Save the lions - kill the dentists!

Peter R Hall

Ken Broughton had his dentistry practice on Guyton St in the '50s and it was to him that my parents would "drag" me, though not kicking and screaming as Ken was a great guy.
While setting up the drill he would chat about cricket - Bert Sutcliffe, Geoff Rabone, John Beck, Alan Preston - names that meant a lot to a teenage cricket fan. Those were the days of Harry Cave and Gary Bartlett and a New Zealand team that scraped up 26 runs against Statham and Tyson, the British speedsters.
By the time Ken had finished chatting and wiping away the red specks from his drilling you were ready to leave, full of cricketing knowledge and a dull sensation in the mouth.
Sometime later Little Shop of Horrors hit the musical stage and the movie theatres and along with a plant desiring your blood to aid in its existence came your "not-so-friendly" dentist played by Steve Martin. For those who had not been scared by their local dentist it was a shock to see the horrors of the dentist's office in this show. It was not Ken, it was not the school nurse who had pulled you from class to do her check-up of your molars; this was the dentist of whom so many spoke and so many feared.
But dentistry survived - we all grinned and bore our visits - the dentist gave the little ones non-cavity causing treats and bright toothbrushes and the profession moved into an age of enlightenment and warmth - well, nearly!
The suddenly, out of the wasteland of Minnesota and into the depths of Africa went the Hunter Dentist! No longer satisfied with a display of human molars and dentures that had made him rich Walter Palmer came with a desire to slaughter animals and put their heads on his trophy wall!
And so with the horror that befell Cecil, the 13-year-old collared lion, the Hunter Dentist added one more trophy to his bizarre collection.
Not that Palmer is the only hunter out there!
The "trophy hunters" abound and the economy of some African countries cause this type of slaughter to be condoned. Even now Zimbabwe has allowed the hunts to resume though not in the direct area where Cecil was mercilessly slaughtered. Sabrina Corgatelli, who recently slaughtered an aging giraffe then proudly displayed her kill on Facebook said, "To me, it's not just killing an animal, it's the hunt - giraffes are very dangerous animals!"
Resulting from the international disgust and uproar over the Hunter Dentist has been the declaration by most American airline companies that they will not carry the "trophy" (Air New Zealand has yet to make that decision) and vandalism has occurred to the Hunter's vacation home in Florida. He also has not resumed his practice but has apologised to his patients for this! Zimbabwe has charged the local hunting assistants but recent reports indicate a slap on the wrist was all they received, though extradition for the Hunter Dentist is a remote possibility, especially under the protective nature of American law.
It was great to read education reporter Liz Wylie's report in the Chronicle on the students from Keith Street and Fordell schools and their reactions to Cecil's death.
This story will not go away quickly!
Some hunters have already focused their attention and intention to come to New Zealand to go out killing for pleasure and trophy walls with the wild stags being their objectives!