Keepers of the Wild Founder, Jonathan Kraft
Shares his Thoughts on Cecil the Lion & More!

Introduction

Jonathan Kraft is the Founder of Keepers of the Wild Animal Sanctuary. I had the privilege of having him on my show back in 2013. I was working with others to help create a second Keepers of the Wild sanctuary in Dolan Springs, Arizona. With the recent killing of Cecil the Lion I asked Jonathan to join us on Up Close and share the current state of conservation – or lack thereof – when it comes to wild cats and big game hunters.

Show Summary

This interview shares a lot of information about the possible extinction of many species including; lions, tigers, elephants, and others. Jonathan shared new challenges being caused by people keeping exotic animals as pets. He cautioned people to do their research and consider whether – even if legal – they should own an exotic pet.

Jonathan Kraft discussed the problem of trophy hunting. The Dentist that killed “Cecil the Lion” paid more than $50,000 to participate in that “trophy hunt”. In fact, it was nothing like a hunt. A carcass was used to lure Cecil away from his sanctuary. He was then shot with an arrow and tracked for 40 miles. This hunt was led by Bushman Safaris of Zimbabwe and we shared the page I created to shut down Bushman Safaris and other companies that sell big game hunts. There are many simple things we can do to shut down these companies of at least make it more difficult for Trophy Hunters.