From the dentist who felled Cecil the lion to the woman who shot a goat on Islay, keen hunters are happy to fork out small fortunes to kill wildlife. But why do they do it – and what is the true cost of their obsession?
The most elephants that Ron Thomson has ever killed by himself, in one go, is 32. It took him about 15 minutes. Growing up in Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe, Thomson began hunting as a teenager and quickly became expert. From 1959, he worked as a national parks ranger and was regularly called on to kill animals that came into conflict with man. “It was a great thrill to me, to be very honest,” he says by phone…
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Exposing the Big Game 
Hunters think they are heroic.
A hunter said to me once, “Wolves, they are beautiful and intelligent, sure would like to shoot one.”
“A sharp distinction between humans and ‘animals’ is essential if we are to bend them to our will, make them work for us, wear them, eat them – without any disquieting tinges of guilt or regret. It is unseemly of us, who often behave so unfeelingly toward other animals, to contend that only humans can suffer. The behavior of other animals renders such pretensions specious. They are just too much like us.” – Carl Sagan Related quotes, facts and news, what you can do and more: http://www.animalmatters.org
Trophy hunters world around and even some non human trophy hunters do it to show off, to broadcast their competence and prowess, ability to afford the cost and risk, for the prestige. I have listened many hunters talk about the hunt. They talk about the caliber of their guns, the size of the animal they killed, and the thrill of the kill.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/animal-emotions/201703/why-men-trophy-hunt-showing-and-the-psychology-shame
Most hunters will also justify their killing as game management, meat for their freezers, as getting out in the wilderness and having a primal, wholesome experience. They like the image of themselves as hunters, as providers, putting meat in the freezer, see themselves as subsistence hunters.
They will call what they do sporting and fair chase. It is never fair chase or sporting of course. But they like this self image too. And they like the image they have coronated themselves with as “hunter conservationists”.
http://rsbl.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/13/3/20160909
Hunters will hunt anything, will pressure agencies to allow hunting of marginally or recently de-listed species or species that are threatened and significantly diminished, will stand outside National Parks and shoot animals that are used to seeing people not try to harm them, so easy targets of the “sportsmen”, like elk and wolves stepping out of Yellowstone.
There is a cultural divide, a mental-emotional difference, an almost divided man species or two subsets maybe three, in how other animals (man’s coexisting species), are viewed, one sees them as renewable resource, as objects of recreational killing and/or as fur, as trophy, as scores in a contest of wanton killing, as food, while conservationists see them (other species) as other sentient beings who have as much right to habitat, to life, as man. Hunters also see animal killing (aka hunting) as a source of primal adventure, killing them as adventure, thrill, feeding their macho image, self esteem. Then I guess there is a large indifferent, silent group in between, and they may lean one way or the other but basically do not care much, or tolerate the hunter good old boys, who may be family or friends.
Some hunters say they do it for the meat, to put meat in their freezer. None of us need the meat of course, and we certainly do not need to pretend we are subsistence hunters anymore and kill off the wild. Only a handful of aboriginals can arguably justify subsistence hunting. Some say they do it for the thrill and enjoy the primal experience of hunting and killing, and eat their kill, so the meat is a bonus. Trophy hunters just like the kill, and to show off (though they may not admit it). Take a camera to the wilds and fields, dress up in camouflage if you want, shoot with the camera.
References:
https://exposingthebiggame.wordpress.com/2017/10/30/coyotes-and-bobcats-provide-hunting-opportunities/
https://exposingthebiggame.wordpress.com/2018/01/01/feds-if-michigan-asks-us-for-sandhill-crane-hunt-well-grant-it/
http://theconversation.com/why-we-may-never-understand-the-reasons-people-hunt-animals-as-trophies-45701
https://exposingthebiggame.wordpress.com/2017/10/13/what-really-motivates-a-hunter-2/
https://www.alternet.org/environment/scientists-say-humans-lack-empathy-leading-global-species-annihilation
Very wordy reference, but trophy hunters world around and even some non human trophy hunters do it to show off, to broadcast their competence and prowess, ability to afford the cost and risk, for the prestige. http://rsbl.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/13/3/20160909
http://www.rense.com/general45/view.htm
How Safari Club International runs up a wildlife score card and undermines conservation
https://www.alternet.org/environment/scientists-say-humans-lack-empathy-leading-global-species-annihilation
https://exposingthebiggame.wordpress.com/2014/06/30/a-field-guide-to-the-north-american-hunter/
https://exposingthebiggame.wordpress.com/2018/02/07/every-part-of-the-animal/
https://www.peta.org/living/food/really-natural-truth-humans-eating-meat/
https://exposingthebiggame.wordpress.com/2018/02/06/a-field-guide-to-the-north-american-hunter-3/
https://exposingthebiggame.wordpress.com/2018/03/07/cecil-the-lion-suffered-incredible-cruelty-for-at-least-10-hours-new-book-says/
https://exposingthebiggame.wordpress.com/2013/03/20/inside-the-wolf-hunters-mind/
Who would want to kill a lion? Inside the minds of trophy hunters | Environment | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/nov/04/trophy-hunters-who-would-kill-lion-elephant-big-game-hunting
hunting i s disgusting. it shoudl be banned world wide. and all countries shoudl immediately take in some of these animals from africa to save and protect them.and set aside land to let them live in peace. that means tigers, elephants, giraffes. usa has the land to do it and so do other countries. that will be the only way to save them,. we cannot let africa take all teh blame.
32 elephants in one go? In 15 minutes? Shockingly destructive and disrespectful to life. Thank God he is mortal and one day his killing will be over.
Some mortals need to get on with it…
And when he goes, the world will be a better place, and we’ll all sleep better at night.
That woman who killed the goat in Islay seemed to have supreme vanity and ego. Any kind of attention is good, even negative, for some people.
Ha! There are several who the world wont miss and will enjoy reading about in the obits. And hopefully their evil deeds will follow them.
1. The Dentist ‘killer of Cecil’ it will read.
2. Tim Slappington, horse killer
3. 06’s killer, too cowardly to give his name or show his face, and his will be unknown and forgotten.
and many more.
4. And the killer of the poor shelter dog cursed to be trained by a monster at the Warren Correctional Institute in Lebanon OH.
The second most violent prison in the state of OH, and overcrowded by nearly double; one day tensions may boil over. Just sayin’……