Trophy hunters kill majestic lion in Zimbabwe
The death of Mopane the lion is reminiscent of Cecil's death.
The lion named Mopane was allegedly killed on 5 August 2021 by an American hobby hunter outside Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe.
Reminiscent of Cecil's fate
Mopane's death has sparked an international outcry as the details of his killing resemble those of Cecil the lion who was slaughtered with a bow and arrow in 2015 in the same area.
Much like 13-year-old Cecil, who was lured out using an elephant carcass as bait, the approximately 12-year-old Mopane may also have been lured out of Hwange National Park using bait. Mopane was a parent animal and played an important role in his pride. Without him, his pride is now at risk of being taken over by another male, which could lead to the killing of cubs and females.
Killing animals for trophies is in some cases criminal, but always wrong — a cultural aberration. Trophy hunting threatens and decimates species and is, above all in Africa, a corrupt business.
7,667 lion trophies traded in 10 years
Neither the killings of Cecil nor of Mopane are anomalies. Between 2009 and 2018, 7,667 lion trophies were traded internationally, including to the USA and the European Union. An estimated 20,000 mature lions still live in the wild in Africa.
Governments are systematically enabling trophy hunting of threatened and endangered species by failing to revise import policies. President Biden can and should instruct the relevant federal authorities to stop the importation of trophy parts from endangered species.
The trophy hobby hunter who killed Mopane is Phillip Smith from Columbia, Missouri, USA. The Zimbabwean hunting operator was Dinguzulu Safaris — the same operator responsible for the death of the lion Cecil.
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