Hundreds of activists rallied against trophy hunting as part of a worldwide protest for Cecil the lion on Saturday, including a local group led by Ellen Ericksen at Cabrillo bridge in Balboa Park.
In response to the death of Cecil the lion by a trophy hunter, CompassionWorks International has organized protests in cities throughout the world. Their website says the rallies are expected to be peaceful, educational and encourage the adoption of state and federal laws that ban trophy hunting.
Ericksen organized the Balboa Park protest on Facebook to march across Cabrillo bridge and throughout the park.
The Balboa Park protest started at 11:45 a.m. on Saturday and continued until 2 p.m. In addition to discussing trophy hunting, their protest also included Vegan Outreach.
Their message is that trophy hunters are sending animals into extinction. Some of the participants held signs that condemn trophy hunting for damaging the preservation of endangered species.
One protestor posted a sign on Facebook that said, “Killing for conservation was invented when the first con-man met the first fool.” They also worse shirts with slogans such as “End the bloodsport,” and “End trophy hunting. #Cecil.”
In California alone, there were four separate protests for the same cause planned in Los Angeles, San Diego, Santa Barbara and San Francisco. There were 18 states in the U.S. holding rallies for Cecil. Other countries participating include Australia, Canada, Colombia, Ireland and Serbia.
