Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
Safari Club International has some 50,000 members, 150 chapters and collects $3.17 million in membership dues each year. It raises another 7 million from their annual convention. But what is truly despicable about this organization is that it encourages slaughter through awards.
SCI’s record book system ranks the biggest tusks, horns, antlers, skulls and bodies of hunted animals. Hunter…s are rewarded with trophies for completing a “Grand Slam”. There are 15 “Grand Slams”. The ones that cover Africa are:
1. “The African Big Five Club” African lion, African leopard, African elephant, African buffalo and an African rhinoceros.
2. “Dangerous Game of Africa” requires a minimum of five from the African lion, African leopard, African elephant, African rhinoceros, African buffalo, hippopotamus and Nile crocodile.
3. “African 29” African lion, leopard, elephant, rhinoceros, buffalo, and a small cat, eland, bongo,kudu, nyala, sitatunga, bushbuck, sable antelope, roan antelope, oryx/gemsbok, waterbuck,lechwe, kob or puku, reedbuck or rhebok, wildebeest, hartebeest, mamalisc, impala, gazelle, pygmy antelope, springbok, dik-dik, bush duiker, forest duiker, nubian ibex, aoudad, hippopotamus, and wild pig.
4. “Cats of the World” minimum of four of: lion, leopard, cheetah, jaguar, cougar, lynx, cougar or puma, serval, carcal, African golden cat or bobcat.
There are dozens of other reward categories where members can buy special gold and bejewelled pins for the number of kills they rack up.
There is also the “Global Hunting Award” that requires the killer to have hunted 6 continents to receive a diamond award, a minimum of 17 native in Africa, 13 native or introduced in North America, 4 native or introduced in South America, 6 native or introduced in Europe, 6 native to Asia and 4 introduced in the South Pacific, for a total of 50 animals.
There is the “Hunting Achievement Award” that requires a minimum of 125 animals, or 60 if hunting with a bow.
And for women they have the “Diana Award”, given to women who “have excelled in international big game hunting”.
And finally there is the obscenely named “World Conservation & Hunting Award” given to hunters who have killed on six continents and have killed more than 300 species. This “esteemed” award goes to the killer who has taken all 14 “Grand Slams”, the 23 “Inner Circles”, “Pinnacle of Achievement” (fourth) and the “Crowning Achievement Award”.
It is this award system that is driving thousands of wealthy primarily white men and a few women to spend millions of dollars stalking animals around the world for the sole purpose of killing the in the name of vanity and self-glorification.
See the SCI hit lists here:
— with Darlene Robinette and 48 others.
Exposing the Big Game 
Well, there is the killing contest we usually don’t hear about–the big time one, I guess. How utterly obscene!
hunters who have killed on six continents and have killed more than 300 species.
Ugh. What a terrible thing. The latest poacher, the gynecological oncologist, has killed six elephants. Surely that must be against the law and stopped, since elephants are so threatened now and poached so severely. Doesn’t that even occur to him? These people are truly scary. Why isn’t one enough?
What pisses me off is that some people who purport to be “animal people” are negating the plight of the killing of wildlife around the world, because they think (if they think at all) in utilitarian terms, comparing the number of domestic animals vs. wild animals, somehow concluding that it is domesticated animals that are worse off, because of their numbers. This is a myopic, lack of understanding of the immense importance of The Natural Word, Nature, The Wild things and places, where domestics (human and non-human) have no real niche. That does not mean we do not care about the suffering of domestic animals, of course we do, and should. But, if anything is to be saved, it must be in our efforts to save The Wild. We are destroying the very Biosphere–Life Support System–and if anything is to remain–we must put our efforts into saving as much of the Biodiversity (the wild), as possible. It may already be too late, but we owe it to the Earth. We humans have created this terrible mess.
I wonder how many of the “Vegan Purists,” who are criticizing the publicity given to Cecil and other wildlife slaughtered, are going to be ready to humanely euthanize the millions of cows, pigs, chickens, & other domestics in animal factories, when our societal systems break down? Are they going to adopt all these suffering creatures? What farm sanctuary will take those millions? This is why, as a plant-based eater, I no longer use the term “Vegan,” as it is just too arrogant and religious for my taste.
Like I said in a post several days ago, I can see both sides here. That absolutely does not mean I understand anyone negating the plight of hunted wildlife–of course not!! I don’t know anyone who does! But I know a lot of good people who are concerned about animal suffering in all forms. If I thought they didn’t care about lions or the issue of trophy hunting (because there are more farmed animals) I wouldn’t give them the time of day. But I’m not going to stand for any more rants from pious vegan-haters. As you must surely know, farmed animals are bred by those who profit from their use (and abuse). They are slaves. And they don’t live more than a few months or years before they’re sent to slaughter. I don’t believe that most vegans expect to see all of the millions farmed animals live out their short lives on sanctuaries–they just want the breeding and exploiting of them to end (hopefully before society inevitably breaks down, or there won’t be any hope for protected wildlife either). I agree with you that, “we humans have created this terrible mess” but you have the wrong idea about who the enemies are. Please, people, don’t waste our time with in-fighting and concentrate on the animal abusers of all stripes instead.
I thank Geoff and Ida for their comments related to this.
Hi Jim,
I cannot find this on Sea Shepherd¹s site. Where did you find it? Do you have a URL for it?
Thanks! Veda
> > Exposing the Big Game posted: ” Sea Shepherd Conservation Society Safari Club > International has some 50,000 members, 150 chapters and collects $3.17 million > in membership dues each year. It raises another 7 million from their annual > convention. But what is truly despicable about thi” >