Wow is this thread a hoot and a half. Everything from anti hunting to racism to putting an eco terrorist group like Sea Sheppard on a pedestal as some kind of heroes. Hard to follow it from start to finish without getting a headache there is so much vitriol and rhetoric being posted.
The biggest thing that sticks out at me is the way people are portraying Lions as noble creatures. It is definitely like the whole Bambi syndrome deer hunters face from anti's who think all deer are like Disney's Bambi. People seem to be making this Lion out to be Mufasa and Symba here. Lions are BRUTAL predators folks, they are not warm, soft, cuddly kittens who purr when you pat them.
They hunt to live which is true but they are also cruel and vicious. They kill for reasons other than to eat. Lions are not noble. They are vicious killing machines. What would we say about a human who killed his neighbor's kids so he could take her and knock her up with his kids? What would we say about a man or woman who killed their boss so they could get that position? There are things Lions do that are just unbelievably cruel.
How many of you have ever seen this video( actually it is a clipped version of a TV show about it )? A male Lion stalks 3 Cheetahs( 1 female in heat and 2 males chasing her ). With no provocation the Lion stalks them and runs them down and kills 2 of the 3. It would have killed all 3 if the last male hadn't finally smartened up and run away. The female's death in the bushes as she is just trying to get away from the 2 males is especially gut wrenching to me. I would have gladly shot that Lion that day if I was witnessing what it was doing with no hesitation or remorse. What it was doing is not uncommon either. Lions kill period and it is not always to eat.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUU3DNU-ymQ
So please don't talk to me about the nobility of Lions and how great they are. A Lion would kill you or me faster than we could blink. And not just to eat us.
I haven't followed the story too much but from what I know the dentist went on a guided hunt to harvest a trophy mount. This was not a hunt for food. As a hunter I take the use of the animals I harvest very serious. I do not waste them. I have choked down a lot of Mergansers and Sea Ducks in my day because I shot them and I won't waste them. I have hunted to take mounts( mostly waterfowl and deer )as well but I also make sure the meat is used. A Lion is not something you eat though. I have mixed feelings on taking an animal just for a mount and leaving the carcass to rot. If it is legal to hunt and take animals like Lions then I guess it is ok. The game management folks have decided the population can handle it. Maybe locals will eat the meat( I know that happens a lot with other species )?
My real issue here is luring the animal out of the refuge so it could be harvested in an open hunting area. THAT is wrong. Baiting itself is not wrong. When hunting predators you hunt over bait or with dogs. Just how it is. No issue with that at all. No different than the use of feeding stations for deer hunting. So what I need to know is did the hunter know the guide was performing this illegal act? I suspect he might have based on his prior act with the bear but maybe he didn't?
This was a trip to Africa not to his neighboring state. You hire a guide and rely on them. Unless he knew they were luring the Lion out of a refuge I have no serious issue with him harvesting the Lion. I personally wouldn't hunt a Lion because I wouldn't eat it but again as long as it is legal so be it. If he knew what the guide was doing though then he needs to have the book thrown at him though. No doubt about it.
