What Will Happen To Cecil's Head?
The public is seeing to it that Cecil - the beloved lion massacred and beheaded in Zimbabwe last month - gets justice. And now they want him to get respect, too. A heated debate is asking one question: What will happen to his head?
Theo Bronkhorst - the safari guide of Walter Palmer, the Minnesota dentist who "deeply regrets" killing Cecil - turned the lion's head and skin over to authorities after they raided his home. They're being used as evidence in a case against him, but many have wondered: What then?
The Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force said Tuesday that once the trial ends, they'd like to put Cecil's head in a glass case in Hwange National Park to honor the fallen lion.
"We can put it near the entrance so people can pay tribute to him," Johnny Rodrigues, chairman of the task force, told the BBC. "We are just waiting for everything to die down."
"Any tourist should be able to come and see the cause of all this turmoil around the world," he added.
For some, however, it sounds eerily similar to what Palmer wanted to do in the first place - hang Cecil's head on a wall for display.
A petition titled "Do NOT Display Cecil the Lion's Head at Hwange National Park" is up on Change.org, but it hadn't garnered many signatures as of Wednesday afternoon.
"By supporting others who work towards ending this inhumanity, you will be showing the world what you stand for," it reads. "You could also erect a statue of Cecil at the entrance of the park instead. Place a plaque that tells people about him, what happened to him, and how they can help stop this madness, too."
Read Related Stories On The Dodo:
How Much It Really Costs To Kill A Lion
UPS Still Totally OK With Shipping Dead Animal Trophies