Americans Outraged Over Killing Cecil the Lion Handed Harsh Dose of Reality by Zimbabwe Native and Doctoral Student

Americans Outraged Over Killing Cecil the Lion Handed Harsh Dose of Reality by Zimbabwe Native and Doctoral Student
Private Investigator for the Palmer family, Walter Zalisko, of Global Investigative group in Fort Myers walks out of the home Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2015, at the Marco Island home of dentist Walter J. Palmer. Zalisko said no vandalism was found inside. The home was discovered vandalized with the worlds "LION Killer!" and littered with pigs feet drenched in hot sauce. Palmer, a Minnesota resident, is wanted in the killing of Zimbabwe's famous lion, Cecil, a lion who drew thousands of tourists and dollars annually. Corey Perrine/Naples Daily News via AP
Zachary Stieber
Zachary Stieber
Senior Reporter
|Updated:

Goodwell Nzou wants people to know why he cheered when he heard Cecil the Lion was killed.

Nzou, a native of Zimbabwe--the country in which Cecil was shot by an American dentist--and a doctoral student in molecular and cellular biosciences at Wake Forest University, wanted to bring a new perspective into the international debate.

Americans especially have become outraged over the killing of Cecil, calling the Dr. Walter Palmer a murderer and forcing him to close his practice. There’s even plans to extradite him to Zimbabwe for a trial.

But Nzou says that when he first heard the news about the killing, “the village boy inside me instinctively cheered: One lion fewer to menace families like mine.”

“Did all those Americans signing petitions understand that lions actually kill people? That all the talk about Cecil being ”beloved“ or a ”local favorite“ was media hype? Did Jimmy Kimmel choke up because Cecil was murdered or because he confused him with Simba from ”The Lion King?” he wondered.

“In my village in Zimbabwe, surrounded by wildlife conservation areas, no lion has ever been beloved, or granted an affectionate nickname. They are objects of terror.”

Nzou says a prowling lion injured his uncle in an attack, and “sucked the life out of the village” by forcing people to stay indoors instead of visiting neighbors or hanging out by a bonfire.

Cecil the lion rests in Hwange National Park, in Hwange, Zimbabwe, in this undated photo. (Andy Loveridge/Wildlife Conservation Research Unit via AP)
Cecil the lion rests in Hwange National Park, in Hwange, Zimbabwe, in this undated photo. Andy Loveridge/Wildlife Conservation Research Unit via AP
Zachary Stieber
Zachary Stieber
Senior Reporter
Zachary Stieber is a senior reporter for The Epoch Times based in Maryland. He covers U.S. and world news. Contact Zachary at [email protected]
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