The Minnesota dentist vilified for shooting Cecil the Lion in July has emerged as the unlikely leader of the international Rhodes Must Fall campaign. Dr Walter Palmer, 55, has been hailed as a progressive figure by liberation groups globally for bringing down this alleged symbol of colonial oppression.
Dr Palmer hit the headlines in July when he shot Cecil the Lion in Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe. Cecil’s brother Jericho was also thought to have been shot dead. Cecil the Lion controlled swathes of territory in southern Africa, as well as two prides, containing six lionesses and twelve cubs. Oxford University was monitoring the region following Cecil’s aggressive expansion of his domain. He had previously been celebrated as a national figure in Zimbabwe.
Tim Paul, a leading campaigner at the Cecil Must Fall in Oxford movement, exclusively told The Oxstew, “Frankly it’s outrageous how Dr Palmer has been treated. In shooting Cecil the Lion, Palmer has felled a symbol of western oppression. We need to see this as part of the broad decolonising movement globally, as we fight to reclaim our jungles from imperial oppression.”
When questioned over why the death of a lion many thousands of miles away affected Oxford students, Mr Paul responded, “This is about clarity. These symbols of oppression need to be brought down wherever they are. Shooting Cecil the Lion has brought this home to Oxford.”
Mr Palmer’s hunting expedition was plunged into further controversy when it emerged it was funded by a Raw Meat Foundation (RMF) scholarship.
Accused of hypocrisy, the dentist responded, “Zimbabwe has been a wonderful country for me to hunt in, and I have always followed the laws. The resources of the jungle should belong to all animals, not just this oppressive lion who controls all the territory. “
Animal Welfare groups from across the world however were more mixed in their response. Oxford-based campaigner for animal rights Henry ‘big head’ Shoulders-Knees-and-Toes told The Oxstew, “Frankly this shooting is indicative of a nauseating and moralising movement spreading across the jungle. Cecil’s pride should be ashamed at caving in to such a group.
“If we were really serious about tackling the issues of Cecil’s presence in the jungle, Cecil Must Fall would abandon all notions of writing their most successful ever lion out of history.
“Instead, they’d look at the issues that really matter: who owns the jungle? Is it right that other prides are so underrepresented? If we were really serious about tackling the legacy issues of Cecil the Lion we’d use RMF’s money to fund further conservation.”
