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The Lion Facts

S

Soapweed

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Feb 11, 2005
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Location
northern Nebraska Sandhills
This came to me on Facebook, and I "shared" it there also. It was originally posted by Tyrone Simoneau

For everyone that is/was "concerned" about the lion situation that has been blown out of proportion by social media. Read up. This is an email that my parents sent me. (They are in Africa right now).

Many of you have read or heard the news of the collared lion that has been shot here in Africa. Greg and I are in Zimbabwe, hunting with clients, at the camp of the very man that is being accused of "slaughtering a protected lion".

I would just like to clarify a few facts. Firstly, yes, the lion was collared but that does not mean protected the hunting concession we are on borders the park-- no fences, no gates, no wires. These animals are free to roam and cross into the areas surrounding the park at will. It is a given that when any animal is out of the designated boundaries of the park and in a hunting concession, it is fair game. Collared animals are shot by hunters once in a while and the law states that nothing has been done illegally, just that the collar is to be returned to the National Parks office.

Secondly, this lion was not lured out of the park by guts being dragged or calls being made. There was an elephant carcass, that died of natural causes, 2 1/2 km out of the parks boundary. The Professional Hunter (PH) and his hunter had seen a lion on the carcass so set up a blind to hunt that evening. The collared lion was the one that came in. No one realized the animal was collared until after it was harvested. The collar was returned to Parks, as is the procedure. It is unfortunate that this lion is a frequently photographed one in the parks as I believe that is why it has made national news. That, and the fact that it has a name..... Cecil.

Theo Bronkhorst has been threatened and dragged over the coals on this one. His family is being harassed and the Facebook comments have been horrendous. One in particular. "let me guess...this fed a village".

Here's where I'd like to explain something. Feeding the village is a phrase that is always taken in the literal sense. Yes, the meat of any animal is shared with the people but it's more than that. Here's how it works.

Every hunting concession has a native game scout appointed. This scout must accompany the PH and his hunters to be sure that nothing is shot that is not on quota.....quota meaning that only so many of one species can be taken during the year. This is recorded very officially in a ledger. Every animal has a trophy fee. This is divided up to the outfitter, the village and the government. The village gets their share of the meat. Now this is where Theo makes a difference. With the money, he has helped the people dig wells, pipe water and supplied tanks to their houses so they don't have to walk long distances to carry it. They have larger gardens now because of it, not to mention running water. He has built schools. He's helped put in solar panels so they have power. I have seen satellite dishes on some homes so I know they have tv. It is all this that is included in the phrase ' feed the village'.

I believe so many people do not understand hunting. They only see killing. Without hunting there is no conservation. Theo and his family are conservationists. They are not poachers. Everything done in the taking of this lion was done with professionalism. The hunter was legally licensed, the outfitter/PH, Theo, was licensed to legally hunt in that area.

It is disgusting to me how there is so much to-do about this one lion but nothing is said about the man who was killed just 2 nights ago by an elephant in the village of the scout who rides in the truck with us everyday. A human life was taken and it is not mentioned. We should be more concerned about Masugo and his family than Cecil. It is unfair that no one feels sorry for Masugo....nor for the hunter and PH that have been falsely accused of a crime they did not commit.

Please share this with as many people as you can so the real story also gets revealed. It surprises us that organizations like Dallas Club and Safari Club International (SCI), who's slogan is 'first for hunters', have not become involved to investigate and stand behind a fellow hunter. Let us all, as hunters, stand together.
 
I've wondered what the 'real story' was on this one, not trusting the press on such issues, especially the original
'alphabet' radio and TV stations.

Sounds like the hunting guides in this story are very civic minded, going above expectations to improve life for their fellow citizens.

Why are we so quick to criticize any person who harms or kills an animal, for whatever purpose, always blaming 'animal cruelty' before ever checking facts?

Reminds me of an incident at the Cheyenne rodeo recently. during team roping the steer fell down after getting tangled in the rope and the heelers horse ran over it. That the horse was trying to not step on the steer was evident in the fact that doing the fancy footwork, the horse and rider fell, too. The crowd cheered a bit when the rider and horse both got to their feet. The steer took a minute longer to get to it's feet.........and the crowd ROARED their approval.

Why do we humans seem to value animals above our fellow man, excepting for pre-born babies?????

mrj
 
Thanks for posting that Soapweed, it was interesting to read what someone that was on the ground in Africa had to say about the "Cecil" saga.
The Anti hunting movement has been building steam lately and that named lion was what they were looking for to make a major push to eliminate big game "Trophy" hunting. Not only in Africa, but worldwide. The Anti movements ultimate goal is to stop all hunting. Period.
The image of Cecil that has been portrayed by the media is one of a harmless, almost pet lion. In reality he was an Apex predator. The media hype stated that with the death of Cecil, the next male lion in line to take over the pride would immediately kill all of Cecil's offspring. The reality is that Cecil was 13 years old, he was eventually going to die, and the next male lion in line was going to kill his kittens anyway. It happens that way everyday in Africa, the same as it happens all the time here in North America in our cougar populations. A damn good way to curtail genetic inbreeding.
The main drivers behind this Anti hunting movement could really care less about the fate of wildlife. It's all about money. You can bet that "Cecil" generated millions into someone's bank account. And the followers will continue to dig into their pockets and hand over cash with no thought for the consequences.
Wildlife conservation in Africa will be in dire strates if hunting is successfully shut down. A lot of the natives employed by the PHs will be back on poverty row. Of coarse they can still go scavenge a meal off of a dead elephant carcass right along side their local lion pride.
African hunting is about to become a wreck. Several major airlines, including Delta have made it policy to no longer accept trophies from Africa's Big 5 for shipment. You can bet the list will expand for other species and other countries.
Anyone that cares about our wildlife and hunting privileges should be standing up and calling foul on this issue.
It doesn't end in Africa.
 
Pathetic all of the Libtards, like Jimmy Kimmel, actually crying crocodile tears over this. So very stupid, yet silent and unconcerned over actual tragedies.
 
We have men, women, and children dying daily with diseases and hunger and this is the crap people care about.... What a shame. Let alone babies being killed for harvesting organs. America needs to wake up.
 
Well we can't let ol soapweed confuse us with facts and truth or the next thing you know, this frenzy will calm down in favor of justice.
 
Traveler said:
Pathetic all of the Libtards, like Jimmy Kimmel, actually crying crocodile tears over this. So very stupid, yet silent and unconcerned over actual tragedies.
Click to expand...

:devil2: david letterman, john stewart and now add jimmy kimmel to the list of late nite idiots.
Thanks for informing me about kimmel make sure to never start watching him, hes black listed here now.
 

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