Never let facts get in the way

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Probably you've heard that Melissa Bachman, a TV personality and hunter, has killed a lion in Africa. If not, you've now heard.

A good trophy for Ms. Bachman.

The first news I got of this was a screaming headline stating Bachman "killed a lion on Facebook and Twitter." I am not kidding. You might be able to imagine my amazement. Huge predator cats are now stalking in Facebook and Twitter and can be hunted there? SIGN ME UP!

Snark aside. Not really, more on the way. I just felt like saying that.

In case you wonder, I do not want to kill a lion. Just not my thang. I do want to kill a Cape Buffalo and a warthog.

Bachman killed a lion. Parts of the world are now outraged. Why? This guy and some others called Bachman a coward. You'll note all these people said this from a vehicle or another place of safety. None of them got out of the vehicle and approached a lion on foot. You can tell they've never done this because they are still alive.

Lemme just note also - when you resort to insulting the other side in a debate, you lose.

You can see repeated videos of lion hunts on YouTube. These vids do spark outrage from anti hunters. But nothing like the furor over Bachman. Why the outrage? I really do not know. Baffled, I am. Why aren't all these people raising hell about all the other lion hunting? Aside from complaining, what are they doing to protect the lions and help the people who live in lion territory?

Ah so.

You may be one who decries lion hunting. I then ask again what are you doing to protect these beasts? "Whenever I donate a hunting trip for the Children's Leukemia Foundation, Ronald McDonald Cancer House, all these children's charities, I offer the anti-hunters an opportunity: if you donate more to the children's charity than the hunters donate we won't go hunting." Ted Nugent. So far Ted has yet to cancel a hunt. Why?

Does hunting lions actually protect them? Some in Africa say yes. I personally find it very hard to argue with someone whose feet on are on the ground being discussed and who has far far far more knowledge about the situation than I do. "If you want to save a species, simply decide to eat it. Then it will be managed - like chickens, like turkeys, like deer, like Canadian geese." Ted Nugent.

Habitat loss. And where do YOU live?

I can't find hard numbers of the number of lions killed every year. I can state killers are hunters who pay big bucks for the privilege, natives who protect their livestock, ritual killings, each other, starvation and natural causes. Lions are killed by poisoning by ranchers, BTW. In every article I read about lions, killing and their decline, loss of habitat and human-lion conflict were mentioned every time.

Hrm.

Humans and wildlife can coexist. There's two ways to do this. 1) When the wildlife is managed per human wishes. This means killing 'em when they "get out of hand." Wildlife does not reason and cannot be reasoned with. Wildlife is interested in procreating and eating. 2) According to an unmodified natural order. I have yet to meet a human willing to live according to the wildlife's way of life. In other words, a human would have to accept an unmodified place in the food chain. Everyone who complains about lion hunters is hereby cordially invited to live with wild lions on the lions' terms. There won't be enough left of you to bury. You're lunch.

There is no third option. Ideas like birth control, sterilization and so forth are part of Option 1 and when it does not work, the guns and bows and poison come out.

In another thing I don't understand, the anti hunting crowd is threatening to kill the hunters. Anti's have on several occasions threatened to kill me. I am not kidding. This is bizarre. The anti's are opposed to killing and yet are threatening to kill? Further, they generally have little to no idea how to use weapons and they claim to want to tangle with people who know how to kill. Huhn? Color me confused. Meantime, if you're one of this crowd, tell me when and where you'd like to meet to settle this.

Some facts, which I am SURE the haters will not let get in the way:

Lions kill people. I am not complaining. Merely stating facts. Lions eat meat. While the Bible says the Lion will lay down with the Lamb, getting the big cats to eat grass and survive on it ain't gonna happen short of a miracle. While big cats occasionally "adopt" a prey animal, they do eat it within a few days.

You can buy lion meat. Purty 'spensive, but hey, you can do it. I'd eat it. If you eat meat and you object to this, I must ask why.

If you want to save a species, simply decide to eat it. Then it will be managed - like chickens, like turkeys, like deer, like Canadian geese.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/t/tednugent189511.html#G9JJORbvAbre3jK5.99

If you want to save a species, simply decide to eat it. Then it will be managed - like chickens, like turkeys, like deer, like Canadian geese.
Ted Nugent
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/t/ted_nugent.html#RJl3x816Oic8BX5F.99

If you want to save a species, simply decide to eat it. Then it will be managed - like chickens, like turkeys, like deer, like Canadian geese.
Ted Nugent
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/t/ted_nugent.html#RJl3x816Oic8BX5F.99

If you want to save a species, simply decide to eat it. Then it will be managed - like chickens, like turkeys, like deer, like Canadian geese.
Ted Nugent
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/t/ted_nugent.html#RJl3x816Oic8BX5F.99

Lion hunts ain't cheap. A lion like Bachman killed is gonna run more than $20,000. This website lists ONLY the cost of the hunt package. It does not list the tips you are expected to pay and other fees not included. The lion feeds local villagers who also get to partake of the license fees and earn tips for helping with the hunt. Photo safaris run less than $2,000 per person. I'll also betcha the guide on these trips packs a gun just in case. And, I have yet to see anyone on a photo safari get within 30 yards on foot of a wild lion. It's dangerous.

You can say a lion can be photographed over and over again, generating fees each time while a lion kill results in a one-time payment. Yup. I again point you to the lion poisoning, livestock protection killing and ritual killings. No fees are generated by this and a lion is still dead. As long as Africa's population grows, lions are going to be in increasing conflict with humans. See Options 1 and 2 above.

The simple truth is when human and wildlife collide, wildlife dies.