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It now looks as if it wasn't Jericho who was killed but some other poor creature.
Here's a small C&P from a longer article in The Telegraph by Martin Daubney who makes a stab at explaining why they do it.
"The fact that it involves death doesn’t seem to register with them, as they are immune to the animal’s suffering and reason that “if it’s legal, what’s the problem?” But they don’t see this killing is only legal because it’s too lucrative not to be.
But while speaking to Mario, it became clear that this was not only about power of man over beast, it was power over other men, and it is highly addictive.
How do you match that rush next time? By killing something bigger, more expensive, and with ever more dubious legality. Which is how that path led to the tragic slaughter of Cecil, a protected animal, lured from safety by the stench of dollar bills.
But Cecil will not be the last. So long as there is wealth and demand, there will always be a way – and a will – to kill. And men like Palmer, Mario and Jay will be eager to pull the trigger."
I think he's hit the nail on the head.