Cecil the Lion’s death on July 2 sparked worldwide outrage, and this fervor has turned into real action. Petitions have sprung up to stop sport hunting and extradite the hunter who killed Cecil to Zimbabwe. Botswana has even banned sport hunting, while Delta Airlines has banned big game hunting trophies. Many of these changes have been spurred by the words and actions of celebrities, politicians, and large companies. An on-air appeal by Jimmy Kimmel, for example, helped increase the already rapid rate of donations to the team that studied Cecil, the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU) at Oxford University.
[Kaley Cuoco Roars For Cecil the Lion]
Now another large company is trying to support the team as well. Ty, the maker of Beanie Babies, will be producing a Beanie Baby named Cecil in the lion’s memory and donating 100% of its profits to the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit. The Cecil Beanie Baby is not the first Beanie Baby to be created for a cause. Ty has previously released Beanie Babies in support of zoos, aquariums, and the World Wildlife Federation. Cecil will retail for $5.99, although there has been no announcement as of yet about when the Beanie Baby will become available.
