Maybe hunter didn’t know he was luring Cecil the lion from a reserve

It took at least a few days before the news of a Minnesota hunter killing a well-known lion made it into the living rooms of people’s homes. That’s because people were still obsessing over Donald Trump, AM 770 KTTH’s David Boze said.

“I first saw this &#8212 I want to say &#8212 a couple weeks ago,” Boze told KIRO Radio’s Tom Tangney and John Curley. “I’m surprised this didn’t get bigger, but I guess Donald Trump’s bigger news these days.”

Now, there’s a bit of a lull in Trump news or people are just becoming bored with the presidential candidate. Either way, the death of the lion is making the rounds and everyone is upset.

Dr. Walter J. Palmer, an American dentist, is accused of killing Cecil, a 13-year-old lion prized at a protected Zimbabwe game preserve. Along with some guides, they tied a dead animal to a car to lure a lion off the preserve and into the open. The lion followed the scent, and according to reports, the guides hit the lion with a spot light and Palmer shot Cecil with a crossbow. The arrow didn’t initially kill the lion, and the dentist then tracked him for 40 hours to eventually put him down with a gun.

Cecil was then skinned and beheaded. A GPS tracker, placed by researchers from Oxford University, was on Cecil at the time of his death. The guides, allegedly, attempted to destroy it.

People around the world are irate with Palmer, who, according to The New York Times, is keeping his practice closed due to the public backlash.

But should we be mad at Palmer?

Sure, the hunter who has bagged almost every big game animal used bait to lure the lion out, Boze said. But did he and his guides know it was Cecil being lured off of a reserve, Boze asked.

“It’s not the hunter’s fault if the lion comes from the reserve area,” Boze said. “In Washington, reserve areas are surrounded by places to hunt. There’s no way of knowing where [animals are] coming from.”

Apparently, signs need to be placed around animal preserves to let the animals know where the gun-free zones are, Curley chimed in.

It seems like the lion’s death should be placed more on the shoulders of Palmer’s guides than the hunter himself, Tom pointed out.

Ironically, Palmer has probably contributed more to animal preserves than the people hating him over social media, Boze said. Palmer purchased a $55,000 hunting permit, which &#8212 at least allegedly &#8212 goes to preservation. The Zimbabwe government might actually be more irked over the value of the lion killed, not the lion itself, Boze said.