By Susan Lutz
We watch the news in shock. We watch the news in horror. We watch the news, and then go back to our business. We see the terrible things done to others in the name of religion, rights, or self-interest. But we have to go back to work. We have to feed the kids when they come home from school. We shake our heads. We forget. But those stories live on. We must learn to forgive, yet never forget. Here’s a follow up to a few stories we’ve seen that haven’t yet gone away.
The Lion.
Weeks after the beloved lion, Cecil, was killed by a dentist from Minnesota and poachers he hired, the headlines give way to bigger stories. But the story lives on. Zimbabwe wrestles with the intense issue of hunting their animals. Some claim the bounty helps conservation, others demand laws are changed. The president of Zimbabwe made a statement that the he blames “vandals” for killing Cecil, and also called for his people to take responsibility for the protection of their national treasures and resources.
Conservationists say they knew Cecil the Lion would most likely die at the hands of a hunter. The line between safety and potential death is literally often a line such as a railroad track or long stretch of line with no fencing. The issue of poaching, animals, money, safety, human rights, and animal rights are a hard mix to settle through in a country with so many living in poverty, so little resources.
Teams of people work to keep poachers on the right side of the track, monitoring and helping understaffed patrol officers find, catch, and prevent poaching. One group of women in South Africa head out at night and take huge risks to monitor and alert officials to potential poachers, all for about $250 a night. Their story was reported by PBS:
“They use a vehicle at night because it is far too dangerous to come out on foot. But there are still threats…. Poachers are usually heavily armed. All of the women admit it wasn’t easy in the beginning….”
The issue lives on for those fighting for animal rights. In St. Paul, Minnesota, a mural will be made from people standing in an outline of Cecil the Lion to keep the awareness heightened about the issue. The organizer, an artist, Kevin Foley:
“We want to harness the energy of this shameful incident for something good…for increased awareness, for meaningful action and involvement, and to preserve and protect this world’s declining wildlife.”
It’s going to be harder to get those trophies back to American soil. Delta Airlines joined other airlines in the transport of the dead animals.
The accused hunter, Walter Palmer is back in the news as recent photos of him also taking, illegally, a black bear from Wisconsin in 2006.
The Dark.
The Dark Act will move on as law if we let it. The bill passed the house, and will slip through the Senate if we don’t act to remove the darkness. The Cornucopia Institute reports that The Dark Act will prevent information about our food from getting onto the labels and leave us with unwanted food on our tables.
And Following Suit.
I walk away from the news, often shaking my head and wondering what in the heck can I do? I have to run to the grocery store, clean the bathroom, and walk the dog. The action I take every day in those errands, in my conversations, in my consciousness does keep the issue alive.
Contacting a Senator is easy. I’ve done it. They are accessible. They’ve also responded and gotten back to me. We love social media, so let’s use it to LIKE ideas that propagate peace, kindness, and solutions, not hate.
We can’t compare the lives of lions to the lives of people. It’s like saying we love people more than we love the earth or sharks or food or the stars in the sky. All of everything matters. We can’t have people without the earth to walk on. Without sharks, the oceans will die. We have to suit up every day; turn every conversation around to find the good instead of whining about what irks us.