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I am writing in response to the Tom Venesky column “What about lions without names?” that was published Aug. 2. I am in agreement with some of Mr. Venesky’s points about the unethical practices of baiting and poaching. However, he misses the essential issue, which is the unnecessary cruelty, worthlessness and depravity of “trophy hunting.”
We are at a point in the history of the world where killing another living thing to mount its head on the wall in our homes should be stopped and labeled for what it is: the childish actions of someone with a runaway or depraved ego who believes that doing such things proves his “manhood” or superior place in the food chain.
On the contrary, it seems to me that logic should dictate the supposedly more intelligent species has a duty to protect and care for the supposedly less intelligent species, not kill them for “sport,” that is to say “personal amusement purposes.” Ask whether it would be acceptable if a really advanced alien species landed on Earth and then claimed its “right” to kill humans for its “sport.”
I also believe that it was appropriate to name the lion in question “Cecil” since anyone who has ever owned a pet knows how unique each one is, and how their personalities differ. Maybe by attaching names to our fellow creatures, people will begin to appreciate the worth of each individual.
Since there appears to be a huge majority of people outraged by the killing of Cecil (many of whom are hunters), maybe we should channel that energy into stopping trophy hunting and spend our time and money doing something that promotes life instead of pain, suffering and death. We should start by completely banning “trapping” in the commonwealth, since it is a cruel, prolonged, barbaric way of killing animals and is indiscriminate in its victims.
Garry S. Taroli
Dallas