Shady Illinois Butcher Supplied Flesh for Lion Burger

An Illinois butcher who served time in 2003 for selling the flesh of federally protected animals seems to be back to his old tricks.

Richard Czimer, whose Homer Glen shop I've passed countless times (and I may have even gone into once as a child), provided "lion meat" to an Arizona restaurant that's lion burgers to capitalize on the World Cup.

I put "lion meat" in quotes because no one, even Czimer himself apparently (although I don't believe him), knows much about its origins.

"This man buys and sells animals for the skin, and when I need something and he has ability to get it, I will bargain for the meat. It's a byproduct," he said.

And where does that mystery man get the lions? "I wouldn't have any idea," said Czimer, who operates a small retail store in addition to his wholesale business. "He has his sources, and I do not infringe on his business, just as he does not infringe on mine."

Sounds shady, doesn't it?

And "a byproduct"? The lion(s), if indeed that's the only species of animal in these burgers (aside from the cows that are mixed in), was killed for his skin. Czimer is an accomplice, not an innocent bystander merely purchasing a byproduct.

[In 2003] Czimer admitted to purchasing the carcasses of 16 tigers, four lions, two mountain lions and one liger -- a tiger-lion hybrid -- which were skinned, butchered and sold as "lion meat," for a profit of more than $38,000.

What an unscrupulous, greedy man. (Although anyone who profits from the murder of any animal is a jag in my book.)

Czimer, who served a measly six months in 2003 for selling federally protected tigers and leopards between 1997 and 1998, also sells the flesh of black bears, kangaroos, ducks, deer, buffalo, camels, ostriches, alligators, llamas -- the list is practically endless -- at Czimer's Game and Sea Foods.

The supposed lion flesh in the most recent incident was sold to a one-man Phoenix, Ariz., distributor called Gourmet Imports-Wild Game. Owner Rick Worrilow then sold the flesh to Cameron Selogie, who is selling it at his Mesa restaurant, Il Vinaio.

Mr Selogie said he had explained to protesters that African lions are on the protected list, but not endangered.

Oh, well, that's ok then. Actually African lions are "classified as 'threatened' by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, an international protection agreement."

I've had it up to here with people who put profit ahead of animals' lives. I don't care if they're killing lions or pigs, tigers or chickens. It's wrong, and it needs to stop.

And, as an aside, how can one look at the image above and think it's ok for a beautiful, living creature to be killed for someone's taste buds?

(Image courtesy of CNN.)