Dentist pays $50,000+ to illegally kill lion

[HarryPotterFan]

Walter Palmer, an American dentist, paid over $50,000 to illegally hunt. He lured Cecil the lion, the favorite and most famous lion from Zimbabwe, out of the park to kill it. Palmer has been involved in previous incidents of hunting illegally (killing a black bear on protected land and pretending he hunted elsewhere) and paying exorbitant amounts of money to go hunting.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/07/29/africa/zi ... on-killed/

[doggie]

not the first time he has done such things he drug a bear with his jeep 40 miles to a location where it was legal to hunt them. lets see how his dentist business looses business.

According to the AP, this is not the first time Palmer has been in trouble for hunting. Palmer agreed to plead guilty in 2008 for lying to a federal agent about where he shot a black bear in Wisconsin. He was fined $3,000 and received probation.

[VelociRapture]

I appreciate the fact that even other hunters are disgusted by what he did.

This story made me feel so incredibly sad. Cecil did nothing to deserve this sort of treatment. He suffered 40 hours after they first tried to kill him (and failed). Not only that, but he had six cubs that are now in danger - new male lions often kill the cubs of the former leader because they want to continue their own bloodline.

And I call total bullshit on his apology. He's not sorry he killed Cecil - he's sorry people found out. :angry-banghead:

[HarryPotterFan]

His practice I being torn apart on Yelp: Holy shit I can't believe the exorbitant amount of money he's paid to hunt: theverge.com/2015/7/29/9065981/cecil-the-lion-killed-walter-james-palmer-dentist-yelp-review

Some of the reviews are funny despite the tragedy. That guy is just such a horrible asshole. I agree, I don't think he's sorry for what he did.

[sparkles]

I'm so disgusted and outraged by this story, I don't even have words. Apology my ass. Like HarryPotterFan said, he's only sorry he got found out. I hope he loses every single patient and friend he's ever had.

[Buzzard]

I'm so disgusted and outraged by this story, I don't even have words. Apology my ass. Like HarryPotterFan said, he's only sorry he got found out. I hope he loses every single patient and friend he's ever had.

Just you wait... a gofundme page will pop up shortly with people who believe in killing things for fun (not food) supporting him. Collard lions are protected. I really hope that the guide who did this is punished severely, that the entire trophy hunting industry in Zimbabwe is re evaluated, and that this guy is prosecuted under the Foreign Corrupt Practices act here and his probation is revoked.

[Geechee Girl]

He needs to pay for his crime, and go to jail. I don't care if it's here or Zimbabwe.

http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/ ... dited.html

[formergothardite]

This makes me really sad. I hope he is severely punished.

[DGayle]

I hope he's sent to Zimbabwe to be tried. That derranged fucker is claiming he didn't do anything wrong and that he arranged the hunt through people he thought were legit. Yeah, explain his history of this shit, and having to lure a lion away. I hope his ass is nailed. I read an article yesterday where he tried pulling the "think of my family" angle. Funny how the people who want us to think of their families never think of their own families. Everything he has should be taken from him and given to the communities that relied on tourism from people seeing Cecil. I don't care about his family. Caring about them is his job. I care about those people whose only income, and only way to get income, is through the lost tourism. Dr. Demented's family can get jobs here.

[Rear Window]

Those pictures of him with the animals he killed are heartbreaking. No wonder Jimmy Kimmel couldn't keep it together. That guy is a disgusting piece of shit! He deserves to lose his practice and I hope the rest of his life is as miserable as Cecil was was after he was shot with the bow and arrow.

And his smile with those fluorescent teeth make me want to vomit.

[HarryPotterFan]

I hope he's sent to Zimbabwe to be tried. That derranged fucker is claiming he didn't do anything wrong and that he arranged the hunt through people he thought were legit. Yeah, explain his history of this shit, and having to lure a lion away. I hope his ass is nailed. I read an article yesterday where he tried pulling the "think of my family" angle. Funny how the people who want us to think of their families never think of their own families. Everything he has should be taken from him and given to the communities that relied on tourism from people seeing Cecil. I don't care about his family. Caring about them is his job. I care about those people whose only income, and only way to get income, is through the lost tourism. Dr. Demented's family can get jobs here.

Ugh I was pissed before I really thought about how badly this will impact the tourist industry and those who relied on tourism for income. This also puts the jobs of the research team in jeopardy (who must also have grown emotionally attached to Cecil) and is a huge step back in scientific research of lions in the wild (which, from my understanding helps helps conservation efforts to save the species from becoming threatened/endangered ox.ac.uk/news/science-blog/life-lions-revisited).

Basically this douche fucked over a lot of people (especially those who relied on tourism) and with other male lion's killing Cecil's cubs and harming conservation efforts - killed a lot of other lions as well.

"Think of my family!" Fuck that, you should have thought of your family, asshole. You should have thought of the families in Zimbabwe. :pull-hair:

[Pretzel]

This person is disgusting. :evil:

[fun2beme]

But fear not, I'm already seeing articles (Matt Walsh among others) asking why one lion matters more than aborted babies.

I was upset to begin with upon hearing the story, then learning that he suffered so long made me sick.

One of my cousins hunted (for food, not sport) and was a master at archery, but one day he didn't kill the deer he hit and it ran. He tried to track it down (he guessed it was badly injured) but couldn't find it. He was so devastated and haunted by it that he never hunted again. Then you see this sicko being proud of what he did...

[Buzzard]

Killing things is not a "sport." Hunting for food is HUNTING. Killing for fun is sick.

[Grimalkin]

But fear not, I'm already seeing articles (Matt Walsh among others) asking why one lion matters more than aborted babies.

I was upset to begin with upon hearing the story, then learning that he suffered so long made me sick.

One of my cousins hunted (for food, not sport) and was a master at archery, but one day he didn't kill the deer he hit and it ran. He tried to track it down (he guessed it was badly injured) but couldn't find it. He was so devastated and haunted by it that he never hunted again. Then you see this sicko being proud of what he did...

Yeah no kidding. I saw a show about a man who went hunting in Alaska and stocked up on meat for the family. He was newly married and his wife was going to meet up with his family for Christmas, and was bringing a cooler of the meat, and presents. Something happened at the airport and she had to choose between what he hunted and the gifts for family. She chose the gifts and her husband was devastated. He said those animals gave up their lives for nothing. It really hit her, and me. That was beautiful animal, I cannot imagine not just enjoying the opportunity to just be there and see him in the wild. How could that not be a special meaningful expierience- just witnessing that majestic creature.

* lots of comments compared it to abortion. No, they are not the same thing.

[VelociRapture]

I hope he's sent to Zimbabwe to be tried. That derranged fucker is claiming he didn't do anything wrong and that he arranged the hunt through people he thought were legit. Yeah, explain his history of this shit, and having to lure a lion away. I hope his ass is nailed. I read an article yesterday where he tried pulling the "think of my family" angle. Funny how the people who want us to think of their families never think of their own families. Everything he has should be taken from him and given to the communities that relied on tourism from people seeing Cecil. I don't care about his family. Caring about them is his job. I care about those people whose only income, and only way to get income, is through the lost tourism. Dr. Demented's family can get jobs here.

This is what gets me the most I think - the fact that he says he shouldn't be blamed because he thought they were reputable.

Dear Dr. Asshole - YOU DON'T GET A FUCKING FREE PASS BECAUSE YOU HIRED UNETHICAL GUIDES!!!! That's not how it works! You didn't vet them properly or, if you did, you didn't give two shits! You had one job and that was to hire ethical guides - and you failed at it completely! You don't get to play the blame game or victim game now! :angry-banghead:

[doggie]

Dear Dr. Asshole - YOU DON'T GET A FUCKING FREE PASS BECAUSE YOU HIRED UNETHICAL GUIDES!!!! That's not how it works! You didn't vet them properly or, if you did, you didn't give two shits! You had one job and that was to hire ethical guides - and you failed at it completely! You don't get to play the blame game or victim game now! :angry-banghead:

he has broken the law with hunting before. he has not been a ethical hunter so the argument is bogus. I very much doubt this was the second time he has done it.

[Buzzard]

This is what gets me the most I think - the fact that he says he shouldn't be blamed because he thought they were reputable.

Dear Dr. Asshole - YOU DON'T GET A FUCKING FREE PASS BECAUSE YOU HIRED UNETHICAL GUIDES!!!! That's not how it works! You didn't vet them properly or, if you did, you didn't give two shits! You had one job and that was to hire ethical guides - and you failed at it completely! You don't get to play the blame game or victim game now! :angry-banghead:

Lets play devil's advocate and accept his story for one second (and I mean one second)

Dr. Dumbass hires "guides" to take him hunting and obtain permits. Presumably he was shown these permits (which they apparently didnt have). I'm guessing he wasnt just sitting in his tent masturbating when they lured Cecil off his protected land. He likely was sitting in the jeep... so... what did he think was happening? Did he think they were moving him MILES for shits and giggles? Was there no markers showing the start and end of the protected land?

THEN... when they put a spotlight on him and he aimed his bow at Cecil, did he fail to see the GPS collar around his neck? You know, inches from where he should have been shooting (his heart)... When they followed him for FORTY HOURS did they never notice this collar? How about after they killed and skinned him? At some point did he say "oh shit, I think that lion was protected?" Nope... he hopped back on his plane (likely first class) and smiled all about how he killed a lion.

In the US we have a legal theory. Its called "party to a crime." If anyone helps before, during, or after a crime (ie - coverup, getaway driver etc) they are guilty of the main offense. Theres no question that he aided and abetted even if he didnt know (whatever) all of the stuff before Cecil died.

He's a criminal, pure and simple.

[Terrie]

i am not anti-hunting. While I'm not a hunter myself, I have many family members that hunt. Deer mainly, but also goose, duck, pheasant and occasionally wild turkey. Notice that pattern? They hunt prey animals, that you eat. They understand the role hunting plays in wildlife management. Yes, some of them have deer mounted on their wall, but only the head, because they ate the rest of it. And it was tasty.

None of them, not a single one, does pure trophy hunting. And this type of trophy hunting, where you pay someone else to find the animal for you, is not hunting in their eyes. It's paying someone to set up target shooting with live targets. I have so much rage about this.

[Buzzard]

Here is a REALLY good article on what can be done legally

aldf.org/cases-campaigns/features/bringing-justice-for-cecil-the-lion

[zebra #13]

Poor, pathetic son of a biatch. Middle aged, doesn't see too well, pudgy, balding, doesn't read people too well, not getting much nookie, preys on dental assistants, and then pays for the privilege. What a frooking winner we have here.

We're coming up on hunting season here, and every year's exquisite hunter's story. We have the hunter in Montana who bagged a llama, and had to be told at the tagging station it wasn't a deer. Locally, we had a hunter bag a tabby--which he thought was an "African Wild Cat". Also, locally, a guy who bagged his hunting partner, thinking he was a wild turkey. Since it was deer season, he was ticketed for not only unsafe discharge of a firearm, but also hunting turkey out of season (which is a HUGE fine).

And the Karma Fairy hasn't even put in her 2¢. . . .

[Terrie]

Poor, pathetic son of a biatch. Middle aged, doesn't see too well, pudgy, balding, doesn't read people too well, not getting much nookie, preys on dental assistants, and then pays for the privilege. What a frooking winner we have here.

We're coming up on hunting season here, and every year's exquisite hunter's story. We have the hunter in Montana who bagged a llama, and had to be told at the tagging station it wasn't a deer. Locally, we had a hunter bag a tabby--which he thought was an "African Wild Cat". Also, locally, a guy who bagged his hunting partner, thinking he was a wild turkey. Since it was deer season, he was ticketed for not only unsafe discharge of a firearm, but also hunting turkey out of season (which is a HUGE fine).

And the Karma Fairy hasn't even put in her 2¢. . . .

I picked up a friend's habit of calling blaze orange by the name "not a deer" orange. Some people...

[tankgirl]

I seriously just got in a discussion on facebook about this, and I am shocked that anyone was stupid enough to support this guy, but one better his friend of friends, only arguments, were "I wasn't there, so how do we know what happened" and the dumbest, the insistence that, "this guy probably gave the lion to people to eat". I was waiting for hunters to avoid connecting to this guy, since the hunters I always knew, would be irritated he broke, the standard rules, of follow laws, make sure you have a kill shot, or fix it fast, and don't waste. This was a privileged asshole, with a killing fetish, nothing else. I was really just shocked anyone wasted their time siding with him, but I sadly know there are more :(

[Toothfairy]

Humans are the worse creatures on the planet.

[PennySycamore]

Damn! I lost a post I'd just about finished on this. I learned today that the government of Zimbabwe has issued extradition papers for Palmer. Yay!

The other good news is that Cecil's brother, Jericho, is apparently protecting the cubs. It was feared that Cecil's cubs would also be lost when another lion took over the pride. That sometimes doesn't occur when two male lions have formed a coalition. For every lion killed, there is a devastating impact on the lion population. I can recall the exact statistic, but it's like thousands of humans were killed. There are just too few lions left.