07/02/2025
Dear Harry,
Ten years ago today, majestic Cecil the lion died having succumbed to injuries sustained when shot with bow and arrow by American trophy hunter/dentist Walter Palmer.
A beautiful, innocent being died so that Palmer could brag to his buddies. Palmer's life has gone on, while Cecil's pride was devastated. Despite the worldwide outrage, even Palmer's dentist practice continued and seemingly thrived. But that doesn't mean that Palmer became a better person: he was caught drunk driving in his Porsche just weeks ago.
Though Cecil had been lured out of a protected area and was part of an Oxford University-based research study, ultimately no one was charged or fined for his gruesome murder.
Palmer paid $54,000 for a cheap thrill that took Cecil away from his family forever. Life, sometimes, feels desperately unfair - especially for animals.
The dentist's act of cowardice continues to fuel the worldwide disdain for trophy hunting and efforts to end it. CWI is proud to be a part of those efforts with our Worldwide Rally Against Trophy Hunting (WRATH) and support for other laws and demonstrations opposing international and local trophy hunting.
The Prohibiting Threatened and Endangered Creature Trophies (ProTECT) Act
Rep Ted Lieu (D-CA) reintroduced the ProTECT Act on March 6, 2025. The aim of the bill is to prohibit the import of trophy hunted animal body parts (or "trophies") from animals listed as threatened or endangered under the existing Endangered Species Act. The bill would also ban the trophy hunting of certain domestic species.
While Safari Club International (SCI) and the NRA continues to insist otherwise, there is no credible evidence that trophy hunting provides any substantial benefit to conservation efforts.
Further, within the United States, "canned hunting" businesses allow hunters the opportunity to shoot animals often accustomed to humans and confined within a fenced area. This is the most vile and pathetic form of hunting. Shamefully, canned hunting operations receive special permissions from US Fish and Wildlife for the hunting of protected species. The ProtTECT act would end this disgusting practice.
A word about politics: as a nonprofit organization, CompassionWorks International is mandated to be apolitical by law. Despite the fact that this bill was introduced by a democrat, the killing of animals is a nonpartisan issue. Sadly, the NRA roundly supports trophy hunting and frequently partners with SCI on objecting to any attempt to limit trophy hunting. We encourage ALL to support ending the cruel practice of killing animals for entertainment and especially encourage Republicans to contact your state representatives and tell them why they should dismiss the NRA's stance on trophy hunting and support the ProTECT Act.
CWI will keep abreast of progress on this bill and share more on how you can help support it in the months to come.
