Ted Nugent has weighed in on the killing of Cecil the lion, calling the story “a lie.”
US dentist Walter Palmer caused outrage when he shot and killed Zimbabwe’s most famous animal in what he believed was a legal hunt. But, Cecil was being monitored as part of an Oxford University study into lion conservation and was a major tourist attraction at the Hwange National Park – Zimbabwe’s largest game reserve.
Nugent, who is known for his pro-hunting stance, was drawn into the conversation on Facebook when he was asked for his thoughts on the incident.
He wrote, “The whole story is a lie. It was a wild lion from a ‘park’ where hunting is legal and essential beyond the park borders. All animals reproduce every year and would run out of room/food to live without hunting. I will write a full piece on this joke ASAP. God are people stupid.”
Palmer and his guides reportedly lured Cecil from the park before Palmer shot the beast with a bow and arrow. They then caught up with the injured lion 40 hours later where it was shot with a rifle and beheaded.
Palmer said he regretted his actions but maintains he had no idea the lion was a local favorite.
Former Guns N’ Roses drummer Matt Sorum called Nugent a “sick individual” last year when the guitarist posed with a picture of a dead groundhog.
additional source: classicrock.teamrock.com
97 Responses
Well, I checked out Ted’s side of the story, and I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, the thing is, I really don’t follow his statements that much, and what he is doing now is posting pictures of himself with a dead boar and a dead woodchuck, naming both of them Cecil, but always iterating that both are his dinner.
Then there is the video of Ted in a helicopter mowing down boars with a high powered rifle, but, again, he prefaced this “hunt” by iterating that the boar population had gotten so large, that it had become a problem for the habitat, and that the meat was going to feed the hungry. And these are the only viable arguments for hunting. As for contributing to the African economy, that’s not a good argument because to do this, all someone would have to do is donate money, or just buy goods and donate them.
Dana’s post regarding quotas doesn’t condemn hunting, it just says that the rules have to be enforced. So, it’s not the hunting that’s the problem, it’s hunters who don’t follow the rules, let’s get this argument straight, instead of all of this sanctimonious preaching. That is, many of us have a diet that consists of meat, so perhaps if the cow head actually made a good trophy, then there would be outrage over eating cows. Cows may not be majestic like the lion, but many more suffer a very violent, painful death, there is no getting around it, so then, I wonder if it’s not really the net benefit to the animals, or even the environment that is the motivator here, , but if this is really just a way for people to make themselves feel better about themselves: the moral indignation displayed here is quite spectacular. This is not some pampered rock star attempting to profit off of a tragedy where human beings were murdered, this is a dentist who went on a hunting expedition. It also seems that this hunt is being conflated with mercenaries who hunt elephants and seals solely for profit, for harvesting their ivory, a terrible crime, but that is not what happened here.
He used bait to lure the lion, that’s a very typical move for any hunter, a fisher uses bait.
If this dentist broke the law, he should face consequences, but not this wholesale character assassination. I don’t get why someone would want to hunt an animal, but I am not a vegan either
Some of you people condemn Ted when in all likelihood the only thing he’s guilty of is being crude and obnoxious. He seems like a responsible hunter, his tactical approach notwithstanding. Kimmel et al’s antics are pretty bizarre, there are much more egregious crimes going on that would warrant that kind of response, maybe Kimmel can ruminate further over a steak dinner.
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Shannon,
My condemnation of Nugent’s comments, regarding this specific issue, far surpass that fact that he is simply being crude and obnoxious. I am preturbed because he is being thoughtless and irresponsible. He is stating that this was a legal hunt, and I have posted several articles, from quite a few different sources, stating that the hunt was not legal. The Zimbabwean government is currently asking the United States government to cooperate in the extradition of Mr. Palmer to face charges in Africa.
From CNN, “Walter Palmer had a well-orchestrated agenda which would tarnish the image of Zimbabwe and further strain the relationship between Zimbabwe and the USA,” Muchinguri said. Palmer, his professional hunter guide, and the owner of the land where the hunt took place are accused of an illegal hunt under the country’s Parks and Wildlife Act, Muchinguri said in a statement. Specifically, Palmer is accused of financing an illegal hunt, and he and the professional hunter are also accused of illegally using a crossbow “to conceal the illegal hunt” so they wouldn’t alert rangers on patrol, she said. The landowner allegedly allowed the hunt to be conducted without a lion quota and without the necessary permit, Muchinguri said. The professional hunter, client and land owner were therefore all engaged in poaching of the lion,” she said. http://www.cnn.com/2015/07/31/world/zimbabwe-cecil-lion-dentist/.
It seems the more information that is released regarding this hunt, the worse it looks. This individual has broken hunting laws before, even in the US, where he is trouble for killing a bear. Do you honestly think that based on this man’s past actions, that he seems like a law abiding hunter? If so, then I have a bridge to sell you. Again, Nugent’s continued support of this hunter not only makes him look ill informed, but makes me question his ethics as a hunter, in general. As supposedly a law abiding hunter, he should be outraged, that individuals, such as Mr. Palmer, make all hunters look bad.
Finally, I was just waiting for someone to bring up the cow comparison. Whether a vegan or not, cows, the last time I checked, are not an endangered species, nor in jeopardy of becoming one. Not only that, but as I have stated in previous posts, they are not a top predator on the food chain who keep the populations of other animals in balance. Your comparison is like Apples and Oranges. Trophy hunting an endangered species is not only foolish, but it is careless.
Dana 🙂
Consuming cows does far more damage to the planet than “trophy” hunting, we’re talking a mass depletion of resources: water, rain forests, etc. Moreover, those cows suffer their entire lives, they don’t roam around free, they live in captivity, surrounded by their own feces. They experience pain. In some cultures, India, for example, they are considered sacred animals, and on that basis, i am accusing you of cultural bias! : )
Trophy hunting a lion who is close to the end of their life, who is, for intents and purposes, finished with preying on other animals and breeding, I don’t see how this impacts their species.
So, your argument is that it was an illegal hunt, and on those grounds he should be prosecuted. Nugent, who has spent his entire life hunting, says that it wasn’t. The media, after this public outcry, has decided to make this front page news, which almost frightens me more than this alleged illegal hunt.
I understand what the media reports say, but I am skeptical of what they say. They sensationalize and will even omit facts. I do admit that I haven’t followed this case as closely as you have, however.
Finally, great albums aside, vengeance is not justice, vengeance is vengeance, perpetrators deserve justice.
Interesting that you would be skeptical of the media, but not of a person who has violated hunting laws before, on his own soil, nonetheless. That is akin to saying you would not believe that a criminal was capable of re-offending even though he has a past criminal record and rates for recidivism are high.
Finally, who said anything about vengeance? All I ever stated was, if found guilty, all of those involved, should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of law. It would also be nice, if found to be guilty, that Nugent would apologize and admit that he wrong, in this instance.
D 🙂
Rather, it’s the mass industrialization of consuming cows that’s negatively impacting the environment. If we went back to hunting like Ted, we’d actually be in much better shape, and these hunters experience the violence, they don’t eat pre-packaged meat, and for that, they have my respect.
So, Dana, it’s not even a close call on the first two:
Environmental impact: Cow
Aggregate suffering: Cow
Ask someone in India:
Religious Aspect: Cow
You know, they automatically put down these lions when they attack a human, this is the public policy, and this seems wrong, by the way.
I don’t wish to continue this discussion here, please feel free to e-mail me offline if you want to continue this specific topic. Further comments will be deleted, as again, it is off topic.
Thanks,
D
Being a carnivore is a luxury by the way, the body would function just fine otherwise.
I can take Ted (“Stranglehold”) or I can leave him (his rhetorical style politically) but I feel bad about Cecil. While I’m a strong Second Amendment proponant, I’ve never understood the urge to kill a regal beast like a lion, unless it was a matter of survival, or legitimate, authorized herd-culling in the interest of health for all the species in a given food chain.
My father bow hunts, and would call this hunter a “pig” because he did not make his kill in a purist fashion (I’ve heard a spotlight was shined on Cecil, prior to the kill), nor did he use due dilligence in vetting his guides and making sure his trophy was legally fair game.
If I was this dentist, I would publically apologize, auction the trophy head off and give the proceeds to an animal preservation society, and vow to use the utmost discretion on any future hunts. I don’t think the dentist should have his life ruined, but it is in his court now to redeem himself.
Just a horrible human being, as all the sport hunters are. It is wild how some people get psyched up to visit Africa and enjoy the animals and others have one thing on their mind and that is killing those very animals others are there to be in awe of. The trophy hunting mentality disgusts me and my hope this guy’s dentistry practice and his daughter’s dance company that also helps fund these thrill killing trips both have to shut their doors and misery follows them. Ted? Like somebody else said, he is the Sharpton of the hunting world. Stranglehold was one sweet groove, though.
First and foremost, I think game hunting is disgusting. The fact that this guy shelled out more than $50k to do what he did makes him even more unlikable.
However, what irks me about this are the thousands of otherwise passive people who now take a militant stand about the death of a lion. Where is their militance about worse atrocities committed in Africa? I understand it’s cool to jump on the bandwagon and repost venom on social media against a wealthy American with a douchey hobby, but if you are going to get upset about happenings in Africa, there are many other more important causes (e.g. millions of humans slaughtered in the name of culturer/religion) to get upset about than Cecil. And don’t get me started about those Zimbabwen authorities who ignore warlords slaughtering entire villages but are happy to go on American news outlets demanding extradition of a stupid rich American. Fact of the matter is, no one would care about Cecil’s demise if it didn’t involve a wealthy American. Plain and simple.
By the way, Shut Up and Jam is a good album!