions for 40 to 50 thousand dollars, the government would be more than happy to welcome them.
Zimbabwe is so corrupt the natives never see that money.
It goes to Mugabe.
Botswana is different.
They manage their wildlife more intelligently.
This Cecil hysteria is just more of” a crisis too good too waste”
There’s predictable teeth-gnashing about this over on FARK.com, specifically about white hipsters caring more about a lion than about the ‘plight’ of starving Africans.
...The same starving Africans that keep voting for Mugabe, and consider him a giant amongst African leaders.
One would think that killing that lion was almost the same as killing “Mickey Mouse” himself who, we all know, is a Disney World icon. Get over it people, it was an OLD lion that was past his prime and would easily have been killed by a younger male lion. If killing the animal was done illegally, fine/punish the dentist and those who assisted in the lions death. Its over!
There are a hell of a lot more serious issues we have to deal with in this country than this.
Is there a #lionlivesmatter hashtag yet? TOTAL BS.
“I’m guessing that if more rich Americans wanted to visit the country and kill other lions for 40 to 50 thousand dollars, the government would be more than happy to welcome them.”
There are more and you never hear about them which is why Zimbabwe won’t be prosecuting the dentist. They aren’t going to bite the only hands that feed them.
How come bastard bill clinton's Clinton Foundation hasn't sent funds for truck loads of water and food to Zimbabwe?
That 90% overhead for ‘administration’ doesn’t leave much for... you know actual aid ;)
Huh. I hate it when economic meltdowns happen. It's so hard to figure out why they always seem to happen in socialist countries. It can't be the socialism.
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