The Hysterical Deaf Woman: Why we seem to care about animals more

In the past few days, the arguments going on about Cecil The Lion have been most trying, filled with anguish and anger.
Most people have accused others of not caring, or not caring enough, or not caring about the right things or caring about a certain group of people.
But, I see something entirely different. I see hope.
I see that people do indeed care. They care about it all. They care about black, white, red, green, and fuzzy.
They care deeply and passionately. They care very much about human lives, but, I believe, Cecil made it easier to express these feelings.
It's called transference.
Sometimes it is easier to express emotion toward an animal then another human being because it reflects a more innocent time when we felt we could protect the helpless being left in our care when we were children.

My uncles were big game hunters who went to Africa every year. The house was always filled with lifeless heads and skins. I never cared for it but never spoke of it because I was just a child.
But, those were different times. It was the sixties then and although it was not something I would ever be proud of, it also was not condemned the way it is now.
There are more and more creatures becoming extinct now though and pleasure killing has become abundant, or perhaps looked at with more perspective.
I do not have all the crucial details to judge why my uncles did what they did. They immersed themselves in the culture and communicated with the tribes when they were there, but I have little detail...... and, so, perhaps, they were just jerks.
For whatever reason, perhaps to counterbalance the loss, my uncles, and one aunt, also had a preserve park where I spent many weeks in summer, riding their park train and walking with the mascot, Cecil The Llama, (Yes, another Cecil..). One day Cecil, and many other of the animals in the park, were shot one day by a sniper. Even though he was caught, I never quite forgot the incident.

Now I look at some of these pictures and I am horrified. I don't know if it is because of age, wisdom, or social changes and influence, or, perhaps, a little of both. The world changes and sometimes we change with it. We get lost and clouded, and at times great clarity.
The idea, I suppose then, is to find balance in this world full of loses and gains, but more importantly, love and compassion in every avenue we take and every journey we go on.