Vocal Voices

Zimbabwe is starting extradition for Palmer to return to face charges--let's hope the U.S. hand him over

Yes, as they are not too good at that are they? To be fair to the Yanks there is a petition over there for people to sign to get him extradited, and what is more, unlike our gov.com petitions, foreigners can sign! So I did

I understand the anger at the killing of Zimbabwe's favourite lion and the desire for his killer to be extradited, but I also hope that this will be a catalyst for some real measures to prevent poaching and hunting.

It is rather ironic that the petition is in the US, a country where hunting for sport is big business.

I've only heard this second hand as I simply won't dip into the feeding frenzy of populist opinion on big game hunting.

However this is what I understand.

An American citizen went to a country where big game hunting is legal. He paid a lot of money to have his hunt, legally in a place where it is legal.

If that's correct and I can't confirm if it is or not. Then this guy has been screwed over multiple times. First he paid in good faith and those who took his money illegally lured a lion for him to hunt. Second he doesn't get the trophy for his hunt because of the uproar. Third he's being prosecuted for doing something which he did not even know was illegal because the people who he paid to ensure he had a legal hunt did not do so.

Finally he's a Crossbow hunter and not a rifle hunter. Hunting a Lion with a Crossbow is a significantly more dangerous undertaking than hunting one with a rifle.

Whilst I don't share his passion for hunting (the animals can't shoot back so what challenge is that?), I do recognise that people do have this passion and that in some countries in the world that is legal.

I'd be feeling pretty aggrieved right now if I were him and he can't even say a single word because the press would twist and bend every word he said against him, just for another few days of sensation.

If I've got it all wrong then please correct me, but that's how it was presented to me verbally.

What I have read is that the lion was tempted out of the national park, where he was safe, into an area where he could be hunted. This was done by repeatedly leaving food on the bonnet of a 4 x 4 at night. When he came for his food one night the 4 x 4 bonnet was lit with a spotlight and he was shot with the crossbow.

If this is true then it wasn't "hunting" it was more like the assassination of an animal; and as the "hunter" was accompanied by a professional guide there will have been at least one rifle to hand. The lion took two days to die and imo this person deserves to be thrown in jail.

and preferably an African jail

not the first time he has killed outside of "correct" hunting area

Seriously Suff?

Anyone who kills for pleasure is a psychopath.

I don't care whether hunting is legal or not; this lowlife scum and others like him don't even deserve to be heard.

He's now apologising for killing Cecil, fat lot of that will do now.

He needs bloody shooting, preferably with a crossbow, and left to die a slow miserable, painful death

As I said, I heard this second hand.

BTW, anyone who hunts also includes all the people who shoot deer and grouse in Scotland. There is no difference in the end, you are killing animals which can't fight back. Personally I think that people who enjoy shooting birds and deer are a damned sigh more deranged than people who hunt big game. Big game are predators who kill for food.

If he killed outside of the hunting area then drag him off to jail and let him suffer. There's been enough of that.

Also if the Lion took 2 days to die then the Guide needs to be locked up, the guide has a Rifle for exactly that reason.

If anyone has seen the film of American's shooting prarie dogs with long rifles, scopes and hollow point ammunition, there is deranged for you. Cheering as the animal is vaporised from half a mile away? Really?