The death of a beloved lion named Cecil, at the hands of an American hunter in Zimbabwe, struck a nerve around the globe. The debate about the ethics of that hunt still provokes strong emotions. On Wednesday, October 7th, MSNBC will focus on another side of the industry, the legal side. Blood Lions, a one hour documentary, takes viewers inside the seldom seen world of the “canned hunting” industry in South Africa.
Also known as captive bred lion hunting, canned hunts allow hunters to select their lion ahead of time and complete a hunt in a matter of just three days. Canned hunts provide a cheaper, faster, and a surefire way of hunting predatory animals, compared to wild lion hunts which may last weeks with a much lower probability of success. Americans are largely fueling the industry, with 62% of the trophies being imported into the United States, according to Humane Society International.
The documentary includes the perspective of both proponents of this practice who say that hunting helps preserve Africa’s lion population and conservationists who are quick to dispute that claim.
So I have been seeing advertisements for this show popping up on MSNBC quite regularly lately, and it never ceases to anger me when I do.
I am not the biggest fan of trophy hunting in the first place, but the idea of raising these magnificent animals in a cage for their entire lives simply to allow some fat asshole to murder them in an enclosure from which they cannot escape, so that he can finally feel like a man, just makes me want to vomit.
I understand the need to hunt for food, but I will NEVER understand the desire to kill something just to kill it. And to kill a tame animal raised by humans is even more revolting.
In my opinion THIS is the only manner in which people and lions should interact.
"Americans are largely fueling the industry,..."
ReplyDeleteThe perennial Rich Ugly American, alive and still flaunting their self-instilled entitlement on the rest of the world.
If it were in my power, for their misdeeds I would strip them of all they own as punishment, with the proceeds going towards repairing the damage they cause. The cap on the punishment would be total shunning by their fellow citizens.
So, what's happening with the idiot dentist? Is he being extradited to face trial? Or does his money buy him a pass on his crimes?
ReplyDeleteNope.
DeleteHe's back in his office cleaning teeth.
If, that is, any of his patients are showing up. I imagine the practice has been reduced by a large percentage. He's probably had to let some staff go.
Absolutely sickening.
ReplyDeleteThis explains a lot about the mind-set of white South Afrikaans who are having a hard time finding Oscar Pistorius guilty of murder. His defense is that he thought there was a burglar in the bathroom so he shot!
ReplyDeleteDo you see the similarities?
YES! White privilege lives unpunished in far too many corners of this round world. It is disgusting in all of its manifestations.
DeleteYeah, Republican cosmetic dentist Walter Palmer is back at work with no legal or economic repercussions. He returned to the office three weeks ago, greeted by six protesters.
ReplyDeleteHow quickly things blow over.
I wonder how many patients he lost.
DeleteI know some were not going back to him because of what he did. No way to know how this impacted his ability to recruit future patients.
Rich assholes also fuel the canned hunts on our own shores. Lots of them in TX, by the way.
ReplyDeleteDisgusting. Thanks for your post Gryphen. Words escape me.
ReplyDeleteR in NC
Anyone who kills a beautiful living animal of any sort for "sport" is a fucking sociopath and a murderer.
ReplyDeleteIf it's canned then it's not a hunt.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, the people who actually live there are glad to have fewer predators attacking their families when they venture outside the village. We can sit in the safety of our homes and feel bad for the lions. Who feels bad for the African children they attack?
ReplyDelete