Killing of Cecil the lion

Cecil
Cecil in Hwange National Park (2010)
SpeciesLion (Panthera leo leo)
SexMale
Bornc. 2002
Died2 July 2015(2015-07-02) (aged 12–13)[1]
Hwange District, Zimbabwe
Cause of deathArrow wounds
Known forTourist attraction
Study by the University of Oxford
Death
ResidenceHwange National Park
Named afterCecil Rhodes

Cecil (c. 2002 – 2 July 2015) was a male African lion (Panthera leo leo) who lived primarily in the Hwange National Park in Matabeleland North, Zimbabwe. He was being studied and tracked by a research team of the University of Oxford as part of a long-term study.

On the night of 1 July 2015, Cecil was lured out of the protected area and wounded with an arrow by Walter Palmer, an American recreational big-game trophy hunter,[2][3][4] then tracked and killed with a compound bow the following morning, between 10 and 12 hours later.[1][5] Cecil was 13 years old when killed.[6] Palmer had purchased a hunting permit and was not charged legally with any crime; authorities in Zimbabwe have said he is still free to visit the country as a tourist, but not as a hunter.[7] Two Zimbabweans (the hunting guide and the owner of the farm where the hunt took place) were briefly arrested but the charges were eventually dismissed by courts.

The killing resulted in international media attention and caused outrage among animal conservationists, criticism by politicians and celebrities, and a strong negative response against Palmer.[2][8] Five months after the killing of Cecil, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service added lions in India and West and Central Africa to the endangered species list, making it more difficult for United States citizens to kill lions legally on safaris. According to Wayne Pacelle, then President of the HSUS, Cecil had "changed the atmospherics on the issue of trophy hunting around the world", adding, "I think it gave less wiggle room to regulators."[9]

Because of the high level of media attention and the negative reporting about the killing of Cecil, significantly fewer hunters came to Zimbabwe in the months that followed. This led to the country suffering financial losses and a lion overpopulation in the Bubye Valley Conservancy.[10][11][12]

  1. ^ a b Loveridge, Andrew (3 March 2018). "An Inside Look at Cecil the Lion's Final Hours". National Geographic. Archived from the original on 3 March 2018. Retrieved 4 July 2018.
  2. ^ a b Capecchi, Christina; Rogers, Katie (30 July 2015). "Killer of Cecil the lion finds out that he is a target now, of internet vigilantism". The New York Times. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
  3. ^ Bakst, Brian (28 July 2015). "US Man accused in African lion death thought hunt was legal". Yahoo! News. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 14 October 2015. Retrieved 14 October 2015.
  4. ^ "Zimbabwe's 'iconic' lion Cecil killed by hunter". BBC News. 27 July 2015. Archived from the original on 28 July 2015. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
  5. ^ "Full transcript: Walter Palmer speaks about Cecil the lion controversy". Star Tribune. Minneapolis, Minnesota. 7 September 2015. Archived from the original on 8 January 2016. Retrieved 5 January 2016.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference BBC33699346 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference Dzirutwe was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ "Pigs' feet and paint: Vacation home of man who killed Cecil vandalized". CBS News. Associated Press. 5 August 2015. Archived from the original on 5 November 2015. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference goode was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Roxborough, Rosalyn (25 February 2016). "The Cecil effect: 'It can be disastrous for an ecosystem'". concordia.ca. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference Thornycroft was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference derespina was invoked but never defined (see the help page).