Read an article this morning in the Chicago Trib that got my blood boiling. Their outdoors columnist, Lew Freedman, described an African big game safari. (It has not yet been posted on their website). Some rich guy Tom Fitzgerald, (inherited banking fortune - the brother of one of Illinois’ senators), took his 16-year-old son to Africa, and apparently proceeded to blast the fuck out of just about everything that moved. Their documented kills included a 14’ 2000# crocodile, 3 cape buffalo, a hippo (to use as bait), and their proudest moment - a leopard! Someone please explain to me how this can engender any emotion other than disgust?
Another kinda weird aspect – if I were an elected official, this is not exactly the type of pub I would want my family creating. I am trying to resist drawing analogies between this and Sen. Fitgerald’s agenda as a conservative Republican.
Realize that I do not oppose all hunting – even much trophy hunting. But I can’t figure out how to get my mind around waste on such an exceptionally conspicuous scale. Please enlighten me.
While I personally could not shoot a leopard, hunts like this usually involve a very limited number of hunting licenses that are sold at exorbitant prices, the money from which is rolled into protecting the population of animals, which is why only rich guys go on these trips. The death of that one crocodile might have put half a million bucks towards preserving the other ones.
Good point. Not mentioned in the article, but I am familiar with same for certain trophy hunting in N. America. Article did give base cost of $1700 a night, and said a government observer accompanied them.
So I guess I can get my mind around the economics. But I still have a bit of trouble with the mindset of someone wanting to do this. I guess it takes some skill to shoot a big gun with accuracy. But these guys did not do the tracking themselves, they were never in any personal danger, …
One part of the article describes the teenager napping in a truck. The drivers wake him up telling him there is an animal to be shot. They even set up sticks for the kid to use as a gun rest. The kid drags his ass out of the truck, kills an animal, and says, “The sound of the gun really woke me up.” I find nothing to respect in such actions. (Not that anyone else should be motivated to act so as to engender my respect.)
When this happened back in the 1800’s before we were enlightened, I can understand how this kind of behaviour was tolerated. In today’s environment though it’s nothing short of a completely callous disregard for sensible environmentalism.
I’m a hunter. But not of endangered beasts and not for the perverted sake of just killing something unusual. These guys are pigs. If I’m going to hunt, it’ll be for something plentiful that needs to be culled and will be eaten later. I’ll get a couple of dozen dove each year, a couple of ducks and maybe a deer every other year. I know even that will piss some people off but it’s all done in the spirit of sportsmanship and little if anything goes to waste.
You tell me what a good recipe for leopard is. I’ll eat my hat if these retards ate a cat. That some ballless freak has to go prove his manhood by shooting a food chain elite just pisses me off.
It’s a really sad testament to the parenting skills of the father that he would take his son on such a trip. They should have to fire their high powered weapons from the crotch.
But that shouldn’t be an issue. I can’t get my mind around the fact that people will pay hundreds of dollars for a piece of cardboard with Mickey Mantle on it. Let’s just pretend like you have millions of dollars for a moment. Is there nothing out there you wouldn’t spend a whole bunch of money on that someone else would consider a waste?
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What’s the trouble with their mindset? Not everyone views animals as sacred beings who may only killed for food. Shooting a big cat isn’t my bag but it really doesn’t bother me. They are just animals and I’m happy as long as they aren’t being wiped out.
Errrr… Unlike some of you, I don’t mind a bit. His money, their land and animals. If I could, I’d love to hunt something like those beasts. Though as it is, I just don’t even have the time or place to hunt deer.
IIRC, none of these animals are on the endangered species list. All the meat (except that used for bait) is distributed to the locals or frozen and shipped back (nothing is wasted). This does three things: provides an economy that employs and feeds the locals; two, prevents the locals from poaching the truly endangered species to feed their families; and three, supports habitat and breeding programs to save the truly endangered species like the rhinos.
Please explain to me the motivation for shooting a crocodile swimming in a river. I can imagine the thrill of being out in Africa and seeing such a creature, but what does killing it add? I admit that my judgment may be based in part on ignorance of the mindset involved.
And they talked of making a trophy out of the crocodile that was too large to fit under their pool table. What type of trophy does one make out of a crocodile.
I’ll have to do some research, but I thought that trade in exotic furs such as leopard was illegal, such that you could not import garments made of it. Will this guy be able to bring back his leopard trophy?
Know a few folks who have been on safari and one thing I asked is what was done with the animals they killed. Obviously the hunter took home the hide and other bits as trophies, but what did they do with the rest of the animal’s meat?
As I understand it, most hunts are conducted with very few perishable supplies. So, when an animal is shot, he is most often that night’s dinner as well. The hunters get the best cuts of meat and the rest is given to the guides, chef, and porters. For some of the villages that receive the meat, that is all they will get until the next hunt.
Legal hunts are very expensive so the host country and local economy both get a boost. More importantly the hunts don’t kill indiscriminantly and the whole animal is harvested. Most of the atrocities you see or read about in the news or anti-hunting literature are comitted by poachers, criminals with little or no respect for the animals. They usually kill all they can, harvest the bit they want and leave the rest of the animal to rot. They are damaging to the conservation of animals and dangerous. IIRC, some countries now have shoot-on-sight laws for illegal hunters.
Was easily able to find several sites saying that leopards seem to be pretty resilient to hunting and encroachment. Not so easy to find accurate info on the legal status of importing animal parts.
Yes, as long as he paid his money and got a CITES - Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora - permit, issued by the US Fish and Wildlife Service.
BTW, just some numbers I found at the Safari site. In addition to the $1,700 a day for the 21 day hunt (and all the permits, etc., which are extra), this guy paid $4000 for the leopard and $2,400 for the hippo and croc.
>> But I still have a bit of trouble with the mindset of someone wanting to do this
So? Nobody is forcing you to do it (I hope). If there’s a good reason for banning something, it is banned. Not understanding why somebody else would like to do something is not a good reason. Most people would hate to do what I enjoy the most: sailing. They don’t understand what’s the point of being cold and uncomfortable, fighting the elements, to go nowhere very slowly at great expense. So? Should it be banned? I, on the other hand have no idea why anyone would enjoy fishing when you can save yourself a lot of trouble by just buying the fish. It takes all sorts to make a world.
I think it’s a pretty weak way to hunt, but I know people who love it. Hell, some of them will actually shoot game from a helicopter since they would have no way of catching it on foot or in a vehicle! Pathetic.
I had a friend who was the heir to a large candy company. We went out on his boat once, which was anchored at his father’s house (if you could call this thing a house). We went inside to meet the folks and be friendly, and dad invited us up to his study, where I nearly fainted dead away. The doorway was flanked by two curving, 7-8 foot elephant tusks, and there were other elephant parts scattered around the two-room study. Every wall, table and corner was filled or covered with hunting trophys, including all the biggies- bears, tigers, lions, zebra, various cats, gazelle-types, water buffalo, moose, etc. I’m surprised he didn’t have a frigging giraffe in his house. I mean, there were dozens, if not hundreds, of heads, hides, feet, tusks, horns and corpses.
I know for a fact that I saw several endangered or threatened species, but apparently where there’s a checkbook, there’s a way.
And I kind of doubt that all that money is going to help the locals, or keep poachers away, or anything like that. African countries and their government or official agencies just don’t have the reputation of working that way.
My thought on it? Kind of gross. Kind of wasteful, as the real hunters I know only kill what they will eat. Kind of pathetic, if he was trying to prove what a great man he was, a la Hemingway or something, because I thought much less of him after that.
sailor - you are the first person to suggest banning.
It is easy to say “it takes all sorts.” But do you believe it is a useless endeavor to examine what motivates different people to make different choices? And do you consider it somehow inappropriate for an individual to make a personal judgment about the merits of another’s actions?
IMO, just because I may believe an activity should not be “banned” does not mean that I oughtn’t inquire into the emotions and mentation of individuals engaging in that activity.
Perhaps this might be better under IMHO. I also thought of posting it in the Pit. But I wasn’t really pissed about it. I was (and remain) mostly confused why someone would find this activity enjoyable.
The article says that after he shoots the leopard, the hunter is lauded as a great hero - the leopard killer. I could see it if he were a Masai facing a lion with a spear. But this son-of-a-gun was hiding in a blind, near a baited site, chosen by his guide, constructed by his paid helpers, with a high powered gun…
To me it is the cumulative effect of all of these, and more, that made me disgusted with this story. I simply do not understand the “sport” involved. All the trophy says to me is that the guy is rich enough to buy the trip. I also think that the desire to keep the “trophy” almost seems selfish or insecure. Why not leave the cat for someone else to experience? Why would the trip be unsuccessful without a dead animal (in fact, several dead animals)?
Personally, I could enjoy the thrill of getting close to a leopard - maybe taking a picture. But I would appreciate if someone would explain to me how the satisfaction of such an achievement is improved by having the pelt around. Also remember that I have absolutely no objection to most forms of hunting I am familiar with (as well as most forms of sailing!;)).
Having said that, I am not sure your analogy, comparing killing “exotic” animals for sport/trophies and sailing, is entirely spot on. Unless you are harpooning dolphins from the bowsprit or somesuch…
I know this hasn’t been up for an entire day yet, but no one yet has attempted to explain the mental processes of an individual who hunts in a manner described in the article. The closest was smiling bandit’s terse observation that he/she would "love to hunt something like those beasts."
And another thing that really struck me upon reading this was, if I were a Republican senator, this isn’t the way I would like my family members to get in the news. Apparently no one else yet has thought that aspect was interesting enough to discuss. I guess “it takes all sorts!”
I don’t think I can help you explain why he would like it any more than I could explain why I like sailing or why I don’t like watching sports on TV or why I like chocolate or why I dislike spicy food or why I like beautiful women… That’s just the way I’m wired. Even if the guy explained it to me I am not sure it would make sense to me. Personally I dislike that form of hunting just as I dislike powerboats but that’s just me and I don’t give it much thought.