Darren and Carolyn Carter recently shared a romantic moment that left millions disgusted. The couple paid to shoot a giant lion in a canned hunt in South Africa and then celebrated by kissing over the dead body of the animal. We have previously discussed such thrill kill pictures that leave most of us wanting to retch. Nevertheless, the Carters thought shooting a lion with a high-powered rifle was not just an accomplishment but a bonding moment.
As regulars on this blog know, I am no fan of such trophy hunts. I often hike in remote spots to see bears and other animals in their natural habitat. We have previously followed the controversy over the shooting of “Cecil the Lion” by an American dentist Walter Palmer from Minnesota as well as subsequent controversies of an Idaho hunter taunting animal advocates and killing giant elephants or giraffes or rare goats or famed wolves or famed elephants for trophies. We discussed how the highly corrupt Zambian government to allow trophy hunters to kill thousands of hippos, including rare and threatens species for windfall payments.
Legelela Safaris arranges for these opportunities to shoot large animals for the thrill and posted the picture with the caption: “Hard work in the hot Kalahari sun…well done. A monster lion.” Critics have charged that the lions are bred to be shot by wealthy trophy hunters. The company offers giraffe hunts for £2,400, zebra from £2,000, with prices for leopard, rhino, lion and elephant hunts available “on request”.
The Mirror reports that the couple run a taxidermy business in Canada. When contacted by the media, Darren Carter would only say “We aren’t interested in commenting on that at all. It’s too political.”