Humans, we are a narcissistic creature, arrogant in our ways with complete lack of empathy for other creatures. Not to mention our insatiable need for admiration by all around us that we feel the need to parade our conquest and superiority over others; a cave-man ways thinking if you ask me.
Do you remember the 13-year-old Cecil the lion (with a black-man) who was shot dead by a trophy hunter back in July 2015? The infamous act drew worldwide condemnation and made Cecil the lion trend worldwide for a couple of weeks. Well, Cecil’s 6-year-old son, Xanda, has also met his death like his father did.
Xanda was in his prime and a father to several young cubs. Xanda is just of Cecil’s offspring to die at the hands of a human; one Richard Cooke to be exact. Cooke is also responsible of killing Xanda’s brother.
Like his father, Xanda was found dead wearing an electronic collar outside the Hwange National Park. In a press statement the Park said:
“We can’t believe that now, 2 years since Cecil was killed, that his oldest Cub #Xanda has met the same fate. When will the Lions of Hwange National Park be left to live out their years as wild born free lions should?”
Legal hunting at the Hwange National Park
Cecil’s killing was marred with arguments of legality of big-game hunting. Although Cecil’s killer was a professional hunter helping American dentist Walter Palmer, this particular hunt was illegal.
Palmer never faced any criminal charges, although there were calls to extradite him. It is however reported that Palmer paid $54,000 to bow-hunt the lion. Supporters of legal hunting of wild game say, the hunters pay heft sums to do their hunting, while the money they pay go towards supporting wildlife conservation efforts.
Critics of legal hunting argue that it does very little in the fight of wildlife conservation efforts. As killing the animals does nothing in increasing their population. Take, for instance, the population of lions. The U.S Fish and Wildlife Service say the lions population has declined by 43% over the past two decades.