[BE WARNED: RANT AHEAD]

I'll probably end up deleting this, but... Eh. I'm feeling the need to rant at the moment.

I've had to write like three essays as summer work for the English course I'll be taking this year and the last one's hit pretty deep with my with the topic I've chosen. See, we got to pick any contemporary news story that happened over the summer (ex. The legalization of gay marriage) and we have to form an opinion on it, picking a clear side, and write our report.

My mom convinced me to write about Cecil the Lion, the one who was poached in Zimbabwe by the dentist dude.

Let's get something straight: I don't support hunting for sport. At all.

If you are hunting for the sole purpose of providing nourishment for you and possibly your loved ones, I can accept that, because generally people who "live off the land" have a certain level of respect for the animals they're hunting.

But people hunting so that they can put up a badass trophy on their wall and line their floors with luxurious furs?

They can go to hell for all I care.

So anyway, Cecil. A research lion that's been studied since 2008 so that we can learn about the decline in the population of lions in Africa and such. Illegally baited and led away from the reserve he called home, shot with a bow and arrow, then tracked for 40 hours until he was eventually brought down with a gun. Skinned and beheaded (after the tracking collar he'd worn had been removed, indicating they'd already realized he wasn't your average kitty), the remainder of his corpse left to the elements.

This? This right here? It's why I am honestly ashamed to be a part of the fucking human race.

Now the guy, the dentist, claims he wasn't aware of Cecil's fame and importance when they began tracking him, that they legitimately thought it was some elderly (he was 13) cat who was past breeding age, and therefore eligible to be hunted. I can... somewhat believe that, considering he apparently relied on his guides to sniff out prey for him (actually that makes the whole thing more sketchy for me but whatever). But here's the thing. Once they killed Cecil and noticed the collar, alarm bells should've been ringing in their Neanderthal heads, because clearly this was not some random lion. They should have stopped, admitted their mistake, contacted the local authorities. But no. They go ahead and they collect their spoils and they leave.

And the guy still claims he did nothing wrong.

Here's a little background for you, too. This isn't the first time he's gotten in trouble for pouching. He pleaded guilty a few years ago to illegally killing a black bear here in the States, but only after he'd already lied about it. And he's an avid hunter over in Africa, too. He's the type who smiles - all victorious and smug - in pictures taken with the limp corpses of his prey.

In short, he's the type of man I absolutely loathe.

Not dislike, not hate - loathe.

Look, you can yell at me all ya want for bashing hunting, saying you have every right to do it (which isn't always the case) and that there's nothing immoral or shit about it. I don't give two shits. And no, I'm not vegan or anything, I eat meat that was once alive, and I'm very aware of that, and you can say that's murder, too.

Here's my rebuttal: Fuck off.

There is a difference between being raised for slaughter and living in the wild your entire life. And didn't I say that I'm fine with hunting so long as it's for the sake of necessary food? Same thing, in my opinion.

Off topic, really, so let's get back to Cecil.

I'm just... I'm appalled that this even happened. But I'm also getting annoyed with the response from people all over the world, especially those here in America. Like, they formed little mobs and staked out Mr. Dentist's office and shit, to the point where he had to close down for a while.

Why am I angry at the fact that they're seeking justice for Cecil?

Well, I'm not, not really. But they're going about it all wrong. This didn't just affect this asshole, it affected his family, too (if he has one). And why all this just for Cecil? Thousands of animals get poached every year, and no fucks are given about them from the general public.

So it... it feels hypocritical for people to have such a strong reaction to this one incident.

Ugh. I'm all over the place with this. It's late, my head hurts, and I'm just annoyed with the world right now. I'm also debating over whether or not I should actually post this... Hah, here's that loaded gun I was talking about in Follies of Fantasia. To pull the trigger, or not to pull the trigger, that is the question, right?

You know what this reminded me of? (Ignore me, just segueing into another rant) Shark finning. The whole thing with Cecil's body being left to rot, I mean. Because the process of shark finning is brutal, honestly, and on the same level as what they did to Cecil.

So they drag the shark up onto the deck of the ship. It's squirming and thrashing and struggling to breathe, pretty much defenseless unless you get a limb too close to its mouth. Then they hold it down, take a knife, and saw off its dorsal fin and pectoral fins. After that, all while the shark is still alive and kicking? They toss it back into the ocean, where it either drowns slowly or gets eaten.

But hey, that's the circle of life, ain't it?

God help me, these people... Have they no shame? I'm asking a serious question, too. Do they think that, because animals can't express complex emotions, because their brains are smaller than ours, because they can't speak the same way we do, that they're somehow lesser beings compared to us? Do they think they feel no pain, that they can't feel loss? Or do they just not care?

I'd ask someone who hunts, but I feel like I wouldn't be satisfied just hearing the answer.

Should I really post this...?

I don't really want people ranting back at me, this was just to vent...

Eh, whatever. If I don't like it later, I can just unpublish it.