Rep. McCollum on Cecile the Lion: We’re Investigating ‘This Callous Act of Poaching’
RUSH TRANSCRIPT:
DÍAZ-BALART: “This is such a tragedy. And you know, you have been walling for an investigation into Walter palmer. Why?”
MCCOLLUM: “Because I want to make sure that there were no international laws broken. And no U.S. Laws broken. So U.S. Fish and wildlife are looking into this callous act of poaching and baiting an iconic African species. As we know, the Zimbabwe government has stepped up and started doing an investigation and making charges with some of their citizens involved in this heinous crime.”
DÍAZ-BALART: “Congresswoman, you know hunting and hunting even for sport, is something that humans have been doing probably from the beginning of our existence. If this dentist did so believing he was acting within the boundaries of the law, why do you think that this continues to touch such a nerve with people?”
MCCOLLUM: “Well, I think the investigation will prove whether or not he was really following the law. The United States government has been working with the international community and our African partners to prevent poaching. And so the fact that he chose Zimbabwe, which is a country which hasn't been as aggressive as Kenya and other countries in stopping these acts of poaching and entrapping animals for trophy sport, especially the iconic species, leads one to wonder how on the up and up these folks all were.”
DÍAZ-BALART: “I have to tell you something. There were so few lions left in the world, so few tigers and leopards, and these beautiful animals that have been here before we got here, and they're about to be extinct, and you have people who are willing to do what we saw in Zimbabwe. You know, to lure them out and then attack them without their knowledge. This isn't a situation where it's man against, you know, lion. This is somebody hidden popping an arrow into him without the animal knowing it.”
MCCOLLUM: “Well, as you know, Minnesota is a great outdoors state. Big supporters of hunting and fishing. But our hunters back home are just outraged at the callousness, the fact that poaching and baiting was used on this iconic species. That's why Minnesotans are really wanting the world to know that our hunters, by and large, have ethics, and that one American, especially from our home state, could be involved in such a callous, disrespect of international laws, perhaps, is really, really outrageous. And I would just like to add as well, this was a research lion. To your point about what's happening with these iconic species. The research that will be lost for African governments and for the international community on what we do as climate change and human encroachment affect having these sanctuaries even available to these animals is really, really at a loss in and of itself besides the loss of the lion's life, and the cubs of the lion.”
DÍAZ-BALART: “That's right, because they're probably going to be killed by the other lion that remains. Thank you for being with me. I think it's important we focus our outrage and our concerns on things we can do legally. On things that will not hurt anybody else. It's also, you know, to be threatening people's lives over this is, I think, different than dealing with it the way you're dealing with it and so many people should, which is support animal rights and support things that are trying to control this. But congresswoman, thank you for being with me. I appreciate your time.”
