Among the many tragedies that underlie the brutal, illegal killing of Cecil the Lion is the fact that this being suffered for 40 hours prior to his death. This is because Cecil was initially shot with a crossbow, which is a method of hunting that is inherently less effective than the more practical methodology of shooting an animal with a rifle.
Animal activists have long been aware of this, and of the cruelty inflicted on animals such as Cecil due to the inefficiency of crossbow attacks. Many stories and pictures have been shared of deer and other wildlife who have fled from hunter attacks with an arrow still stuck inside of them, with the animal left helpless, suffering, completely unable to extract it the way that you or I would be able to do. You don't need to be a vegan like me to see this. I believe that even your average hunter can find common ground with animal rights activist when it comes to this topic. There is absolutely no place for an inherently cruel practice such as bow hunting in an advanced, civilized society.
It is a shame that it takes a tragedy such as the killing of a rare and beautiful lion to bring this to the nation's attention. But in the words of Rahm Emanuel, no crisis should go to waste. Please sign and share this petition widely, so that Cecil's death may not be in vain, and so that other animals should not have to suffer in the way he did.
