Betty White has spoken: the loveable 93-year-old golden girl of television wants a pound of flesh from the man who killed, beheaded and skinned Cecil the lion. The long-time animal activist called the lion’s death “a heartbreaker” and added “you don’t want to hear some of the things I want to do to that man”. Consider it official, then, that Walter Palmer, 55, became the world’s most hated man of the week for successfully slaughtering the 13-year-old lion who was the pride of the Zimbabwean savannah.
Mr Palmer paid about 1.8 million baht for the kill early last month, with guides luring the lion outside the protection of the Hwange National Park so he could deliver the cowardly coup de grace. It was not his first kill, having started hunting at the age of five, and pictures of him holding a lifeless leopard and squatting beside a slain rhinoceros were quick to spread last week.
The Minnesota dentist found himself in the middle of an international scandal as everyone from Ricky Gervais to Arnold Schwarzenegger turned their sights on him. More serious people have also weighed in, and even the White House has promised an investigation after receiving a petition with 100,000 signatures.
Zimbabwe, for its part, reacted to the furore by starting extradition procedures, while two people involved in the hunt also face charges. It should not be forgotten, however, that the country’s animal rights record is about as atrocious as its one on human rights. President Robert Mugabe’s love of animals extends only as far as his dinner plate — he had two elephants, a lion, a crocodile and a herd of impala killed and served up in February for his 91st birthday celebrations.
There is more than enough hypocrisy to go around: The Obama administration has proposed a law banning almost all ivory trade, with an exception for those who kill the elephant themselves (and a maximum of two a year). This is far from an inspiring display of leadership.
For all the justifiable outrage aimed in Mr Palmer’s direction, he is hardly the worst offender when it comes to animal abuse. He wasn’t even the worst offender last month: five elephants were shot and butchered in Kenya on Monday — a mother and four offspring — and their tusks hacked off.
These stories may seem half a world away, but there is strong resonance here. Activists believe the ivory from the Kenyan elephants is destined for Asia and warn those who purchase such items are culpable for having contributed to the demand. Thailand has long been considered a hub for the ivory trade, although positive steps have been taken in recent months with high-profile seizures and law changes limiting ownership. This has fallen well short of outlawing ivory altogether, and came about only after the threat of sanctions, but at least cannot be called a step in the wrong direction. The government estimates the ivory craft trade will disappear in the next decade because of the law changes, but it cannot go extinct quickly enough.
Animals suffer not only from cruelty but also thoughtlessness. Last month, three elephants were killed in Hua Hin after an electric fence was set up near a meditation centre. Guilty as the suspect may feel when all he apparently wanted was to keep the elephants away from crops, the animals are still dead because of his mistake.
Across Southeast Asia, environmental crime including logging, the ivory trade and animal smuggling is worth an estimated 800 billion baht a year. Rare and endangered species are frequently killed, although more commonly for food or as prized possessions rather than for the thrill of the kill. Pangolins, leopard cubs, bears, pythons and parrots: all these and more were caught being trafficked through Thailand in recent years. What went undetected can be guessed at, since a walk though certain sections of Bangkok’s weekend markets will yield clues.
There are encouraging signs Asean could soon be taking wildlife trafficking much more seriously. Reports have emerged in recent days that the 10-nation bloc could re-categorise it as transnational organised crime, which it has long been reluctant to do. Rather than treating animal trafficking as a problem for environment ministers, it would instead be ranked alongside terrorism, human trafficking, drugs, piracy and arms smuggling as security issues. Given these criminal networks are often connected, such a change would be a welcome result for humans and animals alike.
There will always be men like Walter Palmer who get their thrills from hunting wild beasts. There will always be men who want to serve slices of elephant to impress their dinner guests.
The challenge for the rest of us is to take meaningful action to stop them, which will take more than last week’s outpouring of outrage. The tragedy of Cecil the lion is not his death, but that once the anger subsides the hunt will go on.