Categories: Africa news

Cecil the Lion May Have a Bronze Statue at Hwange National Park

Cecil the lion may be commemorated by a bronze statue at the entrance to Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park in, where he lived, a Zimbabwe conservation group has announced.

The lion’s death prompted worldwide outrage after being killed by American dentist Walter Palmer.

Zimbabwe is now seeking Walter Palmer’s extradition.

Cecil’s death made headlines around the world, and sent Walter Palmer into hiding.

The famous lion was killed outside Hwange park using a bow and arrow. Walter Palmer says he thought the hunt was legal but two Zimbabwean men have been arrested over the killing.

Cheryl Rodrigues of the Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force said people had already offered donations for the sculpture – the cost of which has not yet been confirmed.

She said: “Cecil was such an icon and it’s created such a fuss everywhere we thought it would be nice to do it.”

The Conservation Task Force has commissioned John Binder of Birds for Africa to make the statue and said it would be an “excellent reminder to all who visit the park”.

John Binder, a metal sculptor for 24 years, said he was “a little bit thunderstruck” to be asked and when his wife Debbie found out she nearly fell over.

“There’s a hell of a lot of pressure,” he said.

John Binder called Cecil’s death “crazy, stupid” and down to “sheer greed”, but added: “We are going to have to be detached from the emotion and get on with the job.”

His previous work includes statues of a pride of lions at a private game lodge in South Africa.

Oxford University had been studying Cecil for lion conservation and John Binder said he was hoping researchers could tell him how much the lion weighed and his dimensions to make the sculpture as realistic as possible.

Cheryl Rodrigues said it was not clear whether a permit would be needed from the park for the statue to be placed at the entrance.

Some have criticized the plan, telling the organization on their Facebook page that it would be more beneficial to use the money to counter corruption and improve conservation.

This is not the only legacy project afoot for the 13-year-old animal renowned for being friendly towards visitors.

Earlier this week the conservation group’s chairman Johnny Rodrigues suggested Cecil’s head be mounted in a glass case.

Nancy Clayson

Nancy is a young, full of life lady who joined the team shortly after the BelleNews site started to run. She is focused on bringing up to light all the latest news from the technology industry. In her opinion the hi-tech expresses the humanity intellectual level. Nancy is an active person; she enjoys sports and delights herself in doing gardening in her spare time, as well as reading, always searching for new topics for her articles.

Share
Published by
Nancy Clayson

Recent Posts

House Panel Votes to Release Matt Gaetz Ethics Report

The US House Ethics Committee has voted to release its report on former Republican Representative…

3 days ago

ABC News to Pay $15M to Settle Trump Defamation Suit

ABC News has agreed to pay $15 million to President-elect Donald Trump to settle a…

1 week ago

South Korea’s Parliament Impeaches President Yoon Suk Yeol Following Martial Law Scandal

South Korea’s parliament has voted to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol over his failed attempt…

1 week ago

Syria: Israeli War Planes Carry Out More Than 100 Air Strikes

Israeli war planes have carried out more than 100 air strikes in Syria on December…

2 weeks ago

Donald Trump Threatens 100% Tariff on BRICS Nations

President-elect Donald Trump has threatened to impose 100% tariffs on the BRICS countries if they…

3 weeks ago

Syria Coup: Rebels Take Control of Aleppo

Syrian troops have withdrawn from the city of Aleppo following an offensive by rebels opposed…

3 weeks ago