Is it wrong to feel saddened by the killing of this magnificent predator? Or to be disgusted that he was lured from the preserve by using bait? From what I've read, the only law that was broken was that his guides didn't have a permit to take the lion and I doubt if the dentist will take any part of the fall for that. And maybe that's fair. To me, though, this type of "hunt" stinks worse than the carcass they baited him with.
I agree with jackcrafty in that it's always smart to follow the money if you want to get to the truth of a story. I read a quote from someone that studied the economic benefits of big game hunting in Zimbabwe. I'm paraphrasing, but it went like this; "Yes, sport hunting brings in millions of dollars. But non hunting tourists who visit the preserve bring in billions." I'm predicting that fewer wealthy dentists will be hunting Zimbabwe in the future. In the meantime, I hope that the worldwide interest and outrage over this story will force that country's government to do something about the major issues causing their lion population to dwindle; poaching and loss of habitat.
Call me a dreamer or a romantic or whatever, I don't care. I think everyone who makes wooden bows and loves to shoot them in this day and age has a touch of that anyway.
