The Murder of Cecil the Lion

[justdrew]

Seriously, why have we not arrested and extradited this shit bag yet?

Have they made a formal extradition request yet?

[conniption]

Axis of Logic

I Speak for Cecil ... and for us all
By Dallas Darling
Submitted by Author
Monday, Aug 3, 2015



Cecil - dead at age 13

“Arguments…cannot shatter this hard fact: in suffering the animals are our equals.”
-Peter Singer, Moral Philosopher

Since most of you humans are always trying to hunt down and devour your pyrrhic victories over nature, including over each other, even if we lions like our dear Cecil could speak, you still wouldn’t understand.

For instance, how many of you know of St. Lion who befriended humans? Neither are you probably familiar with the Roman-enslaved Lionocolese, who removed a thorn from the palm of a man and nursed him back to health. When Lionocolese was later thrown into the Roman Coliseum, the beastly but grateful gladiator began to caress Lionocolese. Both were set free.

To be certain, our kind used to be the most common mammalian species after you. But your inexorable rise and the spread of your settlements mirrored our decline in range and numbers. We are now on your endangered list, along with many other living creatures. It was also because of your rapacious settlements and animal herds - which led to the destruction of our natural habitats and food and water scarcity - that your wild imaginations transformed us into a threat to be preyed upon and eliminated. But in fact, you were always the real threat, the true aggressors and killers.

In addition, we lions have learned that you humans know no limits to your destructive nature and your tools which kill all kinds of creatures. (Fortunately, some of you also know no limits to your unconditional love and nonviolent resistance.) This is why we lions have an instinctual fear of humans. You, on the other paw, consider yourselves to be the noblest killers, and no other creature ever contests your claims. No wonder, then, your vicious instinct enslaved us through zoological prisons, amusing menageries for your leisure classes, and confining reservations with predetermined kills that you call a sport.

Despite their similar and unquenchable appetites, we sometimes long for your primitive ancestors and their zoomorphism. Ancient Egyptians, for example, worshipped lioness gods as protectors of the pharaohs. A more peaceful representation of us lions as a protector deity, one of our favorites, was the Hindu god Narasimha. He was half-lion and half-man who aided the poor and oppressed. Your ancestors also revered winged creatures with lion bodies and the head of a woman. Unlike Napoleon who used Egyptian sphinxes for target practice, they recognized the likeness between our two species.

Admittedly, it didn’t prevent some rulers and warriors from becoming socialized predators, tracking and stalking us for the unnatural and ultimate “kill.” They also stole our images for psychological warfare, symbols warning of their absolute power. Still, hunts were more honorable since they fought us with primitive weaponry. Even Greek mythology accepted our superior fighting skills. Hercules, unable to kill a lion, waited until it fell asleep. He then clubbed and strangled it to death. With your modernized “hunts,” you humans love myths and self-deception more than the Greeks. As for us, we survive simply so that others may simply survive. You survive to destroy and kill.

According to our geocentric traditions, the Roman Empire changed your natural ways, as most empires do. Indeed, the Romans hunted us lions (and humans that resisted or rebelled) to extinction in parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa for their euphoric blood-spectacles. But a new faith came along, banning the pathology of your self-adoration and violence, even recognizing that we lions and animals have souls. But over time, a mechanical, automated, soulless, and anthropomorphic faith unleashed you. A for-profit market economy commodified and preyed upon everything, including you humans and the Earth.

Your unquenchable and unsustainable lifestyles have led to wars and mass genocide on unprecedented scales, changing you and your leaders into the most dangerous predator on Earth. Your wildlife trafficking now inflicts pain and suffering among creatures who also have rights and should be respected. Additionally, we lions are shaking our manes over Cecil’s sensationalized death. What about the other lions that are needlessly slaughtered? We also wonder where the media’s uproar was regarding Zimbabwe’s ruler who has caused 4 million refugees. Like Cecil, shouldn’t Zimbabwe human lives matter too?

However, don’t misinterpret what we lions are trying to say. We were outraged when Cecil was illegally lured from his sanctuary and wounded with an arrow. His lengthy and insufferable death, along with being skinned and having his head removed for a trophy, were truly unnatural and socialized crimes against nature. But so are other crimes you allow. Sustaining dishonest leaders and their armies, that invade and decapitate heads of state while skinning millions of people, are also heinous crimes. Like Cecil’s aberrant death, when will your predators with blood on their hands and kill trophies be extradited?

Ironically, we Lions have also been mystified as to why we were not respected as equals, especially among your warring patriarchal societies. Like your dominant males, our males spend their time in indolence, letting their harem of “queens” do the actual work. Though they have a reputation as fierce hunters and “King,” 40 percent of their food comes from scavenging or stealing prey from others. They also rule absolutely, quick to kill any male rival that challenges their pride. In effect, they are just like your elite rulers, who, after defeating opponents, do not hesitate to liquidate his inconvenient heirs.

But again, you will never understand us lions because we don’t need a purpose or crusade, let alone imaginary enemies and wars. Unlike you, the aim of our lives is to simply see and observe. Moreover, the lion that you called Cecil was never Cecil. When you named him after the British corporatist and imperialist, Cecil Rhodes, he actually felt grieved and de-lionized, more imperial insults and genocidal blows like Rome’s. But then your anthropomorphic and hierarchical nature will always rule, and, tragically, it will prevent most of you from experiencing or seeing the natural truth.

To illustrate this point, your early ancestors over-hunted us to extinction in the Americas. Your kind also exterminated the Indian Lion, as well as the Persian and Mesopotamian Lions. In the last century, you killed-off our Barbary Lion ancestors. Whether knowingly or unknowingly, how many other creatures and resources on Earth have you unnaturally killed and consumed? It is obvious that you place a twisted monetary value on all life and the Earth, and that it reigns supreme in your socialized minds and among your concrete jungles. It is also evident your favorite pastime is fighting and war.

When our cubs are born, their eyes are closed. In a few short days they open and, unlike you humans, our eyes remain wide open. Tragically, you haven’t been able to see how you project onto us traits you never tamed, specifically the unnatural and destructive ones. If you could really see, then, you would understand that the truth is nonhuman. Furthermore, you would realize that you only think you have mastered the weapons and violent thoughts you internalize and use. But in natural reality, they have mastered you. The human who unnaturally killed Cecil, for instance, had already planned to do the same to an elephant.

At least we understand our all-too-lion yearnings, and the futility of always pining for unquenchable and pyrrhic victories and a deathless life.
_______

Dallas Darling is the author of Politics 501: An A-Z Reading on Conscientious Political Thought and Action, Some Nations Above God: 52 Weekly Reflections On Modern-Day Imperialism, Militarism, And Consumerism in the Context of John‘s Apocalyptic Vision, and The Other Side Of Christianity: Reflections on Faith, Politics, Spirituality, History, and Peace. He is a correspondent for http://www.worldnews.com.

from the previous page...in case you missed it

[norton ash]

Ecclesiastes 9:4

4 For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion.

And even better than a dead lion would be a whole pack of dogs cornering a sadistic dentist at the edge of a high cliff.

[Twyla LaSarc]

I regret that it wasn't until his death I realized what an international star Cecil was. Many of the stock photos of lions used on the internet (often, admittedly, as symbols of leo) are photos of Cecil. This asshole killed an international celebrity and should suffer for it.

More seriously, the hunter, in his hubris took something from all of us just to prove that he could own the life of another creature. He has robbed all humanity and this planet of it's heritage, and should be reviled as much as the fuckers who blew up the afghani buddhas, remove babylonian sphynxes or deface aboriginal pictograms.

[Nordic]

While I wholeheartedly support the mass condemnation and shaming of this cretin.

What I don't understand ....

Why don't we do this to everybody who destroys precious environmental treasures?

Why don't we do this to the CEO's of Halliburton (fracking) and Monsanto? Just for starters? How hard can it be to find out where they live? We know where they work. They can only have so many security guards?

On the one hand I'm inspired by how people can react, and completely baffled as to why they don't 99.99 percent of the time.

[km artlu]

I know Nordic. It's a personally strange thing.

If I'm honest I have to acknowledge that when watching a film in which an animal character is endangered, I'm on the edge of my seat. Talking to the fucking screen, "Just don't hurt the puppy". "The Drop" for example…I was in dread about Rocco's possible fate, while only dramatically curious about where things would go for Bob and Nadia.

A district attorney once told me that sociopaths are often great lovers of animals. That was the first I'd heard of that. I'm pretty sure I'm not a sociopath, but maybe a saner person's emotional connectivity and empathy can suffer a similar distancing, in part.

I don't know man. I've thought about it since your first post unthread and it still troubles me.

[Twyla LaSarc]

Oh yeah, km, I have a hard time with animals deaths on the screen too. Double negative points to films, often older ones, where one realizes about 20 minutes in that the animal abuse in the movie is happening in real time. That old chestnut 'Maniac' comes to mind. Animals are cute, but I think there is also the reality that animals are innocents in the human drama and our feelings are touched by that.

I agree Nordic. Those who despoil the environment should be publicly shamed on a regular basis. Getting people to react, I dunno how that will work out.

I commute daily down a local bike path. I often stop and pick up plastic bags along the way. There are waste bins every block or so but it seems there will always be a decent chunk of humanity that just can't be bothered to use them.

[arikara]

While I am just as sickened and outraged as anyone over this, I find it odd how humans can be so cavalier about slaughtering other humans.

Imagine if we had killed a million Cecil the Lions in Iraq. Instead of, you know, mere humans.

Or if we had blown up entire prides of lions with drone strikes instead of wedding parties of people, families and children.

Hundreds of children slaughtered in Palestine and people shrug. Imagine if they were cute puppies instead.

Seriously I don't understand this.

I kind of understand it. As terrible as the acts you describe are, unfortunately they happen all the time, and the corporate media where most get their updates doesn't even bother to report it the way they did this lion story.

One thing to think of is that people aren't endangered in the least, but the worst of our species has managed to ensure that there are only a very few lions left so when an iconic one dies needlessly/senselessly people to their credit do feel the pain. If there were millions of lions left there wouldn't be any story.

Personally, I feel sickened by the death of the lion just as I feel sickened by the murder of Sandra Bland, and the genocide of the Palestinians.

[82_28]

Kirk Douglas just wrote this short article at Huffington:

While I, too, mourn the killing of Cecil the Lion in Zimbabwe, it revives in me an uncomfortable memory. Some 50 years ago, I went on my first (and only) wild-game hunt -- the most stupid thing I've ever done. But, at the time, I was gung-ho, buying all the proper paraphernalia, checking guns and racing off into the wilds of Kenya.

Covering my macho derring-do, so I can never fully forget, was a photographer assigned to capture my "heroic" endeavors for a book called Great Hunts. His name was Robert Halmi.

I remember being drunk with power as I softly pulled the trigger of my high-powered rifle and watched a leopard, a gazelle, an oryx, a zebra and other defenseless animals fall to the ground.

The trophies I brought back were proudly mounted on the wall of my projection room. And then one day I looked up and all my trophies seemed to be staring at me. I realized how obscene it was to kill them. I quickly got rid of all the "trophies" and tried to forget the sin that I had committed.

This summer we learned about Dr. Walter Palmer, an American hunter who caused universal outrage for his actions in Zimbabwe. I feel sorry for Dr. Palmer. He is being hunted much like he stalked his prey. His actions were inexcusable and I believe he is certainly paying for them. But he is not alone, many people hunt and kill wild animals for sport. That must be stopped.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kirk-doug ... 58448.html

[coffin_dodger]

^^
Superb piece of pre-emptive ass-covering from a doyen of Hollywood. I guess he was shitting his pants that a copy of The Great Hunt would be found and he'd be painted all over the blogosphere as a hunter-killer. Always best to circumvent, if possible.

It's odd how some people don't get to use that excuse - 'yes, we know it's wrong now, 50 years later, so no prosecution is required. We are good people now.'

Double standards abound.

[82_28]

Yeah, I hear ya. But it has totally put this problem into focus. Last night I was at a restaurant that I have been to dozens of times over the years. I noticed a trophy of like a mountain goat or something above the bar that I never really noticed before. Now I noticed it just because of Cecil.

I give Douglas a pass. We've all done stupid shit in youth. I killed a couple frogs once and used to burn grasshoppers with a magnifying glass. Nothing like a young rich celebrity, but I was in like 4th grade. I eat a touch of meat here and there, but am basically vegetarian. But I do feel bad for those needless deaths of helpless entities as they are killed not for survival.

[Nordic]

Back in the time Douglas is writing about, Hemingway was king. And in spite of the short happy life of Francis Macomber, it seems like it was a time when it was considered manly and macho to go lion hunting, and probably drunk on ice cold mattinis while doing so.

I wasn't a participant so I'm not speaking first hand.

But I am old enough to remember the Field and Stream, and Outdoor Life magazines at the barbershop, and the huge romanticism of hunting foisted upon my impressionable mind.

I fell for it too. I started eighth grade in a new town, a place where all the boys my age hunted, and I wanted to do it, too. And I was the boy who never did fry bugs with magnifying glasses and who was traumatized by watching other boys kill gophers. So WTF was I thinking? Anyway I tried it and was completely horrified by it. The violence and the unspeakable suffering on these innocent animals at my hand. And seeing that animals don't die easily. Not easily at all. Ugh. It was awful. And something you couldn't take back once you'd done it.

So maybe Kirk Douglas is being honest to a point. He's old enough that he really shouldn't give a shit what anyone thinks of him. Then again he is an actor ......

[82_28]

Corey Knowlton: Texas hunter sparks outcry by paying $350,000 to hunt and kill endangered African black rhino



Well done. Well done.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world ... ebook-post

[KUAN]

That's not hunting at all. He will have been guided to within an inch of his life. I'm reading "Last Train To Zona Verde" by Paul Theroux. Good read, as usual
He talks about how pathetically stupid the western hunting fraternity look in Africa, with their brand new gear.
Reading the article, it seems probable that the Nambian government was genuinely just making some funds out of culling an old animal - sad all round tho

[semper occultus]

...always a big hoo-haa about fox hunting over here..that ended up being banned....the olde worlde horse and hounds / jumping over hedges pursuit stuff....the animal rights people always like to highlight the horror of the animal being "ripped apart" - "torn limb from limb" etc as if that's somehow uniquely terrible when its actually instantaneous & far less worse than having their guts burned out of them by poison or being winged by a rifle and limping away to die slowly in a ditch - anyone seeing a tough little jack russell terrier clearing rats in a barn knows how supernaturally quick they are at grabbing & snapping the kneck....and how "natural" it is for (non-human) animals to kill each other....( including foxes of course who are mass killers of their fellow creatures ) - no idea what the relevance of this ramble is but there you go...