Hunting Lions in Africa

[CometKeith]

I think it's really sad when someone needs to kill a beautiful wild animal for some sort of thrill but unfortunately this stuff goes on all the time and is not much publicized. My family and I were in Africa this year and we "hunted" lions, leopords, and all sorts of animals with our cameras taking great shots (see picture above I took) but the sad reality is that many African countries allow hunting or the sale of their animals for revenue. We were actually on the same game reserve Cecil the lion was from and we followed several big cats at night in several game reserves and it was one of the most exciting parts of our trip. Zimbabwe is currently selling 27 baby elephants to China to go to zoos and conservationists are aghast that this is happening because it will literally destroy the families these elephants came from. On the other hand Zimbabwe is saying they will not have money for conservation programs without raising this money and they are overun with elephants. Namidia allowed someone to kill a protected black rhino for $350,000 and again this was for needed revenue.
So even though I am as shocked and saddened as other people that Cecil the lion was killed I feel there is a much bigger issue surrounding this in that hunting of these animals is allowed and also that animals get sold into sometimes disasterous situations.. On the other hand there are problems with stray lions killing both people and cattle so maybe sometimes they have to remove some of the animals. We have heard stories where lions jumped out of the bushes to attack men in the field and that is a pretty scary thought. It's a pretty complicated issue and I was wondering what other people thought.

 

[MitchM]

I don't agree with trophy hunting at all.

Some hunters just want to kill the largest animals on the planet and they're willing to pay whatever it takes.
With the money involved, the pressure is on the outfitters to make sure the rich hunter gets his/her kill. If the outfitter needs to cheat to make that happen, perhaps there is an additional incentive provided.
If they had any respect for the animal they were intent on killing, the carcass that was being left behind would divided up for local poor families to eat.
If the local governments want to attract more money to prevent poaching, I think they should focus more on eco tourism than trophy hunting. Unfortunately the big money is attractive.
Who really knows how the big money get distributed. governments in Africa are notoriously corrupt.

 

[MitchM]

As for selling the elephants to China, I actually support zoos and the education that they provide us.
I just wish that there was more money available to ensure that zoo animals were provided with the best habitat possible.

I have my own zoo here in the form of aquariums and a pond. These animals didn't ask to be here, so I am doing all I can to provide them a stress free life.

 

[addy1]

When I was over in Africa, the clothes in my suitcase were equal to almost a years salary. I gave most of the clothes away before I left. Traded some t shirts for some beautiful carvings.

I have my own zoo here in the form of aquariums and a pond. These animals didn't ask to be here, so I am doing all I can to provide them a stress free life.

Same here, breaks my heart when animals are hurt, abused

 

[Dave 54]

There is one thing I would love to do with this guy and thats drop him in the middle of the vedt without his precious gun .
Guns are used to defend or attack but they should not be used lightly a life is a life and that includes any life as well as human life.
In the natural sceme of things this dentist would not last one hour out on his own alone with Africas wild animals .
That should be his punishment end of story .


Dave

 

[sissy]

To much of this and people should be ashamed of them selves it is not a trophy it is a living breathing thing and you don't have a trophy you have death on a wall .I remember watching a show on tv about extreme log homes and there was a couple that said there friends said there trophy room was like being in a real life Jumanji movie set ,YEH DEAD ONE .He got rich on match box cars if I remember correctly ,I have never looked at another match box car the same .

 

[bettasngoldfish]

It saddens and angers me to see these wild animals being killed off for no good reason. It's all about big egos and too much money. Disgusting......

Sissy I feel the same way about the wall "trophies" nothing but death that some yahoo is proud of because he/she killed it.

I don't have a problem with zoos. In fact I think it would be sad that so many people would never get the chance to see these amazing creatures if we didn't have them. I can't speak to conditions at all zoos but I know the local zoo here has made many improvements to the habitats over the years.

 

[Dave 54]

It saddens and angers me to see these wild animals being killed off for no good reason. It's all about big egos and too much money. Disgusting......

Sissy I feel the same way about the wall "trophies" nothing but death that some yahoo is proud of because he/she killed it.

I don't have a problem with zoos. In fact I think it would be sad that so many people would never get the chance to see these amazing creatures if we didn't have them. I can't speak to conditions at all zoos but I know the local zoo here has made many improvements to the habitats over the years.

Its going to come down to zoo's and safari parks in the end because at the rate we are going they are going to be the only places we can see a live specimen in the end.

Dave

 

[Lisak1]

I think we can do better. We've learned so much about conservation and have really worked to bring some of these nearly extinct species back. (It's not so long ago that the Canada goose was nearly hunted into extinction - look at us now! Geese everywhere!) So it does take education and bringing stories like this into the light will hopefully make the next "big gun/small you-know-what hunter" think twice about the repercussions before he (or she - I guess some women engage in this activity as well) kills an animal that was not a threat to himself nor was he planning to eat it to survive.

 

[Tula]

My dad was a hunter, so I grew up with guns and trophy heads. He hunted dear, elk, antelope and wild boar, which we ate and the heads are mounted in his office.

Fast forward, my father is in poor health and our family is discussing what is the appropriate thing to "do" with these trophy heads? Any suggestions?

 

[Dave 54]

My dad was a hunter, so I grew up with guns and trophy heads. He hunted dear, elk, antelope and wild boar, which we ate and the heads are mounted in his office.

Fast forward, my father is in poor health and our family is discussing what is the appropriate thing to "do" with these trophy heads? Any suggestions?

Personally I would give them to a museum, Tula please dont put your Dad into the same bracket as this dentist theres a big difference your Dad hunted to put food on the table and not for the love of killing like this guy

Dave

 

[sissy]

yeh 2 different things hunting to eat as they did a long time ago .Glad I am a vegetarian ,I do kill lots of veggies and fruit .My dad never hunted and we were never raised as big meat eaters .We had an organic farm and fresh and wholesome was something my dad prided him self on

 

[CometKeith]

I agree that trophy hunting is deplorable. I have never hunted myself and I couldn't imagine killing a majestic animal like a lion. That being said what happens when one animal population gets out of control and upsets the ecological balance? In Illinois now they recently allowed the hunting of bobcats because there are over 10,000 and they are killing domestic animals. Deer are shot locally all the time because they are too plentiful. When we were in Botswana they had over 200,000 elephants in the nature park and there was no problem but in the park we visited in South Africa they had only 10,000 elephants and there were destroying the natural habitat for other animals by rubbing themselves against large trees and breaking the bark off. There were thousand of dead trees that once supported habitat and now other animals and birds were becoming endangered . We learned that a dominant lion would have a very large territory and would fight off any other male lion that came into it unless it was related. It would take the dominant lion 2 weeks to walk his entire territory. It is upsetting that poachers killed Cecil's brother and the cubs might die at the hands of another male lion. Actually it is very common for a new dominant big cat to kill cubs so that the females go into estrus. This seems very unfair but there is nothing anyone can do about it as it is the natural way. In Botswana we saw open trucks filled with army regulars driving around the park looking for poachers with orders to shoot to kill. I think the media sometimes makes things overly simplistic without going into depth. If an area is overrun with a certain animal then what should be done? I don't endorse trophy hunting but somehow some of the dangerous animals need to be watched and controlled. So they allow the hunting and it solves the problem and they raise revenue. I don't like it but in a lot of ways it is necessary. Here is a picture I took right after a leopard caught an impala. We actually saw the leopard choke the impala by cutting off the airflow in his neck. We didn't like it but it was necessary for the leopard to find food for itself and it's cubs.The conservationists in these countries try to be as neutral as possible so the animals can interect in their natural way so this sort of behavior is totally allowed and accepted. The reality is there are checks and balances so one group of animals don't get out of control and it happens whether we like it or not.

 

[sissy]

Yeh but that is the natural way control is done .But these paid for the inhumane way they trap the animal so this idiot paying out all this money can kill it is cruel .I saw a video on you tube of these paid guys trap and injure the animal so this idiot could kill it .It was horrible what they did to this animal before it was killed .I could hardly watch it but this was a crew of guys out there watching and videoing it so they could show how inhumane it really was .I think they even had it on 60 minutes .

 

[Big Lou]

I grew up legally hunting all sorts of wild game in the deep woods of Alabama. It was expected of me being from a dedicated outdoors father. That was then. I stand against hunting except for proper wildlife thinning. I am steadfastly against international trophy hunting. Barbaric. I pray the hunter becomes repentant. God bless all creatures great and small.