It's Friday and Vince and I are packing for a weekend trip to a Big Five game reserve in the Waterberg. As I am sorting through the camera equipment we will bring, I am once again struck by how lucky we are to be able to experience and photograph these majestic creatures in the wild in Africa - especially against the backdrop of the recent death of Cecil, the much loved and protected lion in Zimbabwe. Lured from his sheltered home by trophy hunters and shot with a bow and arrow, Cecil's slow death has unleashed a firestorm of anger and disgust and has brought the crisis of animal extinction to international attention.
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Images of endangered
species will be projected on the
Empire State Building in NYC this weekend to raise awareness |
Canned hunting, poaching and bushmeat snares. The scourge of Africa. Yes there are other scourges. Boko Haram, ISIS, Ebola, Human Trafficking. They
all deserve attention, policing and positive action to eradicate.
But Cecil's death is an opportunity to capitalize on the world's focused attention. It will take concentrated international political will to stop the extinction of African animals. I hope the opportunity is not squandered and Cecil's death will not be in vain.
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| Cecil projected onto the Empire State Building! |
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