Please note Copyrite 2015. Cecil in this clip could not be protected as there was no good boundary on the East of Hwange National Park. If the Gwayi conservancy was left for photographic safaris only and run by National parks, the chances are that the game population would increase, Hwange National park would not be under threat, it would help to combat any future rhino poaching, would create the potential to make more money in the Gwayi, more jobs, and access to some great areas for the public. When the Gwayi Shangani dam is built there will be further photographic opportunities, boating and fishing. All this will contribute to the tourist industry of Zimbabwe, great for wildlife and people. Alternatively the land holders in the Gwayi should be encouraged to not hunt and to develop the area as an amazing photographic area. Cecil was a mature age, and sure may not have reached 20 in the wild, but could easily have lived a few more years. Even if he had lived a few more weeks, let’s look at the economics behind it. Supposedly he was hunted for US$55,000, but if hunted in the community areas they would only have received US$12,000. Of this US$12,000 very little after admin and taxes would have gone down to the villagers. And after being shared a villager would be lucky to get more than a few dollars, which does not really compensate him for losses. Now let’s look at his value to the photographic industry. At one time he was a regular for tourists staying at Linkwasha (16 beds, 550-928US pp), Davisons (16 beds, 419-596US), Little Makololo (12 bed, 481-763US) and Makololo Plains (20 bed, approx 550US) camps. At that time lions were the most desired animal to see, and Cecil the main attraction. Later he moved north and was accessed by tourists from Makololo Plains (20 bed, approx 550US), Little Makololo (12 bed, 481-763US, Somalisa (20 beds, 201-420US), and The Hide, including Toms (32 beds, 390-650US). Being in the Ngweshla area he was also of great interest to people staying at Ngweshla and Kennedy camping sites, whether private or tour operators. He was also accessible to people staying in Main Camp and in lodges and hotels in that area. If I take only one lodge that was dependent on him, and I will use Linkwasha, we can see that a full camp in peak season gives us US$ 14,848 a day. In 4 days this comes to US$59,392. This means that only ONE camp benefitting from him can earn more in 4 days than him being shot. If you include all camps it is likely that in one day he would have earned more than that hunt. And on money earned we are not including the flights that come into Hwange, the stopovers by all these tourists in Victoria Falls on their way to Hwange, and the money spent by them there. We are also not looking at all the jobs and skills created by these lodges and camps, in the Hwange area or the jobs in Victoria Falls. We are not looking at the community programmes these lodges are presently supporting, or their contribution to water supplies, grading of roads, research, firebreaks, game management, and antipoaching. So looking at it financially hunting Cecil is not justified by even one day, and arguments about him being too old are nothing more than excuses to knock of the best, and justify their actions to clients. And generally sport hunters are clueless about the operations of the photographic industry, its value, and callous in their treatment of this much larger and more valuable part of Zimbabwe’s economy.
