Shitstorm: Swiss couple on trophy hunt in Africa

Now they are facing a shitstorm not only in the media.

«I felt so small in front of this great animal. I was proud to have shot such a large elephant,» says the former dentist in the French programme «Spécial Investigation» on Canal+ (min. 18.30).

«Trophy hunting is a passion and money plays no role,» replies the banker when asked about the price of the kill. Shooting an elephant, he says, is something like the Holy Grail for hobby hunters.

It is the most beautiful souvenir of their two-week safari, they go on to say.

There is nothing more dangerous than science without ethics. Killing animals for trophies is in some cases criminal, but always wrong — a cultural aberration. It is morally indefensible to engage in trophy hunting. It is a relic of the colonial era, when white big game hunting was still commonplace.

How could an elephant possibly flee from a rifle? The hobby hunters can comfortably lie in wait from a safe distance. The rest is handled by the professional hunter seated atop the elephant.

The killing of the elephant is not only a great loss from the perspective of species conservation. In trophy hunting, it is usually the strongest and most beautiful animals that are coveted. Yet these are the most important for the survival of a species, as they typically ensure offspring and the continuation of a species. Trophy hunters also decimate African wildlife to a considerable extent, pushing some species once again to the brink of extinction.

Trophy hunting is a despicable pastime of wealthy, desensitised people who have more money than morals. These killers must face the public and should at the very least lose their hunting licence.

Wild beim Wild calls for a blanket ban on the import of hunting trophies. After all, that is what big-game hunters are primarily after: horns, hides, and ears that they can take home as holiday souvenirs for personal use. In 2011 alone, poachers in Africa killed around 40’000 elephants to obtain the coveted ivory and sell it largely on the black market. It is utterly absurd that large quantities of hunting trophies from strictly protected animals can be legally imported.

Related dossiers and articles:

• Dossier: Trophy Hunting
• Dossier: Hobby Hunting Tourism
• Dossier: Hunting and Biodiversity
• Dossier: Hunting Myths
• Airlines Refuse to Transport Trophies
• France Bans Import of Lion Hunting Trophies
• Template Text: Import Ban on Hunting Trophies
• Template Text: Curbing Hobby Hunting Tourism