[Justus]

In the same news today, an innocent Montana family of good Samaritans stopped to help a Mexican national, free on bond from a burglary in Wyoming, who had run out of gas on the highway. He shot the husband, wife and teenage daughter, stole their car and left them to die like dogs in the dirt.

What I want to know is where the outrage is. The husband and wife died on the spot and the daughter has a bullet lodged in her spine. It seems to me that if you're going to wish someone dead or would like to see Karma get them, this is the kind of miscreant that deserves to be drawn and quartered.

His punishment? The Feds are "considering" deporting him if they think he's bad enough to lose his immigration status.

Why is there such outrage against a stupid individual who, by the way, trusted the African "guides" and landowner he paid to get this trophy, when human lives have been brutally taken and not a peep from anyone. Not even the mainstream press.

BTW, during Hitler's reign of terror, animals were elevated to human status. Deja vu.

[shcisamax]

Really?
Start a different thread. This thread is about trophy hunting and the jerk that paid $55,000 to kill an animal.

[twoplanekid]

Who would kill many large game animals without permits for the sole purpose of head trophies and then lie about it until caught?

[Justus]

Originally Posted by shcisamax

Really?
Start a different thread. This thread is about trophy hunting and the jerk that paid $55,000 to kill an animal.

You make my point.

[Chi-Town]

Originally Posted by Justus

In the same news today, an innocent Montana family of good Samaritans stopped to help a Mexican national, free on bond from a burglary in Wyoming, who had run out of gas on the highway. He shot the husband, wife and teenage daughter, stole their car and left them to die like dogs in the dirt.

What I want to know is where the outrage is. The husband and wife died on the spot and the daughter has a bullet lodged in her spine. It seems to me that if you're going to wish someone dead or would like to see Karma get them, this is the kind of miscreant that deserves to be drawn and quartered.

His punishment? The Feds are "considering" deporting him if they think he's bad enough to lose his immigration status.

Why is there such outrage against a stupid individual who, by the way, trusted the African "guides" and landowner he paid to get this trophy, when human lives have been brutally taken and not a peep from anyone. Not even the mainstream press.

BTW, during Hitler's reign of terror, animals were elevated to human status. Deja vu.

Crazy train of thought you've got there. Kind of Twilight Zone like.

[Yung Dum]

Paying $50,000 for a “guaranteed kill” does not sound like hunting to me.

[Patty55]

Originally Posted by twoplanekid

Who would kill many large game animals without permits for the sole purpose of head trophies and then lie about it until caught?

I think killing them with or without permits is wrong. It might be legal but sorry, it's still wrong.

From what I hear he is now in hiding, people are looking for him, there is talk of extradition. I'm wondering if he's having fun being hunted.

[Barefoot]

Originally Posted by Johnd

Glad this is the friendliest hometown, otherwise some might be proposing drastic solutions to this event. I’m not a hunter nor gun enthusiast at all. But I think those that engage in this legal activity have a right to do so. Get a grip folks.

Our negative reaction to the slaughter of this lion somehow means The Villages isn't the friendliest hometown? I don't get the connection.

[Justus]

No one has said this guy didn't do something illegal, but to equate his act with the slaughter of humans is anthropomorphizing to the extreme. Would you find it impossible to believe that those sweet, beautiful, fuzzy animals are known to relentlessly hunt humans...even without permits?

[Justus]

Originally Posted by Chi-Town

Crazy train of thought you've got there. Kind of Twilight Zone like.

Since you mention it, what I think is crazy is the disproportionate empathy for this animal, when human suffering receives no intelligible response whatsoever. That was actually an old Twilight Zone theme.

Had this guy not been rich, would anyone care or be stalking his home and family? And would Zimbabwe, home of elephant poachers and other unconscionable sorts, be demanding his extradition? It's outrageous.

[Taltarzac725]

Beyond Cecil the Lion: Trophy-Hunting Industry in Africa Explained - ABC News

Anyone have more links about this issue? I have an animal rights friend in Minnesota who is also a huge organizer on Facebook and on other sites about the rights of animals. She is a vegan only eating vegetables, breads, etc. and often rescues animals on the road which have been hit by cars. Her home is full of animals she has rescued off roads along with her many pets. I do admire what she is doing but sometimes disagree with her methods.

I am not a vegan and still like beef, pork, fish, chicken, etc. I do try not to anger my Minnesota friend by posting pictures of meals on Facebook like with a picture of my latest experience at Bonefish Grill.

As to my hunting practices, I have not hunting anything since I was about 13 or so and my Reno friends' favorite past-time was hunting rattlesnakes with 22s. I would see some skins on the walls of their bedrooms. I would bring my shotgun and make sure I was always the last man on the line. In addition, I had a hard time being as quiet as some of my friends wanted as some rocks would sometimes get in the way of my feet.

It is kind of hard to take a fast and true take on animal rights like my fellow University of Minnesota Law Grad has done. I know she is livid about this Minnesota dentist and is doing everything she can to destroy his reputation, ability to earn a livelihood and other aspects of his life there in Minnesota. There is a point though when it goes too far when you put this man's family in danger because of all the hatred directed at him. His neighbors probably also are paying a huge price just for being his neighbors along with any staff he might have at his dental practice. I still see human rights as being a lot more important than animal rights. There of course should be some limitations on trophy hunting and the like. Maybe these hunters should be held responsible for making sure that whatever meat comes off of these animals feeds people with very little to eat in these communities where they have killed these animals for their trophies? Not Cecil though as he is a national symbol of Zimbabwe. The MN dentist's guides though are the people who really should be condemned with respect to drawing Cecil into an area where he could be killed. I doubt if the dentist targeted Cecil without the direction of his African guides.

What Cecil the lion means to Zimbabwe - BBC News

[Justus]

Originally Posted by Taltarzac725

Beyond Cecil the Lion: Trophy-Hunting Industry in Africa Explained - ABC News

Anyone have more links about this issue? I have an animal rights friend in Minnesota who is also a huge organizer on Facebook and the like about the rights of animals. She is a vegan only eating vegetables and the like and often rescues animals on the road which have been hit by cars. Her home is full of animals she has rescued off roads along with her many pets.

I am not a vegan and still like beef, pork, fish, chicken, etc.

I have not hunting anything since I was about 13 or so and my Reno friends' favorite past-time was hunting rattlesnakes with 22s and the like. I would see some skins on the walls of their bedrooms. I would bring my shotgun and make sure I was always the last man on the line. In addition, I had a hard time being as quiet as some of my friends' wanted as some rocks would sometimes get in the way of my feet.

It is kind of hard to take a fast and true take on animal rights like my fellow University of Minnesota Law Grad has done. I know she is livid about this Minnesota dentist and is doing everything she can to destroy his reputation, ability to earn a livelihood and the like there in Minnesota. There is a point though when it goes too far when you put this man's family in danger because of all the hatred directed at him. I still see human rights as being a lot more important than animal rights. There of course should be some limitations on trophy hunting and the like. Maybe these hunters should be held responsible for making sure that whatever meat comes off of these animals feeds people with very little to eat in these communities where they have killed these animals for their trophies? Not Cecil though as he is a national symbol of Zimbabwe. The MN dentist's guides though are the people who really should be condemned with respect to drawing Cecil into an area where he could be killed. I doubt if the dentist targeted Cecil without the direction of his African guides.

You hit the nail on the head. Whatever is driving these people to destroy this guy's family and livelihood is not compassion for the animal. It's something much, much deeper and more insidious.

[twoplanekid]

Originally Posted by Patty55

I think killing them with or without permits is wrong. It might be legal but sorry, it's still wrong.

From what I hear he is now in hiding, people are looking for him, there is talk of extradition. I'm wondering if he's having fun being hunted.

“Who would kill many large game animals without permits for the sole purpose of head trophies and then lie about it until caught?”

I was referring to local TV people who were in the news several years ago. People can and do make mistakes. How we judge their actions sometimes can lead to a double standard. We can forgive and forget some but not others for doing similar acts.

[Johnd]

When I first read this thread there were seven or eight posts in the first three pages calling for pretty extreme sanctions on the dentist, his family and, by extension, his employees. I'm well aware of the practice on social media of ginning up the mob to ruin the life of people for various reasons. I don't agree with that practice and thought that this thread may be veering off in that direction. This is a senior community and we have all gained more knowledge and perspective then we had when we were younger. I don't want to see our social media go in the mistaken direction of the ones dominated by younger people.

Finally, no matter what each of us might think about trophy hunting, there are other points of view that are worth hearing. Here's one:

"And then there’s trophy hunting. Because it attaches a large economic incentive to the continued presence of animals that often live in conflict with us humans, it contributes to, if not outright ensures their survival. Can the link between high-dollar trophy hunting of endangered species and their conservation be quantified? Conservation Magazine studied the issue and found:

“According to a 2005 paper by Nigel Leader-Williams and colleagues in the Journal of International Wildlife Law and Policy the answer is yes. Leader-Williams describes how the legalization of white rhinoceros hunting in South Africa motivated private landowners to reintroduce the species onto their lands. As a result, the country saw an increase in white rhinos from fewer than one hundred individuals to more than 11,000, even while a limited number were killed as trophies.”

What’s going on there is that a specific economic incentive was introduced that benefited the white rhino population. Yes, this resulted in some being killed and turned into the world’s most morbid umbrella stands or whatever, but by and large, the white rhino population was able recover from the brink of extinction specifically thanks to trophy hunting. Your social media outrage didn’t save the white rhino in South Africa, trophy hunters did.

Because a hunter like Walt Palmer is prepared to fly over and pay someone a large sum of money to kill a big, endangered critter, an economic opportunity attached to that critter is created. So, an enterprising individual will do anything from breeding to fostering to protecting and/or providing a habitat for a population of those critters. In order for that economic opportunity to last and for the investment to pay off, many more critters need to be added than the Walts of this world can ever kill. And because Walt and his pals want prime examples of that critter hanging on their trophy room walls, those critters need to be happy, healthy and wild. Yes, Walt will kill some of them, but many more will be able to go about their happy, healthy, wild lives as a result."

I still say get a grip. Try to keep that grip as this stuff swirls around.

[Justus]

Thank you, Johnd! A voice of sanity.