By Dean Weingarten
Arizona – -(Ammoland.com)- When the witch hunt for Walter Palmer began on social media, following the killing of an old, collared lion tagged “Cecil” by humans, many warned that the emotional outburst would result in further loses of lions and lion habitat.
This is because trophy hunting is what provides the mechanism to conserve lions in the wild. This is especially true in Africa, where locals view lions as a pest, and only tolerate them if they bring in desperately needed dollars, marks, or euros.
Trophy hunting makes lions valuable. Social Justice Warriors (SJW) who work to destroy trophy hunting out of ignorance and misplaced anthropomorphism, accomplish exactly the opposite. The predictions of those who sought to bring reason and facts to counter the demonization of Dr. Palmer, are being vindicated, as was Dr. Palmer.
BUBYE VALLEY CONSERVANCY, Zimbabwe — It is the country where Cecil the lion was killed, sparking international anger against the American dentist who harvested the lion with bow and arrow.
The outcry over Walter Palmer’s killing of Cecil drove other big-game hunters away from Zimbabwe, fearful they too would attract the ire of the public.
But in what is being described as a side effect of the affair, Zimbabwe’s largest wildlife area says it now finds itself suffering from an overpopulation of lions.
Bubye Valley Conservancy has more than 500 lions, the largest number in Zimbabwe’s diminishing wildlife areas.
It has warned that its lion population has become unsustainable and that it may even have to cull around 200 as a result of what is being called “the Cecil effect.”
Lions, aside from men, are at the top of the African food chain. It takes a lot of range, dozens of antelope and other animals every year to support one lion. It can only be done if there is a reason to support the enormous open spaces required. Trophy hunting is the mechanism to that allows this. All animals die, but trophy hunting allows for a quick, clean death compared to what most animals suffer in the wild. Trophy lion hunters kill lions far more humanely than lions kill their prey. It is a good trade-off to be able to preserve the wild country that would otherwise be overrun by grazing or farming.
Some Social Justice Warriors will say that we need to set aside more land for lions. Here is their chance to do so. It will only take a couple of billion dollars to purchase enough land to sustain 200 lions in the wild.
If each SJW chips in a few dollars or Euros, the sum should be raised in a few days. Let the SJWs put their money where their ideology is. Trophy hunters do. Trophy hunters are why some African lion populations are hanging on. Just remember, lions multiply, so next year, the SJWs will have to come up with another few billion. The trophy hunters do not need to do that. Practising their ideology keeps the lion population in check.
About Dean Weingarten;
Dean Weingarten has been a peace officer, a military officer, was on the University of Wisconsin Pistol Team for four years, and was first certified to teach firearms safety in 1973. He taught the Arizona concealed carry course for fifteen years until the goal of constitutional carry was attained. He has degrees in meteorology and mining engineering, and recently retired from the Department of Defense after a 30 year career in Army Research, Development, Testing, and Evaluation.