Lion hunt photo causes outrage on twitter!

This week, big game hunter and Outdoor Channel TV personality, Melissa Bachman caused outrage on social networking site Twitter after posting a photo of herself posing with a Lion she had shot earlier that day. 

Photo credit: National Geographic

The photo was followed by the following tweet that caused unbelievable controversy and countless negative comments in response. 

Even world famous comedian Ricky Gervais had something to say on the matter and tweeted "Spot the typo" in reference to the word "hunt" in Bachmans tweet, one can only assume. 
Furthermore, shocked opponents of Lion hunting launched a petition on Change.org, in order to try and convince the South African government to deny future entry to the Minnesota-based hunter, which closed with 487,315 signatures. 

Is it legal?
To some peoples surprise, big game hunting IS actually legal in South Africa and preserves exist to facilitate such controlled hunts. In this instance, the Maroi Conservancy was responsible for facilitating the hunt and has stated on their facebook page that their motto is "conservation through sustainable hunting" and that meat from the animals shot on their site is distributed locally to communities. They also stated that the funds raised through hunting are used to put up fences and guard against poachers. 

Although the Maroi Conservancy has no Lions, they hooked the professional hunter up with another hunting outfitter that had Lions on their land.
It was stated that Bachman had all the necessary government permits and that the Lion was not drugged or enclosed prior to its shooting. 

Why is it still legal?
Not to be bias, although I'm sure you can all guess where I stand on this matter, it has been estimated that each hunt can raise up to $125,000 and conservation needs more money than ever. Between 2008 and 2011 Tanzania generated £75 million through controlled hunting and, without such revenue, 11 out of their 15 wilderness areas would not be able to continue operating. 
Melissa Simpson, director of science-based wildlife conservation for The Safari Club International Foundation, says "As with the regulated hunters in the United States, the regulated hunters in Africa make a vital contribution to conservation efforts, primarily through the revenues their hunting expeditions generate for local communities and wildlife resource agencies,".

What will happen to Lions if they continue to be hunted? 
Many argue that these "trophy" hunts are unsustainable and cause unnecessary pressures on wild populations. Large male Lions are often the favourite targets which could have detrimental evolutionary impacts by killing out the healthiest genes. It may also cause further deaths, as other males may fight to the death for the dominant position in a pride and may then kill any cubs that were the offspring of the previous male. 

An anonymous source for National Geographic has, however, stated that all Lion hunting in South Africa is carried out on private reserves where individuals are bred specifically for hunting. Therefore, Bachmans Lion was most definitely not a breeding member of a wild population therefore their conservation status would not be affected. 

That said, many agree that every Lion is precious and should be treated so. Each year around 600 Lions are killed through hunting and although this does not affect wild populations it is, at the end of the day, morally wrong.