President Obama places African lions on the Endangered Species List. This ones for you Cecil.

Source

Courtesy of the New York Times:  

Five months after a lion named Cecil was shot and killed in Zimbabwe by a Minnesota dentist, the Obama administration has decided to place lions in Africa under the protection of the Endangered Species Act, an action that will set a higher bar for hunters who want to bring lion trophies into the United States. 

Lions in central and West Africa will be listed as endangered, according to the Fish and Wildlife Service, which announced the change on Monday. Lions in southern and East Africa will be classified as threatened, with a special rule that prods countries to regulate sport hunting of lions in ways that promote conservation. 

Both designations, the agency said, will result in stricter criteria for the import of live lions and lion parts, like heads, paws or skins. 

Trophies from countries where lions are endangered will be “generally prohibited,” except in very limited circumstances, the agency said.

I guess Walter Palmer's careless murder of a magnificent and noble creature had at least ONE positive outcome.

Hopefully this will help stem the tide of pathetically hung man children from slaughtering these animals in order to impress their friends and try to get laid.

Apparently Walter Palmer, the dentist who shot and killed Cecil the Lion, will not be charged in Zimbabwe.

Courtesy of the Guardian:  

Zimbabwe will not charge American dentist Walter Palmer for killing a prized lion in July because he had obtained legal authority to conduct the hunt, a cabinet minister has said. 

“We approached the police and then the prosecutor general, and it turned out that Palmer came to Zimbabwe because all the papers were in order,” the environment minister, Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri, told reporters, adding that the American could not be charged. 

Palmer, from Minnesota, has always maintained that he believes he acted legally. Last month he told the Associated Press and the Minneapolis Star Tribune that he was stunned to find out his hunting party had killed one of Zimbabwe’s treasured animals.

Yeah, I guess the negative publicity really ruined the thrill of killing an animal that he lured off of a game preserve with an elephant carcass. My heart bleeds.

What's more they only wounded this magnificent animal and let it suffer for several hours before tracking it and killing it.

But hey if Zimbabwe doesn't think they have enough reason to charge this guy then what can you do?

SNL mocks Kim Davis, and the other terrible people of this last summer. Oh and Hillary Clinton appears in cameo that should not be missed.

Courtesy of Addicting Info: 

Cyrus sang “My Way” as memories from the summer were revisited by the cast. Davis, wasn’t the only one to be mocked, however. Rachel Dolezal was satirized, as well as the dentist who killed Cecil the lion, Jared Fogle, and many more. Pope Francis was also visibly seen trying to distance himself from Davis.

I don't always enjoy the opening monologue, nor Miley Cyrus, but I found myself laughing out loud several times while watching this last night.

But as good as that was you really need to treat yourself to Hillary in a cameo as a bartender serving drinks to Kate McKinnon portraying Hillary Clinton.

That was so good it reminded me of Tina Fey turning Sarah Palin into a national laughingstock.

(I'm sorry that should read "revealing to the world that Sarah Palin was already a national laughingstock.")

Lion killing dentist forced to hire armed security.

Courtesy of the Daily Mail: 

Lion killing-pariah Walter Palmer has hired a phalanx of private investigators to protect his safari-themed homes from animal rights activists, Daily Mail Online can reveal. 

The globally-despised dentist, 55, is spending thousands of dollars a day on armed security and covert CCTV cameras after being deluged with death threats and abuse. 

Palmer and his blonde wife Tonette, 56, went into hiding last week after he was unmasked as the fanatical American bow hunter who slaughtered famed big cat, Cecil. 

While the wealthy couple remain out of sight, private detective agencies have been tasked with guarding their three lavish properties, which are all crammed with exotic animal heads and mementos from Palmer's numerous kills. 

The main Palmer residence in Eden Prairie, Minnesota has been closely monitored by police and has so far escaped any damage. 

But their vacation home in upscale Marco Island, Florida was targeted overnight Monday when vandals sprayed the words 'lion killer' on his garage door and dumped pigs' feet on his driveway. 

Daily Mail Online can reveal the $1.1 million waterfront property has a hunting-themed decor, with exotic animals and safari motifs on the wallpaper, drapes and upholstery. 

Okay I just have to say that while I think this Walter Palmer guy is a despicable human being, and deserves much of the backlash that he has received, I draw the line at death threats and property destruction.

Engaging in criminal behavior in response to behavior you find criminal is a logically impaired mindset.

In other news Cecil the Lion has become a cause celeb and has even been memorialized by one of the animators behind "The Lion King."

I'm telling you if this keeps up it could have a significant impact on minimizing or even putting a stop to trophy hunting around the world.

And gee wouldn't that be oh so terrible?

In response to social media outrage Zimbabwe bans hunting of lions, leopards, and elephants outside of national park.

Cecil the lion

Courtesy of 9 News: 

Zimbabwe's wildlife authorities have suspended the hunting of lions, leopards and elephants around the country's biggest game reserve following the killing of a much-loved lion by a US dentist. 

"Hunting of lions, leopards and elephant in areas outside of Hwange National Park has been suspended with immediate effect," Edson Chidziya, head of Zimbabwe's parks and wildlife authority Zimparks, said in a statement. 

The parks body also suspended hunting with bows and arrows, except with permission from the authority's head. 

"All such hunts will only be conducted if confirmed and authorized in writing by the Director-General of the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority, and only if accompanied by parks staff," Chidziya said. 

The clampdown follows an international furore over the killing of Cecil the lion, a favourite with international tourists, who was shot with a bow and arrow by Walter Palmer outside Hwange park in early July. 

I have to say that I think this is the most impressive demonstration of the impact of social media that I have ever seen. 

I keep telling my often skeptical daughter that we can still change things if we work together and this is proof of that.

And not only is the hunting ban in place but Walter Palmer is currently still in hiding, and Zimbabwe is still working to extradite his loser ass back to Africa so that he can stand trial for the illegal hunt.

Hopefully this ban is permanent, and will be expanded, and is not just a stunt to deflect criticism until this whole thing dies down.

Since 1970 humans have wiped out fifty percent of the world's wildlife.

Walter J. Palmer showing off his machismo.

Courtesy of Vox:

In early July, a dentist from Minnesota named Walter James Palmer traveled to Zimbabwe, lured a male lion out of Hwange National Park, and shot him to death. The twist? This was no ordinary lion. No, Cecil the lion was a popular tourist attraction, and so now half the internet has erupted in outrage over his death. 

It's a grisly tale. But it's also not an isolated case. Not even close. Over the past four decades, humans have managed to kill off a staggering number of wild animals worldwide — from charismatic lions and rhinos right down to lowly frogs. Most of these deaths don't spark anywhere near the furor that Cecil's did. But they certainly add up. 

A major recent survey by the World Wildlife Fund estimated that the number of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish worldwide has declined a whopping 52 percent between 1970 and 2010. The main culprits? Humans. Mainly through hunting, fishing, deforestation, pollution, and other forms of habitat destruction. Statistically speaking, Cecil's death at the hands of a person was more likely than not.

When people refer to human beings as a cancer on this planet they could not be more accurate.

And the thing is that we know better, and yet we still cannot accept the responsibility of caring for the creatures whose lives are put into jeopardy by our very existence, much less by our need to demonstrate dominance over them.

I have to say that in this area my daughter is my moral superior, as she is a strict vegetarian who contributes time and money to conservation projects. Especially towards the protection of elephants who hold a special place in her heart.

We all have to do much, much better or else someday children will be learning about lions the same way that we all learned about the Dodo bird.

P.S. Speaking of big brave hunters killing animals the Zimbabwe officials are calling for the extradition of  Palmer to face charges for killing Cecil.

Ted Nugent calls the story of Cecil the lion a "big lie" and says people who are upset about it are "stupid."

Courtesy of the Nugent's Facebook page:

 For those having trouble reading: 

 "the whole story is a lie. It was a wild lion from a "park" where hunting is legal & ESSENTIAL beyond the park borders. all animals reproduce every year & would run out of a room/food to live w/o hunting. I will write a full piece on this joke asap. God are people stupid."

Later on the page Nugent is asked about Jimmy Kimmel's emotional response to the killing and he responds by calling him a "lying punk."

What a sweetheart. 

Ahh, leave it to Ted "shitty pants" Nugent to embody the conservative Id when it comes to how to treat other creatures on the planet.

You know it seems to me that since Ted Nugent once got into trouble for illegally killing a black bear up here in Alaska, that perhaps he may not be the best person to weigh in on the legality vs illegality of killing this lion.

Just saying.