… but if I’m going to “shoot” anything, better my mouth than a gun. At least no one will end up dead. Angry, maybe. Or offended possibly. But not dead. And that I 
can handle.
Surely you’ve been expecting me to weigh in on Cecil. I’ve opined and ranted, in this blog, about every other vile atrocity we’ve witnessed; and sadly, continue to witness because there just seems to be no end in sight.
So why would I stop now?
How can anyone consider the taking of a life, any life, be it human, animal, mammal, whatever, fun? How can anyone consider it entertainment? Or sport? Tennis is
sport. Concerts are entertainment. Amusement parks are fun. But stalking, torturing, murdering animals and keeping their heads as trophies?
Disgusting. Deplorable. Unconscionable. Sickening. And sick.
And the photograph, of that dentist from Minnesota, Walter Palmer, standing there triumphantly, in his camouflage gear, over the carcass made me want to vomit. Well, that’s not really how I felt. I was actually vacillating between wanting to pump several rounds of bullets into him myself and wanting to throw him into a cage of hungry lions and see how brave he’d be then.
Brave my ass. He’s in hiding. Closed down his Facebook page, shuttered his practice, no one knows where he is. The big, strong, he-man of a game hunter’s shitting his pants because people don’t like him anymore and he’s been getting death threats. But what about the threat he posed to Cecil?
For no reason other than to give his killer a thrill, a beautiful lion is lured out of a protected park, where he was supposed to be safe, and ends up shot with an arrow, wandering around helplessly, bleeding, suffering and in pain for hours, eventually caught, shot dead, skinned and decapitated.
Why? Because rich testosterone junkies like Walter Palmer pay big bucks to do it. That’s how they get their jollies. Jimmy Kimmel hit the nail on the head when, during his monologue, he asked if the only way Walter Palmer “could get an erection was if he killed something.” I’ll bet it is.
Oh, and do me a favour and don’t feed me the party line about controlling animal populations and how it’s a good thing. Paying $55,000 (and up) for the right to bag yourself a rhino’s horn or an elephant’s foot or a set of antlers is not something I will ever consider a good thing. So save your breath and let’s not go there.
Greed. It all boils down to greed. Hunters shell out millions and millions each year for gear, weapons, licenses, plane fare, accommodations, food, guides and ‘hunts’ — canned or otherwise, legal or not. Collectors pay millions and millions each year for carvings made from ivory and other odds and sods from illegally hunted animals. And governments, who should be doing something about it, turn a blind eye because of the money it brings in; and politics, lest we forget . Like I said, “greed.”
Walter Palmer will not get what he deserves, that much I know for sure. None of the Walter Palmers will. On the other hand, Cecil, and countless other animals the world over, unfortunately get what they don’t deserve all the time.
It’s just not right.
365 And Counting 
You said it right. It breaks the heart with rage.
Yes it does. Thanks Joanne.
Sad truth is that too many kill both animals and people just for the fun of it. I suppose it makes them feel more macho.
Hard to imagine, but it’s true. I just don’t get it and I don’t want to frankly.