It’s Complicated - Big Game Hunting

"f86sabre" (f86sabre) 08/23/2019 at 19:45 • Filed to: Conservation

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Buffer image - Potentially disturbing image below

There have been recurring tweets and other social media posts decrying rich folks who go out and hunt big game. I personally hate the idea. Elephants, rhinos, lions, tigers, giraffes and other animals are amazing to see in their natural habitat. Sadly, those habitats are shrinking.

When we were in Africa last spring we talked a good bit about this topic with our safari guide. He grew up with his dad, who was a park ranger at Kruger national Park, and went on to work as a guide and ranger himself. The way he explained it is that the parks have to cull the heards of each species to match what the habitat allows. Also, if they find an elephant going rogue they have to take care of that. When those situations arise they  sell licenses to wealthy folks to bring in revenue to support the park . These licenses can bring in thousands of dollars. It’s not awesome, but that is how it’s done. If there was more parkland perhaps there would be other alternatives.

Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras > f86sabre 08/23/2019 at 19:48

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Jimmy John’s is for people who don’t know what a good sub/sandwich actually tastes like

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > f86sabre 08/23/2019 at 19:52

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I think that the meat garnered from every trophy hunt should go to the locals and the “hunter” should have to pay a Michelin Star caliber chef to prepare  the meals for them.

RutRut > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire 08/23/2019 at 19:56

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Typically the meat is donated back to locals.

dogisbadob > f86sabre 08/23/2019 at 19:56

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There’s also a pic of him riding a shark naked

Chuckles > f86sabre 08/23/2019 at 20:00

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The fact that it might be necessary to kill this elephant doesn't mean that this rich asshole needs to be so happy about it. I eat meat, but I'd prefer that the people who slaughter the animals are compassionate about it and not having their picture taking next to the dead cow, giving two thumbs up to his buddy. Fuck this guy.

Cash Rewards > f86sabre 08/23/2019 at 20:05

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There is something similar about south Africa increasing game permits for endangered black rhino’s. The populations function in such a way that herds are dominated by makes past breeding age. Kill them, younger breeding age males take over, make new rhino’s. So to get lots of new baby rhino’s, gotta kill the few old  ones. And bring in money for the cause. It's counterintuitive, but apparently effective

Chuckles > dogisbadob 08/23/2019 at 20:09

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Relevant story:  https://deadspin.com/jimmy-johns-says-thats-not-jimmy-john-nude-and-humping-1795065329

Svend > f86sabre 08/23/2019 at 20:12

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That’s the thing. Us in the west project ourselves onto everyone else.

People think something is wrong because it sounds wrong to them   and don’t want to enter the notion that what those others are doing is for good.

There are people who eat whale, hunt seals, some that eat  animals we associate as pets, we farm and eat animals some people see as sacred.

Maybe if these hunters didn’t take such glee in killing the animal. 

For Sweden > dogisbadob 08/23/2019 at 20:14

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We all would if we had the opportunity

For Sweden > RutRut 08/23/2019 at 20:15

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Yes, but only because the hunters are too cheap to pay the baggage fees to haul several hundred pounds of meat when flying back home.

For Sweden > f86sabre 08/23/2019 at 20:22

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Big game hunting has dynamics that don’t exist in mid-game (is that a term?) hunting, like deer.

The West sees the animals as exotic, and thus inherently rare. We wouldn’t think the same of the deer we almost hit on our last road trip. Obviously many big game animals are endangered.

I can’t tell if the elephant in the picture is a breeding-age male or one well past breeding age and consuming scarce resources. If the elephant population is about to dispensary, weird “survival of the species at any cost” arguments like that may arise. Presumably the game wardens can determine the age of the elephant.

Many have the thought of, “OK, I’ll let you hunt, but you better not have fun .”

slipperysallylikespenguins > For Sweden 08/23/2019 at 20:44

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The baggage fees wouldn’t mean anything to someone paying over 10k for a hunt. It is very illegal to import game meats into the USA. There is an exemption for Canada and a few euro countries.  

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > dogisbadob 08/23/2019 at 20:49

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I thought that was troy Mcclure

For Sweden > For Sweden 08/23/2019 at 20:52

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As it is too late to edit this comment, “about to dispensary ” should be “about to dis app ear.”

BigBlock440 > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire 08/23/2019 at 21:12

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It does go to the locals....

jimz > For Sweden 08/23/2019 at 21:19

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mid-game (is that a te rm?)

not really; deer are still considered “big game.” Small game would be rabbits, squirrels, and the like.

jimz > f86sabre 08/23/2019 at 21:24

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I hunt (deer) and I find this distasteful.  I hear their reasons for doing so (population management) but things in various parts of Africa are so fucked up with strife and poaching I don’t know if the “need” for herd management is due to that fucked-up-ed-ness.  I hunt strictly for the venison; partly because I like venison and partly because I feel that if I’m going to eat meat then I should be willing to do the “dirty work” myself.  But I don’t kill any animal “just because,” hell, I feel bad if I run over a squirrel in the road.  Blasting a lion or elephant for a trophy or a picture is sick. Especially elephants; they’re damn intelligent.

jimz > For Sweden 08/23/2019 at 21:26

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people who do this don’t give a shit about the meat. Besides, no one would want to eat lion or anything like it; predators supposedly taste horrible.

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > Svend 08/23/2019 at 21:48

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I think the glee part what strikes many of us as so distasteful. I can understand the economics, so to speak, of managing these hurds, but the taking of a life should be done with due reverence. For me, a schmuck standing next to the kill  with a shit-eating grin doesn’t convey that...

I look at it as via living in a house and sleeping in a bed, I already won at evolution. I guess I could understand wanting to document a big kill, but I don’t understand wanting to be in the picture yourself.

coqui70 > f86sabre 08/23/2019 at 21:52

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An idea that may work - for every animal they kill they have to purchase and maintain habitat for 10 of the same size and species. This will help increase the amount of available habitat, thereby reducing the need to kill as many.

By supporting the on-going maintenance they then also support the local communities providing jobs.

At that point I could care less what dumbass picture they take ... when they die they’ll get reincarnated as cockroaches or sewer rats and have to live in shit for the next round.

just-a-scratch > f86sabre 08/24/2019 at 13:09

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This guy and his enthusiasm are putting a lot of money into a local economy. Maybe more important is that some of these parks and game preserves make poaching bad for the economy. When that happens people often tale much b etter care of the wildlife and ecology.

You might not like the image, but it might be supporting a lot of good.