Today’s topic isn’t about guns, the right to bear arms, or the US Constitution. The following take has nothing to do with upward mobility, our various political parties, or how well “Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation” will do at the box office this weekend. This op-ed is about the unmitigated arrogance of one individual. His name is Dr. Walter Palmer – and he’s currently at an undisclosed location. I find this development unacceptable. For his egregious acts, as well as the trouble and embarrassment he has caused, he must be held fully accountable. For the greater good, we must find Walter Palmer.
Dr. Walter Palmer is a prominent dentist who lives and works in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. He loves to travel internationally, he loves his arsenal of weaponry, and he especially loves big-game hunting. Recently, this Palmer made his way to Zimbabwe – where he did not consider it robbery to kill Cecil the lion. Cecil the lion was considered to be the biggest known lion on the African continent. Cecil was beloved by the citizens of Zimbabwe. This GPS-tracked lion was the subject of a comprehensive study on the migration of African lions and how they interact with their environment. That study lasted several years. If Dr. Palmer knew about any of those things, he didn’t care. He had already spent a lot of money: on travel, on lodging, on fees to the various gaming commissions and memberships, on weapons, and on incidentals. Walter Palmer came to kill something – and he set his sights on Cecil the lion.
This whole thing angers me. It really does. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that my astrological sign is that of Leo. I’m sure a major factor of my disgust at Cecil’s death is because I’ve loved lions for as long as I can remember. Mankind has long considered lions to be strong, noble, and regal creatures. Even elegant. The vast majority of the time, lions pose no threat to human beings. In fact, lions have been known to actually display affection towards people. The thing that bothers me most is that Palmer and his hunt guides allegedly stooped to the level of dragging a dead animal carcass behind their vehicle to lure Cecil the lion out of his home at Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park – where it’s clear he was under a protected status. After drawing Cecil the lion away from the park, Palmer shot Cecil with a crossbow. 40 hours later, Palmer finished him off with a high-powered rifle. The good doctor skinned Cecil, then beheaded him.
Did Dr. Palmer consider that his actions would directly cause an international incident? Did it occur to Dr. Palmer that he would himself soon be the target of an international manhunt? Did it dawn on him that he was risking his reputation, his career, and his freedom while pursuing the thrill of the hunt?
Mark Joseph Stern’s piece in “Slate” magazine correctly posed this paradox: killing Cecil the lion isn’t the legal matter which should keep Dr. Palmer awake at night. Instead, it’s his alleged bribery of wildlife guides in Zimbabwe to gain the access he needed to stalk and target Cecil. That’s the thing which could conceivably land him in prison.
Earlier this week, Palmer released a statement saying he was sorry he “took” Cecil’s life – and that he would fully cooperate with any authorities who needed to contact him regarding the incident. Then he promptly shut down his dentistry office and its website, deleted his Facebook account, and left town. He’s in the wind, and no one knows where he is currently.
Palmer is the living embodiment of the stereotypical “ugly American.” He went to a foreign country, he saw, and he took what he wanted with no thought of the consequences.
There are only 32,000 African lions left. Since 2010, nearly 800 African lions are known to have been slaughtered by rich, big-game hunters from America. People just like Walter Palmer. If more clarity and much better enforcement of international laws protecting endangered animal species aren’t quickly put into place, these beautiful animals will perish from the earth.
Palmer has killed endangered animals before, and he will surely do so again. I don’t need his apology. I want him arrested. I want him in a court of law – preferably in Zimbabwe, but in America if necessary.
The Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force isn’t kidding around. It has in custody the two guides who helped Palmer conduct his hunt. The real prospect of 15 years in an African prison tends to make people sing like The Supremes.
If someone ever tried to harm UGA – Georgia’s beloved mascot – wouldn’t you want that person in prison? Of course you would. Me, too.
For Cecil the lion, for Zimbabwe, and for the interest of justice, Walter Palmer must be found.
