I read some interesting articles about Cecil&#x2F;Lions in South Africa.  While, in the west, there is a lot of support for Lions as &quot;Majestic Creatures&quot; - there are a lot of people, particularly those who live in the same habitat as the Lions, that are not such big fans, and are more than happy to see them wiped out to the point where they only exist on Wildlife Reserves&#x2F;zoos.   There are also lots of scenarios where we try and protect, at incredible costs to human welfare, protected species like the spotted owl, or  gopherus agassizii, the California&#x2F;Nevada tortoise that&#x27;s endangered by Solar Panels in the Nevada Desert.<p>While all of us (for any reasonable definition of all of us) are happy to see small pox, guinea worm, malaria, ebola, and now zika, wiped out in the name of advancing humanity, it&#x27;s pretty clear there is a greater divide when it comes to lions, owls, and tortoises.<p>And, before you say, &quot;Well, the owl&#x2F;tortoise only have <i>financial</i> impact&quot; remember that $$$ can be easily translated into lives simply by dialing up safety standards&#x2F;inspections&#x2F;health care&#x2F;etc... With incredible returns in the third world, and, even some low hanging fruit in the first world as well.