"It is that range of biodiversity that we must care for - the whole thing - rather than just one or two stars."
-David Attenborough
Questions? Email me, Ronak Sathyanarayana, at ronaks@goanimals.org.

Thursday, August 6, 2015

Cecil the Lion, Victim of Poaching


Cecil the Lion lived in Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe, which was supposed to be safe and protected. Walter Palmer is accused of poaching the lion after paying $50,000 to be able to shoot it down with a bow and arrows. Cecil was just 13. His brother, Jericho, and the cubs in the lion pack are what is left in Cecil's family. But it's not only one lion. Cecil is the 23rd lion to be killed in Zimbabwe by poaching. Lions remain to be a victim of poaching, and all it takes is a man with money to break the rules and not get punished. In fact, 800 lions have been killed between 1999 and 2009. We need to push for stronger enforcement and do all we can to protect these lion. It is thought that there may be as little of 500 lions remaining in Zimbabwe. In Africa, lion populations have dropped by more than 80% in the century. It is estimated that about 665 lion trophies are exported every year. We need to do all we can to push for the protection of lions just like Cecil. Lions are in danger of extinction, and we need to stop that before its too late.