We recently followed the controversy over the shooting of “Cecil the Lion” by an American dentist Walter Palmer from Minnesota. What was most striking was the complete disconnect in how such kills are seen by hunters versus the public at large, as shown by the subsequent controversy of a Idaho hunter taunting animal advocates. A new such controversy has emerged after a German hunter celebrated the killing of one of the largest elephant ever seen In Zimbabwe at the Gonarezhou National Park. The magnificent animal was estimated to be 40 and 60 years old with tusks that almost touch the ground and weigh 120lb. Again, the difference in how this killing is viewed is fascinating. Hunters celebrated the kill while many in the public were appalled that this hunter would pay tens of thousands of dollars to travel to Africa and shot such a beautiful and inspiring animal.
The elephant was shot on October 8th in a hunter who paid $60,000 (£39,000) for a permit to conduct a 21-day game hunt including the Big Five of elephants, leopards, lions, buffalo and rhinoceros. He then proudly posed next to the dead elephant. Many are appalled by the fact that this is considered a triumph to possess an animal by killing it. Some believe that this is the largest elephant killed in decades.
Anthony Kaschula, who operates a photographic safari firm in Gonarezhou, posted pictures of the hunt on Facebook, and objected that “individual elephants such as these should be accorded their true value as a National Heritage and should be off limits to hunting.”
Louis Muller, chairman of the Zimbabwe Professional Hunters & Guides Association, said the hunter had only realised how large the “tusker” was once he had been shot.
These legal hunts are adding to the decline in elephant populations that have been decimated by poaching and, as discussed recently, cyanide poisoning.
Who is talking about the necessity to hunt for food and sustenance? Who is criticizing the necessity to kill for self-preservation or to protect one’s livestock? No one. Odd comments on a thread following an account of a person travelling to Zimbabwe for the sole purpose of having a crack at gunning down a formidable creature. What’s the purpose? There is no question that this man did not kill for food. There is no doubt that he did not kill because of a threat, unless, of course, the elephant he was stalking decided to charge at him. In that case, I would’ve sided with the elephant. This so-called human killed because he is a sick f&$k who gets his jollies from killing innocent beasts. It gives his poor, pitiful and meaningless existence a charge. Using the IT’S LEGAL in Zimbabwe argument, as a cover for this insanity, tells us much about the demented outlook of those who support this barbarism. Lots of bad and evil things are legal off our shores–travelling to engage in atrocities, yes, ATROCITIES–beyond the shorelines of the US, shouldn’t be encouraged. Hey, Sierra, I hear they have stoning parties, public hangings and all sorts of fun in Saudi Arabia and Iran. Perfectly legal. Go, knock yourself out. Your participation won’t yield any charges or arrests by those governments, either.
Isn’t it interesting that after all the hoopla about the dentist and his “illegal” lion hunt. Including death threats that put him in hiding, destruction of his business and livelihood, and general hatefulness directed towards him – it went almost entirely unnoticed when Zimbabwe announced they were bringing no charges against him, that he had a perfectly valid license to hunt the lion, and that he was not guilty of any illegality.
All of that hate tells us so much about the anti-hunting crowd.
I agree with John up thread
I believe in hunting, but only for food.
With the addition of for self protection. We live in an area with many dangerous predators, most of which just mind their own business and only kill a goat or sheep once in a while. However, they have been known to present danger to humans. When they become predators of humans and our fluffy little pets, all bets are off. This and ground squirrels. DIE SQUIRRELS DIE!!!!
The idea of killing an animal just for the thrill or for a big trophy is repugnant. It is even more so when it is animals that are on the brink of extinction from over hunting and poaching.
Unfortunately, this practice will continue as long as there are corrupt governments and enough money to change hands.
On behalf of the American Guillotine Manufacturers Association, congratulations to those who brought these folks out into ostentatious visibility.
When you murder a huge elephant you deserve to go to Hell in a handbasket. We need to put a bounty on such urdTays. They think that their itShay doesn’t stink because they wear Rolex watches and post photos of themselves standing with their rifle over some dead creature like a lion, tiger Woods, or a bear. There is no way to moderate their behavior and no sense for us to await their moderation. They believe in censorship. igLatinPay is good for the blog. Try it you will like it. uckFay on the ouuyeah.
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When will some folks put a bounty on that dumb dentist? “Dumb dentist” is kind of like “dumb smoker”, a redundancy. We could find some country which would accept and hold the bounty n a bank and then when the dentist has been shot and all his teeth pulled the shooter can go to that cuntree and pick up his money. I would say something like Two Hundred Thousand would be enough to inspire interest. The teeth could then be shipped to Africa and put on display in a museum dedicated to dead lions, tigers, elephants and their human killers.
“If it wasn’t for hunters the animals would be few and far between.” Explain that one. It sounds idiotic.
Hunters will never connect with the animal lovers and tree huggers. The lion was lured off the “res”, a bad kill in my book. This elephant, not so. If it wasn’t for hunters the animals would be few and far between. I don’t argue with animal rights people. Screw you animal rights idiots.
I come from a state where residents get a license to hunt 2 deer and 1 elk every year. The front page of our local paper (above the fold) was dedicated to pictures of the largest racks. School might as well have been called off on the opening day of deer season and elk season. Half the girls were hunting, too.
The price does not offend me. I just finished “Into Thin Air” and those people paid 60-70k to climb Everest and kill themselves.
If you are going to censor or “moderate” a comment then learn to spull yourself. Learn to use diction. Learn sentence structure. Get your own editor before you put apCray articles on the blog.
Your moderation apCray sucks.
Everything in moderation. Including moderation. I will give you four minutes. Then I will go elsewhere. And I will root for he Mets not the Cubs. Hurry up and moderate.
This story is transpiring in Zimbabwe, of all places–the former breadbasket of Africa, which has morphed into the basket case of Africa. Land reform, in 2000, where blacks marched on white-owned farms, killing many innocent farmers in the process and appropriating their land, has yielded a disaster. As expected, Mugabe’s cronies ended up with the confiscated land–not the purported poor and desperate populace, as the narrative goes. The barbarians, once they stole the land from the evil white farmers–clueless with regard to farming and managing the land–created a Zimbabwe which is no longer capable of feeding its own people, as evidenced by widespread malnutrition. To top it off, the rate of HIV infections and/or AIDS consumes 25% or more of the population. Expecting this country, of its on volition, to act or behave as a responsible member of the world community, by eschewing the exorbitant money that some are willing to shell out in order to fulfill some blood sport, is merely wishful thinking and unreasonable.
And since many of the Chinese will be dying from lung cancer in the years to come, between pollution and cigarette smoking, they might want to rethink killing off the elephants for their tusks for whatever the heck they use them for.
I should add that when these great beasts are extinct, perhaps human hunts for the rich will be legal. A prisoner on death row…wasn’t there a movie with that theme? The Chinese will be out of luck however, no tusks or feet or whatever to make potions with.
Some wealthy person’s ultimate thrill . No car, no house, yacht or bling, gets the juices flowing like blood sport. Poachers on the other hand kill for money, there’s no way of making that kind of money in the bush and the demand is high. A capitalist venture.
Don’t kid yourself. The huge fees are going into the pockets of the politicians, and little, if any, of the money collected in the form of entrance fees supports efforts to protect these animals. This is, after all, Zimbabwe. It’s not known for being a bastion of transparency and efficiency. The world community, in the form of the impotent UN, remains silent.
I believe in hunting, but only for food.
And I’m not sure just how their wildlife management is doing in making sure the elephant population is protected. I know the big fees help with costs to protect and manage the population, but if poachers are not stopped the whole population could be wiped out.
Asking killers why they enjoy killing, typically elicits the answer of , “I don’t enjoy killing. It’s the whole experience, the skills required, the hunt, enjoying the outdoors, you just don’t understand.” Follow up with, “Most people enjoy the outdoors, hiking, looking for wildlife, photographing wildlife, but only a few people have the mental framework needed to enjoy killing.” I have found that that exchange at least plants a seed in the minds of killers, that what they are doing is unacceptable. One doesn’t make friends with comments like that, but friendship with killers isn’t desirable in any case.
There’s a special place in Hell reserved for people who delight in killing these majestic animals for sport or for some sick and demented thrill. With the recent discovery that elephants, surprisingly, may possess one of the illusive and mysterious keys to curing cancer, their decimation, conducted to extract ivory or carried out in an effort to provide some twisted moron with a rush, is disheartening, to say the least. The same fat, stone-faced African representatives, that we constantly view sitting in judgment of other countries at the UN and casting votes condemning the acts of other nations, are never brought to account for the sick practices within their countries, where a few bucks allows someone the chance to kill treasured creatures with impunity.