Cecil the Lion
As you will all now be aware, Cecil the beautiful lion was hunted on 1 July 2015. This is a tragic loss for Zimbabwe and the whole world is in mourning – we must now ensure that Cecil’s death is used to benefit our remaining lions.
Although Cecil’s death was not a canned hunt, we must raise awareness to this industry as much as trophy hunting. There is simply no excuse for slaughtering our lions and it serves no conservation value, no matter what these disgraceful hunters might claim. So what can you do to help?
Send your request for the EU to ban the import of lion trophies to: agri-press@europarl.europa.eu and envipress@europarl.europa.eu and write to your local MP expressing the same.
Send your request for lions to be listed as endangered to info@cites.org and redlist@iucn.org.
If you see ANYONE contemplating working with lion cubs make sure they are aware that no captive bred lions will ever be released into the wild and they therefore serve no conservation value. These lions will be supplied to canned hunts whether directly or through ‘middle men’ no matter what the parks might try and claim.
Leave 1* reviews for UK agencies, such as Real Gap, for sending volunteers to lion breeding parks. Do this on Trip Advisor, Facebook and any other websites they may be on. Boycott such companies as Real Gap and spread the word about their ethics and morals.
Hunters will try and claim that the money made from the industry can justify killing these animals, but hunting only brings $200 million in Africa as a whole, whereas wildlife tourism in Kenya alone generates $1 billion. There is simply no comparison.
We cannot allow these beautiful creatures to be reduced to a trophy after a hunt that takes absolutely no talent or effort, by hunters with no clue of the true meaning of conservation. We must use Cecil’s death for positive and save the few remaining lions before it is too late.
RIP Cecil.
