All animal lovers are opposed to trophy hunting. It can be hard to believe that there are people who enjoy killing at-risk animals like lions and rhinos.
This “sport” has pushed many species to the brink of extinction, but despite controversy and pushback from conservation groups this kind of hunting remains legal in many places.
But sometimes the animal kingdom has its own sense of justice… and one hunter came to a demise that could be described as “karma.”
Scott Van Zyl was a prolific trophy hunter from South Africa. In addition to being a hunter himself, Van Zyl operated a “safari” company where he would take clients on big game hunts as well.
His targets included lions, cheetahs, giraffes and elephants.
In 2017, Van Zyl headed out on one of his hunting trip in Zimbabwe… only this time, he didn’t return.
According to the BBC, the hunter headed out with a pack of dogs and a local tracker. He went off on his own in search of crocodiles, and was believed to be missing when his tracker dogs returned without him.
They found his footprints and bag near the river bank. Local authorities investigated the crocodiles… and found human remains that a DNA test confirmed belonged to Van Zyl.
After the story broke, many people wrote that he had it coming: that it was karma for killing so many animals.
One Green Planet, while not celebrating the hunter’s death, said the case is just more proof of why we shouldn’t allow trophy hunting: it puts the hunters’ lives at needless risk.
“Let’s be honest, Zyl shouldn’t have been hunting in the first place,” they wrote. “We have to ask ourselves if the ‘thrill of the hunt’ is really worth risking your own life – while deliberately taking others.”
What do you think of this story? Did this hunter deserve what happened to him? Share this story with your thoughts!
Endangered red panda triplets born at zoo — welcome to the world
It’s always an exciting day at a zoo when new baby animals are born, but it’s even better when the newborns are part of an endangered species. Each new arrival is a step towards ensuring their future survival.
Now, one zoo is celebrating the births of adorable red panda triplets, an inspiring sign of hope for an endangered species.
Yesterday, the Lincoln Children’s Zoo, in Nebraska, announced some exciting news: three red panda cubs, one female and two male, were born on August 10, to mom Tián and dad Rowan.
The zoo said that Tián was busy taking care of the three newborns. “It’s rare for a red panda to raise triplets successfully, but Tián is an experienced and attentive mom, and keepers are able to check in and weigh the cubs as needed because of the great relationship our animal team has built with her!” the zoo wrote in a Facebook post. “The cubs are healthy and thriving.”
In the wild, red panda mothers will create nests using tree hollows or rock crevices lined with plant material. The zoo has replicated this environment by creating six nest boxes made out of wood wool and bamboo. Red panda mothers instinctively move their cubs around to protect them from predators, so Tián will have plenty of nests to choose from.
The cubs are not available for public viewing yet, as they are being kept behind the scenes during these crucial early days of development. Tián will spent nearly all her time caring for the newborns. But the red pandas should make their public zoo debut sometime in December.
Now three months old, the cubs are doing well, learning how to climb and venturing out of the nest boxes, the zoo wrote in a social media post.
The news is especially good because the red panda is an endangered species, as listed on the IUCN Red List since 2015. Native to the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China, the species has been threatened by poaching and loss of habitat due to deforestation.
“Red pandas are an endangered species whose population has declined by 50 percent over the last 20 years. The birth of these triplets is important for animal conservation efforts, and the red pandas at the Zoo help to raise awareness of the threats their counterparts face in the wild such as habitat loss,” Evan Killeen, Lincoln Children’s Zoo CEO, said in a press release.
What adorable red panda triplets, and a great sign of hope for this endangered species! Please share this story!
