The Mighty Hunter, Walter Palmer

One has to wonder what major inadequacy Walter J. Palmer may have been trying to overcome that would have caused him to travel to Zimbabwe and pay over $50,000 to like-minded defectives in order to lure a much beloved lion outside the safety of a wildlife preserve? He was clearly trying to compensate for something given the fact that killing Cecil wasn’t enough for Walter the Mighty Hunter—no, he apparently wanted to make him suffer… either that, or he himself suffers from a severe lack of skill with his little bow and arrow. After being wounded and suffering for forty hours, Cecil was finally summarily executed… then he was decapitated and skinned. You refer to these as “trophies” Dr. Palmer? Hardly. A trophy is something kids win at spelling bees, or athletic events. There was nothing “sporting” about what you did, Doctor. In its way, what Palmer did seems as cold-blooded as one of the ISIS videos.

A study (last year) commissioned by the International Union for Conservation of Nature revealed there are only an estimated 400 lions remaining in the wild in the seventeen nations of West Africa. The population has decreased by almost 50% in the last two decades. As one might expect, this is due to a combination of factors: habitat loss, available prey, and humans who suffer the same blood lust that afflicts Dr. Palmer. It’s clear that Walter Palmer believes he’s entitled to kill whatever he desires, whenever he wants to do so. After all, he has the cash—right? Sorry, Dr. Palmer, but you are not entitled to destroy the beauty and majesty of nature at will. You and your fellow poachers have decimated the world’s population of lions, rhinos, and elephants to the point where their survival has become questionable. You must be so proud, mighty hunter.

Although there’s a measure of comfort to be had in fantasizing about what we might like to do to you and those of your ilk, the simple truth is we’re better than you. We can’t resurrect Cecil—or any of the other animals you’ve “taken” (that’s a truly sick euphemism you used in trying to justify your actions). So, apart from boycotting your business (River Bluff Dental @ 10851 Rhode Island Ave. S., Bloomington, Minnesota 55438), or calling said business (952-884-5361) to voice our disgust at your actions, you’re unfortunately free to resume being the mighty hunter you perceive yourself to be. It would be nice, however, if you were extradited back to Zimbabwe to face charges and a jail sentence.
In the meantime, the rest of us need to pressure our legislators to persuade the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to include lions on the endangered species list. Although it’s unenforceable outside the United States, it would ban the importation of all so-called “trophies” (hides, heads, etc.) that Dr. Palmer and his sort hold dear.