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Summary: Outrage over a Minnesota dentist luring the lion Cecil from his preserve in Zimbabwe to be shot and skinned is boiling all over. But there’s more to know here. A new documentary out of South Africa targets “canned” lion hunts. Lions bred in captivity, petted as cubs, then gunned down as adults in captivity by paying trophy-seekers. Even hunters are revolted. And the even bigger story. The terrible forces – hunting, poaching, and more – that are pushing magnificent big game species across Africa to the edge of extinction. This hour On Point: beyond Cecil, the state of big game in Africa.
Guests:
Farai Mutsaka, reporter for the Associated Press.(@mutsakafarai)
Ian Michler, narrator and protagonist in the new documentary, “Blood Lions.” Safari operator, specialist wilderness guide and environmental journalist.
Michael Hoffmann, mammologist and senior scientist to the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Species Survival Commission.
Paula Kahumbu, CEO of the conservation group, WildlifeDirect. Writes the Africa Wild column in The Guardian. (@paulakahumbu)