Whether you like trophy hunting or not, the fact is that trophy hunting is the only thing keeping a lot of African animals from going extinct. The Northern White Rhino used to be plentiful, especially in Kenya, but began a slow march to extinction when Kenya outlawed trophy hunting. When South Africa got the Southern White Rhino off the protected list and started allowing hunting, the population soared. It's too late for the Northern White, they are slated for extinction with only 4 still alive, and they aren't breeding.
Whenever a big game hunter bags a trophy in Africa, the meat feeds a village. I once had no qualms over hunting the Big 5, but could only afford to hunt them with a camera ("bagged" all but leopard in Amboseli, Kenya.) But I have to admit I now would have problems killing any of the Big 5 except Cape Buffalo.
I haven't been paying close attention to the Cecil debacle, but from what I understand, the story was typically mangled beyond recognition by the press to gin up controversy and sell stories.
