Ty has created a Cecil the lion Beanie Baby stuffed toy to remember the real Cecil the lion who was killed by a US dentist. Proceeds will go to charity, Ty Warner, founder and Chairman of Ty Inc. has announced.
Cecil the lion was illegally killed by US dentist Walter Palmer. It is a story that has sparked huge worldwide outrage. It caused for Palmer to go in hiding. Meanwhile the Zimbabwean authorities have said other lions have also been killed without permit. It is a story that is a bit outside our usual area, but it is too important to simply not pay attention. It has caused for repeated calls that trophy hunting should be banned and we also think so.
All profits from sales of Cecil the lion Beanie Babies stuffed animal toy will go directly to the University of Oxford’s Wildlife Conservation Unit, which had been tracking Cecil the lion since 2008. “Hopefully, this special Beanie Baby will raise awareness for animal conservation and give comfort to all saddened by the loss of Cecil”, Ty Warner says to the Chicago Tribune.
The cute looking Beanie Babies will be available in the stores this September. They will carry the original price of $5.99.
It is not the first time Beanie Babies have taken a stand. In 2004 there was an entire line of Beanie Babies for World Wildlife Federation. There were special Beanie Baby stuffed animals for zoos and aquariums in the US.
Also Monday, Delta Air Lines announced it would no longer ship lion, leopard, elephant, rhinoceros and buffalo trophies. We are hoping they will extend that to all trophies and we also hope other airlines and transport companies will do the same.
If the authorities don’t put a ban on trophy hunting of fear they will lose on tourist income, then the people and the business should simply stop working with trophy hunters. Instead, why not popularize the taking of beautiful pictures of the animals in their habitat or even better, help them out by helping preserving them and their homes instead of killing them.
