Over the last few days, news that Dentist Walter Palmer paid $50,000 (£32,000) to kill a protected lion called Cecil during a trip to Zimbabwe, broke. This was followed by a global shit-storm of outrage (quite rightly) calling Walter out on his abhorrent actions. There's been constant outrage and disgust across the web and beyond, with his surgery being turned into something of a 'shrine' for Cecil and people protesting outside. Piers Morgan wrote how Walter should be hunted down and skinned, Peta have said he should be 'hanged' and a petition to extradite him to Africa to face charges is currently being reviewed by the White House. The Zimbabwean parks authority released a statement on Tuesday saying, 'Both the professional hunter and landowner had no permit or quota to justify the offtake of the lion and therefore are liable for the illegal hunt', proving that what Walter did was, in fact, illegal. So far the guide who took him on the hunt and the owner of the land where Cecil was killed, have been charged with poaching offences, but are currently on bail.
On Wednesday, 'Animal Communicator' Karen Anderson announced that she had connected with the deceased Cecil the lion, and passed on his 'profound message' in the Facebook post below.
I just connected with Cecil the lion who was recently killed. I wanted to let him know how loved and honored he is. I...
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Okay, then. On her website, Karen describes herself as a 'professional Animal Communicator, Psychic and Medium' and that she discovered that she had 'psychic abilities and could talk to the animals at a very young age.' I'd be lying to you if I said I wasn't more than a little sceptical about this whole thing. Whilst I've never had first hand experience with a medium or a psychic, my initial thought is this: BS. That said, the comments she's received seem to be overwhelmingly positive. If people are finding comfort in Cecil's 'message', then I can't argue with that, but part of me can't help wondering if this is a cheap attempt to capitalise on the whole tragedy. Thoughts?
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.