Trophy Hunting

[Erroll 80]

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Elephant, Rhino, Leopard, Giraffe, Cheetah, Hippo.

Maybe a couple of others.

Why? I think they are either of no interest to me as a game animal, endangered, or better off left alive to view in the wild.

I commend you.

[kbordson 8]

I personally do not have a lot of respect for "trophy hunts."

That being said, I have several friends who have gone and hunted "on safari" in Africa. And at "the shop" (Badger Ordnance and GA Precision business) there are several displays... Some local, some from Texas, some from Africa. I find them saddening. (and consider that conference area to be a "hall of death") I would LOVE to visit Africa and see those animals in their natural settings... now they are just dead and on the wall, nothing majestic about that. But what I find truly distasteful is predator game hunting - big cat trophies or wolf displays. Those are the creatures that we NEED out there to keep the other populations naturally controlled... when we kill all of them, then there are more "needs" for annual cullings.

I don't want to sound too hypocritical though. I have hunted in the past. I grew up in Wisconsin. EVERYBODY hunts at deer season. Venison is very good. But I justify that to myself with the belief that the poor beasts death was for reason - 1. the cost per pound (considering the deer tag and the processing cost) helped our family budget (which was limited). 2. These were "hunts" with tracking and waiting and tracking and.... not staged sets or baited. 3. These were natural herds (not intentionally "farmed") that got out of control by eating the corn that my Grandfather and other local farmers were trying to grow. 4. Their deaths weren't glorified by placing their corpses on the wall.

When hunters lose respect for the animals, that's when hunting becomes tragic.

[wonder2006 0]

I think the phrase "hunter" is being used very loosely here - I too saw the documentry - I live in the UK, but come from South Africa. I have no issue with hunting - with a couple of conditions thrown in such as if the meat is going to be eaten, I however have no interest in killing something myself.

That said, in the program I saw very little hunting going on - canned trophy killing is what it should be called. These people couldn't have hunted down anything - they had no skills as hunters. They were hunting animals that were not afraid of humans having been brought up in cages and fed by humans. They were sitting in outposts at man made watering holes in enclosed areas.

Whilst we breed cows and sheep for humans to eat, I do not know of farms that offer them up for the general public to come and shoot with rifles or bows simply for pleasure.

The two are not the same!

[christelsabine 1]

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The hunter positively gushed at the majesty and beauty of the animal, and then promptly shot and killed it.

Sad. Very sad.

Erroll, you know that Biltong is Oryx meat, yes?

dudeist skydiver # 3105

[Skyrad 0]

I couldn't agree more.

When an author is too meticulous about his style, you may presume that his mind is frivolous and his content flimsy.
Lucius Annaeus Seneca

[DZJ 0]

I quite agree, I watched the programme on iPlayer yesterday and there seemed something pretty perverse about the shooting gallery-type 'hunting' on offer.

[It also occurs that if you handed these 'hunters' a spear and said 'Off you go, don't come back till you've killed a lion' in true traditional fashion there wouldn't be quite so many chunky Americans queuing up for the 'experience'.]

[Erroll 80]

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The hunter positively gushed at the majesty and beauty of the animal, and then promptly shot and killed it.

Sad. Very sad.

Erroll, you know that Biltong is Oryx meat, yes?

Biltong is a generic (South African) term for raw, dried meat, whether it comes from a cow, an antelope or even an ostrich.

Your point?