What are your views on Walter Palmer

[tosh]

I've been following the story of Walter Palmer the US Dentist who shot Cecil the lion. I've since read that the 6 cubs will now certainly be killed by the new dominant male to encourage the lionesses to breed.

I'm keen to hear what everyone's take on this is.
Personally I don't see anything clever here in shooting first with a Bow then 40hrs later with a rifle.

Now if Walter had decided to take on Cecil with his bare hands and won - then fair Do's.
But where is the sport here.

Really don't understand people who like to kill just for fun.

Anyone care to comment

[sawman]

I'll be happy to comment.

That S.O.B. should be SHOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I digress

[kirk13]

Something from the BBC on the subject.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-33699346

 

Let's all remember that the story of Cecil is more about poaching,than hunting. These are two different topics. Let's remember to stay civil in discussing either

 

[Grant Lamontagne]

We need to watch the political implications of this discussion, but I can honestly say that I have hunted in the past, I have friends that hunt and many friends that have never hunted but would like to try it, and we are all in greenest on two things:

1- this is not hunting, this was a crime, shold be trrated as such and he shold be punished accordingly.

2- this happens every day and no one cares until it's on Facebook.

If it were up to me, I would start rumors of the healing potential of smuggler and poacher testicles and allow people to start hunting and mutilating them instead.

Def

[Billy Ruffian]

I know there are members who hunt on this forum so I will try to choose my words carefully, but this story just made me sad and consumed with anger at the same time. That beast wasn't hunted for food (obviously) and as far as I have read it lived in a managed environment so wasn't a threat to livestock or humans. Was that animal killed for any other reason than a form of extreme, selfish narcissism? "I like to hunt, it's my right, and I'll do it if I want to" - is that how it works? The bloke was from the US, what motivated him to go all the way to Africa to hunt and kill a beast like that? Did it make him feel good, is that what it's all about? A few pictures with the kill and a brief, passing high feeling?

Yes, I know other animals are hunted and killed every day all around the world and yes, I know that this story has only got the attention it did because it's a magnificent creature compared to something less 'charismatic' (if that's the right word) but none of that changes the fact that to lure that lion out of it's protected area to murder it for a fleeting pleasure is just GROTESQUE.

Serious question - what are these absolute smurfwits going to do with themselves on the day that the very last lion, tiger, rhino and elephant disappears forever?

[lister]

Lion, dentist, teeth, dandelion... 

[tosh]

I agree wholeheartedly on the food/predator justification.

Shooting wild boar to eat is in my mind no different to going to the supermarket.
Killing a predator that's wiping out your livestock is again totally justified.

But to kill to simply applaud oneself is grotesque.
I hope the courts that be are given extradition powers to return Mr Palmer to face prosecution. It would certainly send out a very clear message.


EDIT

I've just been reading more about Mr Palmer and more shockingly viewing his "Trophy" pictures.
He supposedly has 43 Big Game kills to his name.
One of which was I understand a rare white Rhino - yet today on BBC news it states there are now only 5 left in the world!!

Mr Palmer...

[Grant Lamontagne]

If you are hunting for food or to eliminate a threat then go for it.  Want to hunt trophies?  Make it a real challenge so the trophy is worthwhile.  Hunt it with your bare hands.

Def

[jzmtl]

Not a fan of trophy hunting, shooting something from 200 meters away when it doesn't even know you are there doesn't make your balls bigger, that's all I'll say on the subject.

[Aloha]

I dont keep up with the "news" because it makes me sad to hear stories like this ( I don't know the facts ) and it also makes me very angry when such stupid acts happen.  I won't look into this topic, I guess my avoidance of the news is my bliss, yes I know more or less what is going on ( world ) and yes I care ( much too much ) so for my own sanity it's best I stay blissfully unaware.

 

[tosh]

How's this story gone down in the US.
Here in the UK the tabloids love to conjure up the idea that ALL Americans love their guns and freedom of speech.

Online, this story seems to be gaining a lot of momentum. Fair to say that Walter will not now be remembered for his dentistry skills and his kids will be infamous at school because of their dads acts of the Alpha male masculine bullsmurf.

Nobody wins here - they're all losers

The high price of vanity.

[Dean51]

How's this story gone down in the US.
Here in the UK the tabloids love to conjure up the idea that ALL Americans love their guns and freedom of speech.

I learned a long time ago not to pay any attention to the BBC or the other such Tabloids.

In the U.S. The conservation departments gets a good chunck of their funds from taxs on sporting equiptment.
Zimbabwe is much the same. It is not a wealthy counrty and relies in large part on the sale of permits to hunters to help support their conservation and management efforts.

In nature when prey animals rise in numbers so do predators. When the prey animals drop in numbers the predators drop in number as well. (the weak starve). It's an endless cycle.

Conservation departments issue permits to manage this cycle for the benefit of all the game animals. As well as raise money to fight poachers, and protect endangered species.

Walter Palmer hunted with a legal permit.

If Walter Palmer knew what was going on and knew he was poaching he should be prosecuted.

If on the other hand Walter Palmer relied on his guides to know the local area and rules and did not know what was going on, there is no reason to condem Walter Palmer. 

I'll hold my opinion till the facts are in.

[jzmtl]

But in reality once the keyboard warriors has past their ADD time limit you'll never hear about this again and nothing will come out of it. Wasn't there a similar outrage against a Texas cheerleader trophy hunter a while ago? Do you hear anything about it now?

[Top-Gear-24]

I dont keep up with the "news" because it makes me sad to hear stories like this ( I don't know the facts ) and it also makes me very angry when such stupid acts happen.  I won't look into this topic, I guess my avoidance of the news is my bliss, yes I know more or less what is going on ( world ) and yes I care ( much too much ) so for my own sanity it's best I stay blissfully unaware.

 

That's about the same tactic I use  .

Everytime I watch the news I find myself getting wound up about something, so lately I choose "not to know".  I already have enough stuff at work to get my blood boiling, which I can't avoid ... 

[Sea Monster]

I have my views, but they are neither here nor there, since all I have to base them on is "news" shorts and internet outrage.

Food For Thought though:
They are considering making it legal to "trophy" hunt Crocs for a price in Australia to raise money for indigenous communities (who hold some ancestral right to hunt them in certain areas)

I doubt many people would complain. I do not think the general public finds Crocs very cute (and we give them names like "Brutus the Cannibal")

[tosh]

Unless it's for food, protecting livestock or even a cull. I don't think humans should assume we have the right to say what lives and what dies just for fun.

That's such a bigoted assumption for humans to dictate. We are certainly not the masters on this planet. I'm not religious at all - but honestly feel as though we are heading for an almighty slap by mother nature - just to prove we can't just treat this planet as our own.

[kirk13]

And here's the thing....

Every day,people are starving in Zimbabwe

Every day,people are being illegally detained and tortured in Zimbabwe

Every day there are major abuses to human rights in Zimbabwe


Remind me again,lions are more important than humans?

[SAK Guy]

Was watching an old episode of The Bionic Woman (Claws, 1976) tonight and there was an black maned lion named Neil in the episode.

Looked him up and...he's famous with other TV/Movie credits to his name..


http://time.com/3545926/something-wild-at-home-with-tippi-hedren-melanie-griffith-and-a-400-pound-lion/

www.boredpanda.com/pet-lion-neil-roar-tippi-hedren/

[David]

And here's the thing....

Every day,people are starving in Zimbabwe

Every day,people are being illegally detained and tortured in Zimbabwe

Every day there are major abuses to human rights in Zimbabwe

Remind me again,lions are more important than humans?

1+

[firiki]

Remind me again,lions are more important than humans?

Well, IMO, the way one treats animals shows how civilised one is. Respecting humans without respecting life in general is hypocritical in my view.

As for humans, supposedly they can act if something bugs 'em. What can lions do about  humans with rifles and dumdum bullets?

To put it in another way, only humans can be inhumane.

[Sea Monster]

Remind me again,lions are more important than humans?

Ecologically speaking, probably.

As a news headline, it would seem evidently so.

and I know plenty of people who spend more on healthcare for their dog or cat than they do for themselves.


Another one to stir up the brainpan:
You do not hear many stories condemning people for cruelty to canetoads either.

[firiki]

Another one to stir up the brainpan:
You do not hear many stories condemning people for cruelty to canetoads either.

[tosh]

And here's the thing....

Every day,people are starving in Zimbabwe

Every day,people are being illegally detained and tortured in Zimbabwe

Every day there are major abuses to human rights in Zimbabwe


Remind me again,lions are more important than humans?

No one is saying lions are more important and to even put forward a thought such as that to somehow try and weaken the argument is pretty rich in my view.
Yes, trophy killings take place every day I imagine and Cecil the lion has caught the media's eye. I admit before I read this story I was completely unawares as to the extent of what mindless trophy hunting is.

But what you say is true with regards to human suffering -  but most/all of that is caused by human greed in one form or another.

An obsession for money and power it brings really is the worst thing in the world and is without doubt the cause of millions of deaths throughout history.

We all know this, so no need to create a smokescreen to justify what's happened here.

[shark_za]

I don't get the killing of predators and rare animals at all but that does not give me the right to dictate that to others. If done in a sustainable way.
I hunt, i take a few buck during the season but I purposely target quick breeding prey animals. Only one or two at a time so I can utilize all the meat properly.


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[gardenvalley]

It is alleged that Mr. Palmer has a bit of history here as he is banned from owning guns in the U.S. because of previous poaching activity there. I have hunted deer before and have no issue with animals being killed for food but not for trophies.

[Billy Ruffian]

And here's the thing....

Every day,people are starving in Zimbabwe

Every day,people are being illegally detained and tortured in Zimbabwe

Every day there are major abuses to human rights in Zimbabwe


Remind me again,lions are more important than humans?

No one is saying lions are more important and to even put forward a thought such as that to somehow try and weaken the argument is pretty rich in my view.
Yes, trophy killings take place every day I imagine and Cecil the lion has caught the media's eye. I admit before I read this story I was completely unawares as to the extent of what mindless trophy hunting is.

But what you say is true with regards to human suffering -  but most/all of that is caused by human greed in one form or another.

An obsession for money and power it brings really is the worst thing in the world and is without doubt the cause of millions of deaths throughout history.

We all know this, so no need to create a smokescreen to justify what's happened here.

Gotta say I'm with Tosh on this. Human rights abuses in Zimbabwe (or anywhere else) of that kind of magnitude are a scandal. Tourists from rich nations flying halfway around the world to kill endangered animals for a bit of selfish enjoyment is a scandal. Does one being deemed "more important" nullify any debate about the other?

[Chako]

I do not hunt, and have never hunted. With that said, I have no problem with hunters putting food on their table. No issues whatsoever, as I know a lot of local hunters due to my time with various archery and gun clubs. I never liked the trophy hunter much...but then, if he/she eats what he/she kills, I have no issues with that either. My uncle was once forced to eat a crow by my grandfather because he killed it with a .22 rifle as a kid. That taught him a valuable lesson.

No, we have anthropomorphism going on here by naming the lion Cecil. We have a Trophy hunter who has been in the same boat in the past...so I have no sympathy for him at all.

Take a look at this Super Slam web site. In hunting circles, such things are fairly common.

http://www.superslam.org/

[derekmac]

I don't get people that want to kill something for fun. IMO, it's kind of sick and demented. How can you get pleasure from taking the life of another animal?

To feed or protect yourself or family, that's a different story.


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[Grant Lamontagne]

I do not hunt, and have never hunted. With that said, I have no problem with hunters putting food on their table. No issues whatsoever, as I know a lot of local hunters due to my time with various archery and gun clubs. I never liked the trophy hunter much...but then, if he/she eats what he/she kills, I have no issues with that either. My uncle was once forced to eat a crow by my grandfather because he killed it with a .22 rifle as a kid. That taught him a valuable lesson.

No, we have anthropomorphism going on here by naming the lion Cecil. We have a Trophy hunter who has been in the same boat in the past...so I have no sympathy for him at all.

Take a look at this Super Slam web site. In hunting circles, such things are fairly common.

http://www.superslam.org/

Good thing he didn't shoot his friend in the ass with a pellet gun like most kids do.

Def

[SAK Guy]

Soooooooo, anyone watching the US Summer blockbuster TV series Zoo?   




https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoo_%28TV_series%29