First there was the Caitlyn Jenner costume available just in time for Halloween, then the “Lion Killer Dentist” costume.
Both have upset a lot of people out there and it seems to be getting worse. Many have been and continue to be vocal about the lion costume via Twitter.
But someone is stepping in. A Care2 petition is calling for the removal of a “Lion Killer Dentist” Halloween costume on Costumeish.com, which critics say mocks and profits from Cecil the lion’s tragic death.
Care2 petition author Doreen Harley says that when she spoke with site owner Johnathon Weeks, he said he would pull the costume if her petition gathers 25,000 signatures. It currently has over 33,200 signatures.
VIEW THE CARE2 PETITION HERE: http://www.thepetitionsite. com/413/832/659/
“I was sick to my stomach when I saw the costume,” Harley told Care2. “The costume is in bad taste and makes light of what was a tragic and inhumane killing. I want Mr. Weeks to know we mean business, and that we will not stand by as he profits off of Cecil’s death.”
The costume is listed for $99.99, and includes a note that “15% of all proceeds will go to a Wildlife Foundation.” Harley says the costume description initially said proceeds would go to the African Wildlife Foundation, but when she called the nonprofit, they said they were uninterested in accepting proceeds from the sales. The description has since been changed.
On July 1, Minnesota dentist Walter Palmer paid $50,000 to shoot and kill Cecil, one of the most famous animals in Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park. Zimbabwean officials have called for Palmer’s extradition, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is investigating the killing.
Palmer has not been seen or heard from since international outcry erupted over the killing in late July. A separate Care2 petition calling for justice for Cecil gathered over 1.1 million signatures.