Amidst the killing of a protected lion in Africa, Delta Air Lines has now made a bold move. Monday, they announced they will no longer ship trophy kill animals from around the globe.
I have always been on record as being in favor of hunting any and all animals. As humans, we have been "hunters and gatherers" since the beginning of time. We are meat eaters; always have been and always will be.

With the worldwide cry over the killing of Cecil the lion, which by the way I did find deplorable in the way it was handled, Delta has now issued the following statement:

Effective immediately, Delta will officially ban shipment of all lion, leopard, elephant, rhinoceros and buffalo trophies worldwide as freight. Prior to this ban, Delta’s strict acceptance policy called for absolute compliance with all government regulations regarding protected species. Delta will also review acceptance policies of other hunting trophies with appropriate government agencies and other organizations supporting legal shipments - Delta Air Lines

I find it odd that there is no mention of Tigers from Asia, Polar Bears and Tigers from Siberia or Kodiak and Grizzly bears from Alaska. Isn't a trophy kill, a trophy kill, no matter the species or where it is harvested from? I guess that is what they are "reviewing?"

Back to my point...

I am also on record as saying that I think killing an animal just for the sake of killing that animal for a head to hang on a wall and/or hide to put by the fireplace is lame, wasteful and total BS!  I also don't like the idea of ANY animal hunting where baiting is legal and to be honest, I am dumbfounded why baiting is even legal in the first place or why a hunter would rather bait than "hunt."

As far a hunting in Africa, it's my understanding that those who hunt trophies (and other countries) are required to give the meat to the local people. I'm OK with that! The animal is not being wasted. In the case of Cecil though, the law was not followed and the animal was lured off protected land and even if he wasn't lured off, the guide or landowner did not have a permit or quota to hunt lion. If they broke the law, they indeed should face charges.

Cecil was an old lion and only had a few years left to live, but if we are going to hunt big game animals and be good stewards of the land, then we must all follow the rules regardless of age, species, gender etc.

Sure, the hunter may not want the meat and only cares about the head and skin, but at least the meat is not going to waste. I guess if you want to take it one step further, any animal that is killed, skinned and left on the ground are still going to feed other animals and the circle of life continues but the law is the law.

Delta has not officially given a direct answer as to why they made the decision but did say they felt it was the right thing to do. In addition to Delta, American and United have also announced they would follow suite and will also not allow the transport of trophy animals.

All in all, I really don't agree with these companies banning the transport. Trophy hunting is legal, and if done so correctly, why punish the hunter? We may not agree with killing an elephant, lion or rhino, but it is legal and if the animal is not being wasted, then what's the big deal...

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