The death of a migrant in Calais has been reported across the world this morning as the crisis in the French town continues to grow.
But amid the concerns for how to resolve the increasingly desperate situation, a number of people have noted the different reactions news of the death has received, compared to the killing of Cecil the Lion.
According to Zimbabwean authorities, the 13-year-old lion was killed by a US hunter who paid £35,000 ($55,000) to local guides in order to shoot the animal with a crossbow.
Cecil was probably Zimbabwe's most famous lion and the star attraction of Hwange national park (Byran Orford/Youtube)
The incident has, understandably, provoked an outpouring of grief for the lion, with high-profile figures such as comedian Ricky Gervais and model Cara Delevingne expressing their sadness and anger over the incident.
Comparisons between the death of the lion and the Sudanese man crushed to death by a lorry as migrants attempted to enter the Channel Tunnel however have now been made by a number of observers, including LBC presenter James O'Brien.
A human died in the channel tunnel and a lion got killed by an American dentist. Not seen any outrage or sadness about one of these deaths.
— James O'Brien (@mrjamesob) July 29, 2015
Furious about a dead lion, but happy about a dead migrant. Search 'Cecil', then 'Calais'. People are terrible all over.
— Scomber scombrus (@NevilleSquamous) July 29, 2015
irony of man at work, wants to ban hunting due to cecil the lion, but says that all immigrants in calais should be shot.
— Peter_D (@Pedro_Dee) July 29, 2015
stating the bleedin' obvious but so many people regard the lives of animals (Cecil the lion) over those of humans (migrants at Calais)
— Ben (@BMRoberts) July 29, 2015
The amount of attention the two deaths had each been given by the media has also been brought into question, with several questioning why more focus appeared to have been given to the lion.
Still saddens me that a lion, though animals generally, get better media treatment than migrants fleeing from war and destitution
— Hussein Kesvani (@HKesvani) July 29, 2015
#SkyPapers have just given more focus and identity to Cecil the Lion than they have to the 'migrant' that has died in Calais. Not ok.
— Joe Dee (@joe__dee) July 29, 2015
BBC News leading with Cecil the Lion rather than the #Calais death shows how 'migrants' have been successfully dehumanised.
— Josh Powell (@JoshPowell88) July 29, 2015
Meanwhile, a number of Twitter users have attempted to justify, or at least explain, the perceived differences in reactions to the two deaths.
@Bunny_Carr @mrjamesob no, but sadly the death of a human is hardly news, us destroying a species is part of our sick legacy.
— Jon Sayers (@jon_sayers) July 29, 2015
Eurotunnel has announced, in the wake of the death, that it has blocked more than 37,000 people attempting to cross into the UK this year. In pictures: Calais crisis
The Sudanese man, aged between 25 and 30, is the ninth person to be killed at the tunnel since the start of June.
