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.
Gosh, I wonder if they field dress the elephants and white rhinos, or the lions? Hunting talk is so interesting.
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/124/514/356/natural-resources-board-member-proposes-white-deer-kill-statewide-vote-april-14-alert-wisconsin-res/
Stand Against the White Deer Kill in Wisconsin
PETITION CLOSED
This action is now closed, please visit: http://www.care2.com/my/petitionsite/petitions-created
for more actions to take. Thanx, for your interest in this action.
Stand Against the White Deer Kill in Wisconsin
36,555 SUPPORTERS
BY: Kelly Rogers
TARGET: Natural Resources Board Member Greg Kazmierski
36,55540,000
we’ve got 36,555 supporters, help us get to 40,000 by March 6, 2015
Out of the 1.5 million deer in Wisconsin, there are only 60 to 75 white ones. Visually, they’re stunning; some people even call them “ghosts of the forest.” And they’re not just incredibly rare — they’re also a potential tourist attraction, given that 14 million people have viewed a video of them posted by researchers online. So why is Gregory Kazmierski, a Scott Walker appointee to the Natural Resources Board, trying to get them killed off?
On April 14, citizens attending the Department of Natural Resources / Conservation Congress public vote will be asked to weigh in on a number of questions. Thanks to Kazmierski, one of those questions is now “Would you favor legalizing the harvest of white and albino deer statewide?”
Because Kazmierski is a DNR board member, his question did not have to go through the extensive vetting process that the other proposals did. If citizens vote yes on his question, though, it could literally mean the death knell for these gorgeous, elusive creatures.
This beautiful animal must not be lost to greed. Stand against allowing white deer slaughter in Wisconsin!
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Here is the petition that helped keep white deer from being killed statewide.
DBQ:
Can you explain the “aging” part? I have friends and family who hunt, and they talk about aging meat. In restaurants, aged beef is expensive.
But I always think, gross, doesn’t that mean rotting? Or that it’s been in the fridge too long? How do they age meat without getting bacterial overgrowth?
Field dressing and butchering is such an art form. Done wrong, it can taint the meat. My sister in law thought she just didn’t like game until she married her husband, who is an excellent hunter and fisherman. When she tried the meat he brought home, it was delicious, and tasted completely different. She hasn’t bought meat at the grocer store since she got married.
Robert:
“The people that are “appalled” are people that are unaware of wildlife management processes, but that have an emotional, rather than logical approach to management, They also overlook the huge economic impact these hunts produce for the local communities.”
Yes and No.
On the one hand, proper management would ensure that only the old are auctioned off. Most trophy hunters would not want to get an infirm animal, so the older animal would have to have made its contribution to the herd gene pool, but still be sound.
Ideally, culls would replace predator behavior, removing specimens with the net effect of strengthening the herd.
Unfortunately, that is not how most wildlife is managed. Instead of individuals, you are given a license to hunt a number of animals.
Here is an interesting article that my relative, a prominent ecologist, sent me that briefly touches on trophy hunting and conservation.
http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/africa-in-focus/posts/2015/07/30-cecil-the-lion-conservation-hunting-felbab-brown
There are positive and negative aspects of hunting in general with conservation.
My biggest problems with trophy hunting are:
1. When they remove prime specimens, weakening the gene pool, unless those were a threat to people
2. The immense money drives the entire poaching industry as well as corruption. It provides the incentive to bend or break the rules. If you make $1/day and some rich foreigner offers you $5,000 to get a black lion, a lot of people are going to say, “OK. When do we start?”
3. Lack of regulation and consistency, because they take place in countries riddled with graft and corruption
4. When the meat is not given to the people who need it
5. Any hunts that approximate canned hunts, where guides track, and drive the target to the shooter. Not every trophy hunter acts this way, but there are some that do
6. Any breeding facilities that operate improperly or under detrimental conditions
7. Hunting when there’s no need, i.e. no over population, threat to man, or for food. I’m just not a collector that way.
8. Unethical or illegal practices such as luring animals out of reserves
Realistically, most of these countries are corrupt, and when faced with rich hunters they don’t always make the best wildlife management decisions.
http://protectthewhitedeer.com/whats-legal-what-needs-to-change
“What will happen if the white deer are not protected?
After the news came out about the trophy white buck being shot near Leland, another white deer was shot near Plain, and it is believed that another may have been shot near Loganville. The news stories have not only advertised the presence of the white deer in the community, they have advertised the fact that it is legal to shoot them. Readers of news websites who comment “Now I know where I’m going to hunt next year” may not be joking. And this is definitely not a joke for most Leland area residents or the white deer.
White deer as trophies
Because white deer are already extremely rare, and because they are legally protected in many states and the rest of Wisconsin, they represent both a highly desirable target and a financial incentive. The hunter of the trophy white buck that was shot this year sought out sporting goods stores who might buy the mount. Stores weren’t willing to pay as much as the hunter hoped, but he was able to sell the deer. Just thinking a white deer is valuable to sell could be devastating for the remaining population.
Why special treatment is necessary for white deer, even in CWD zones
Pure white deer, or even piebald (partially white) deer, are not ordinary in any sense of the word. They are so rare and so beautiful, they stand out for their uniqueness to both the admirer and the hunter. The problem is, once they are killed, they are no longer around for other people to view and enjoy. One person with one shot can destroy what hundreds of other people might enjoy watching for years to come. And not only is the white deer lost, but all of its potential offspring as well.
In the entire state of Wisconsin there is an estimated 1.5 to 1.8 million deer. There are only a very small number of white deer, most of which are in the Boulder Junction area in north central Wisconsin. Reduction of local deer herds to meet the goals of CWD management can be accomplished without the killing of a tiny population of special deer.”
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The people of Wisconsin were very upset over the Walker appointee’s efforts to legalize the killing of white deer statewide. Petitions and efforts to stop this from happening were successful as evidenced by the link @ 6:50 PM. People who voted for Walker and those who did not were equally unhappy with the Walker appointee’s efforts.
http://protectthewhitedeer.com
“Protected!
July 18, 2015
White deer are again protected in all of Wisconsin!
The Deer Trustee Report Rules Package, which contained a provision for reinstating statewide protection for white deer, was signed by Governor Scott Walker in April and recently passed committees in both the State Senate and Assembly without opposition or change.
The new law will take effect on August 1 of this year.
White deer were protected statewide from 1940 to 2008 when protection was removed in CWD (Chronic Wasting Disease) zones as a drastic response to the disease. A temporary rule protected white deer again in all zones during the 2014 hunting season.
The DNR does not record coat color for deer kills, so there is no way to know how many white deer were killed during those six years when the deer were unprotected. Three white bucks alone were shot in the Leland, Wisconsin area.
This new law is welcome news to Leland residents, who have worked so hard to get the deer protected. The white buck in the video above was the third Leland kill and the impetus to get hunting law changed.
There is still a small herd of white deer in the area–so much appreciated by both residents and the lucky travelers who catch a furtive glimpse of white or see a ghostly figure mixed with the “everyday” brown deer along Leland’s back roads.
Special thanks to former Representative Fred Clark for his instrumental efforts in navigating the legislative channels to make this happen.”
Bam Bam:
Everyone should take the opportunity to get to know all walks of life, as well as other cultures and nationalities. Travel within and beyond the United States.
What is it they say about the perfect British lady being as much at home on a Fox Hunt as in a Ball Room? The perfect citizen is as much at home eating crawdads in LA as at the Met.
If they do encourage hunting the Ghost Deer, then private citizens could create a preserve or natural setting zoo for them. Deer can thrive in captivity if they have enough room to roam.
Sadly, our federal government makes it illegal to own a deer. People who have saved fawns from car accidents and wild animal attacks have found out to their horror that their beloved pet would be put down by Fish and Game. It’s illegal to own them without a wildlife permit, and once the deer is acclimated to humans, it will be euthanized. Plus, they claim that they do not want deer reintroduced out their front door to the same herds they came from, because they could carry disease. Which is a spurious line of argument.
Another example of bigger government not being such a grand idea.
This is another excellent example of why it can be problematic for bigger government to impose its will on smaller government. In this case, the locals of the White Deer want something that may be at odds with the State government.
Another example is here in CA, where the big cities make legislation that is maladapted to rural areas, but we don’t have the votes to self determinate.
The harvesting of white deer is already legal.
The white is just a coat color, albinism, which is an evolutionary disadvantage. They completely lack camouflage, making them easy prey for hunters, both human and animal.
The Department of Fish and Game does not classify white deer as any protected class. They are a beautiful and interesting coat color, but they are “deer”, and therefor subject to the same hunting laws as any other deer.
One of the problems is that the locals are outnumbered by the non-locals, so, of course, any statewide poll on the white deer will not accurately reflect the views of the locals who live there.
Personally, I say the deers are a local resource, and it should be up to the locals what to do with them. From an economic perspective, they are worth more to the town alive than dead, because there are only a few white deer in those woods. They would earn just the price of a hunting license, and then they and their genes are gone. But alive, they draw tourists, photographers, hikers, artists, and are just enjoyable to the locals.
It sounds like a lot of brouhaha to castigate someone for merely asking the citizens of WI what they want to do about the deer. If they want the deer, then they should let their voices be heard, or they have no one to blame but themselves – not Scott Walker and not anyone else who works in government. If you don’t do something about an issue that bothers you, then you’re just complaining.
Beldar
I’m from St. Louis–born and raised here. Enjoy the zoo–it’s great. Ferguson–not so much.
DBQ
Cortisol, which courses through the system when an animal is in distress–and, it is in great pain, agony and distress as it suffers from the gunshot wound awaiting its death–is thought to be harmful to the humans ingesting that very same meat. It’s not about something personally affecting me, as I would assume that you care about issues which don’t necessarily impact you, DBQ, personally. I don’t eat red meat, but for those who do, the info about the unhealthy effect on humans consuming that impacted flesh is not widely disseminated–it should be. Information is power; what you choose to do with it is your choice. The elephants and lions will not be extinct during my lifetime–that doesn’t make it a non-issue for me.
Then, assuming you got a good shot, you have to gut it, skin it, quarter it and tag it. Then take it all to your truck.
@ Paul
Re: the deer in he field. Yes, you do gut and field dress the deer. [gross but necessary to do at once] And then tag the deer to be legal. We have never ever skinned the deer in the field. Ever. That would create a dirty mess on the carcass. In addition the deer were packed out whole. Sometimes it would take several people to do the job. We were hunting mule deer not elk though. You would have to quarter those to get them out because of the size.
We go home, hang the whole deer by the hind legs and then skin it. It is washed lightly and left to hang in a cold room to get a glaze, then wrapped in cheese cloth to let the meat age a bit. After that it is butchered. We took ours to a local butcher who also does the cattle, sheep and goats for individuals. The skin we gave to another person who would tan and process the hides.
I’m sure everyone is dying to know how to clean geese as well …..right?
If bam bam is afraid of game or worried about the cortisol or whatever, then I suggest she does not eat any. There …..problem solved.
Is BamBam from Saint Louis? I am headed for Ferguson. Not by Airbus. Not by elephant. But I am going to visit the Saint Louis Zoo.
Beldar – enjoyed the zoo and the museum when I was there.
Near, not need their watering holes.
Only someone totally lacking in any scintilla of logic, common sense or decency would continue to argue that it was useful to cull this otherwise healthy, mature elephant from the herd. Given the elephant’s size, along with the enormity of its tusks, this was not an animal that needed to be removed at the hand of man to “manage” the animal population. Please, save your ridiculous arguments about the so-called managers of reserves or hunts being concerned for the welfare of these animals. I just read an article this morning in the St. Louis Post Dispatch–one which was reprinted from the Los Angeles Times–which detailed the massive corruption of these managers, who are in cahoots with the poachers. Massive corruption. They are working WITH the poachers, not against them, and this is due to the enormous amount of money to be had by doing so, especially in a country so destitute as Zimbabwe. The elephants are being poisoned with cyanide, which is being left need their watering holes, and the poison is also killing other animals. It’s astonishing what some people will argue to support their unconstrained blood lust. Google the article about elephants and cyanide and read for yourself.
These type of hunts are not contributing to the decline of the species. Hunts like this are part of a management process developed b the government and people that are truly concerned with the health of the herd. As animals age, they are selected by wildlife management officials, and the right to hunt them is normally auctioned. The proceeds from the auctions are used to further preservation and management of the species. The people that are “appalled” are people that are unaware of wildlife management processes, but that have an emotional, rather than logical approach to management, They also overlook the huge economic impact these hunts produce for the local communities. This guy and his party were probably responsible for the economic survival of several local families for the entire year. I find it amazing that a person that can take such a logical, precise, non emotional approach to the law just collapses into an emotional heap when it comes to this subject.
A dead elephant that size with large tongs intact has a purpose. Cut the head off, stuff it, hang it high on a wall at a Macy’s Store outside. Reinforce the ivory tusks. Take the shooter. Hang him by his wrist watch, Rolex on each wrist, from each tusk. Cut his weeny off and let him bleed to death while hanging high. The Rolex is important, One on each wrist to hang him with. A little wire to assist there. The Rolex is a symbol of those whose itShay don’t stink.
I recently spoke with a family friend who had served some time in the military during the Vietnam era. He was, obviously, quite young back then, but he recalled how ill-equipped he was for the culture shock of the military life. Here was this big city boy, who was highly educated and intelligent, with little to no prior contact with those from the country. Even decades ago, he was careful about what and how he ate and was astonished to see others–mostly hailing from the country–gladly relishing and lapping up the food. His explanation? They were just thrilled that they didn’t need to go out and shoot their dinner.
I now get it.
http://www.jsonline.com/news/opinion/105358553.html?ipad=y
http://www.jsonline.com/news/opinion/we-recommend-walker-his-removal-isnt-justified-l55ecb6-152111305.html?ipad=y
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinal endorsed Walker twice. With all due respect Lisa, you don’t do your homework.