Big game backlash: Protests against celebrity hunter Melissa Bachman mount

[aGameOfThrones]

More than 250,000 people have signed an online petition demanding that South Africa deny future entry to Melissa Bachman, a big game hunter whose smiling photo with a dead lion has sparked considerable outrage.

The petition, launched by Cape Town resident Elan Burman, includes a letter addressed to Director General Mkuseli Apleni and other South African officials.

"She is an absolute contradiction to the culture of conservation this country prides itself on," Burman wrote. "Her latest Facebook post features her with a lion she has just executed and murdered in our country. As taxpayers we demand she no longer be granted access to this country and its natural resources."

According to Grind TV, Bachman killed the lion during a guided hunt facilitated by the Maroi Conservancy. And according to Maroi, the hunt was perfectly legal.

“We do ethical hunting and all meat from animals hunted is distributed to the local community," a post on Maroi's Facebook page reads. "Funds generated from hunting goes towards fixing the border fence that was washed away in the 2013 floods, combating poaching, which is excessive in this area due to close proximity to Zimbabwe, and running a sustainable conservancy."

"We are not apologizing for facilitating the [Bachman] hunt," the conservancy added. "If you are not a game farmer and struggling with dying starving animals, poaching, and no fences in place to protect your animals and crop, please refrain from making negative derogatory comments."

http://news.yahoo.com/melissa-bachman-big-game-protest-161458798.html

 

[Deborah K]

Oh, okay. "Perfectly legal." So that makes it perfectly acceptable? Take your trophy and shove it, lady.

 

[thoughtomator]

It's the smiling that's the fuse on this. It's fucked up to be happy about killing something, especially such a beautiful and majestic creature.

 

[Austrian Econ Disciple]

This is not hunting. If you're guided by folks and instructed on course of actions, and there is no hunting involved it's not hunting. You simply shot an animal who never knew what was coming. The smile is also a bit...uncouth. At least the conservancy got paid so it goes to further the ability to keep these animals from going extinct. I still believe that if one was truly concerned for the species you would legalize farming and ownership. I think folks like Tulluck and Buchanan would agree. If you're so outraged and want to annihilate the species, but feel-good about your 'intentions' then by all means, go the route of outlawing such practices as these people would have this conservancy do, making the likelihood of extinction that much higher.

 

[enhanced_deficit]

More than 250,000 people have signed an online petition demanding that South Africa deny future entry to Melissa Bachman, a big game hunter whose smiling photo with a dead lion has sparked considerable outrage.

The petition, launched by Cape Town resident Elan Burman, includes a letter addressed to Director General Mkuseli Apleni and other South African officials.

"She is an absolute contradiction to the culture of conservation this country prides itself on," Burman wrote. "Her latest Facebook post features her with a lion she has just executed and murdered in our country. As taxpayers we demand she no longer be granted access to this country and its natural resources."

According to Grind TV, Bachman killed the lion during a guided hunt facilitated by the Maroi Conservancy. And according to Maroi, the hunt was perfectly legal.

http://news.yahoo.com/melissa-bachman-big-game-protest-161458798.html

My apologies for turning it more grimly but does anyone remember number of Americans who signed up petition after following trophy photos were published?

Caution: very graphic

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...ing_a_dead_Afghan_boy_by_the_hair_in_2010.jpg

http://cdn.thedailybeast.com/conten...mage.img.640.512.jpg/1380037711667.cached.jpg

http://cdn4.spiegel.de/images/image-198947-videoposter16-abcd.jpg

 

[eduardo89]

Some people seriously have nothing better to do in their lives than to complain.

That hunt must have been amazing, I'd love to get that opportunity one day.

 

[Deborah K]

Some people seriously have nothing better to do in their lives than to complain.

That hunt must have been amazing, I'd love to get that opportunity one day.

This isn't hunting, this is tantamount to shooting fish in a barrel.

 

[Ender]

Well, what goes around, comes around; Law of Karma and all that.

 

[eduardo89]

This isn't hunting, this is tantamount to shooting fish in a barrel.

How is this not hunting? And who cares if she personally didn't do all the hard work, same end result: dead animal, awesome trophy.

 

[shane77m]

Some people seriously have nothing better to do in their lives than to complain.

That hunt must have been amazing, I'd love to get that opportunity one day.

Looks fun. The pelt would make an awesome rug.

I guess I will just have to hunt around here though. The cost is prohibitive to me. Plus I have no desire to travel abroad.

 

[eduardo89]

Plus I have no desire to travel abroad.

Of course not, you've got all the female cousins and Walmarts you could ever dream of right there in Alabama.

 

[Austrian Econ Disciple]

How is this not hunting? And who cares if she personally didn't do all the hard work, same end result: dead animal, awesome trophy.

The hunt is the journey, not the destination. It's the same reason why hunter's use black powder muskets instead of modern rifles. It's as Deborah said, shooting fish in a barrel, perhaps not even that skill intensive. More like drop some poison in the barrel then collect the dead remains a bit later. What I'm trying to say is simply killing an animal does not a hunt(er) make. If that was the case then your local butcher is a fine hunter of cattle!

 

[eduardo89]

The hunt is the journey, not the destination. It's the same reason why hunter's use black powder muskets instead of modern rifles. It's as Deborah said, shooting fish in a barrel, perhaps not even that skill intensive. More like drop some poison in the barrel then collect the dead remains a bit later. What I'm trying to say is simply killing an animal does not a hunt(er) make. If that was the case then your local butcher is a fine hunter of cattle!

Blah blah blah. You're probably just jealous you can't afford an amazing trip like this.

I say good on her for enjoying herself!

 

[shane77m]

Of course not, you've got all the female cousins and Walmarts you could ever dream of right there in Alabama.

 

[Austrian Econ Disciple]

Blah blah blah. You're probably just jealous you can't afford an amazing trip like this.

I say good on her for enjoying herself!

I live in Hawai'i...why would I want to go to South Africa? Anyways, it appears I've all ready won the conversation, so I'll just take my exit now.

 

[phill4paul]

How is this not hunting? And who cares if she personally didn't do all the hard work, same end result: dead animal, awesome trophy.

Serious? That's fucked up. Is using an aerial platform from thousands of miles away a "good hunt?" I suppose some drone hunters think they are worthy of trophies. Dead animals and all that braggadocio and such.

 

[eduardo89]

Serious? That's fucked up. Is using an aerial platform from thousands of miles away a "good hunt?" I suppose some drone hunters think they are worthy of trophies. Dead animals and all that braggadocio and such.

Are you seriously comparing hunting an animal to killing people using drones?

 

[NIU Students for Liberty]

She said she's against poaching but what is the difference between her "guided" hunts and poaching?

 

[specsaregood]

The hunt is the journey, not the destination. It's the same reason why hunter's use black powder muskets instead of modern rifles.

Really? I thought the reason they did that was because muzzle loader season opens 1-2weeks earlier in the year.

 

[eduardo89]

She said she's against poaching but what is the difference between her "guided" hunts and poaching?

Because these guided hunts are done in a sustainable way and nothing from the animal is wasted. Also, all proceeds from the hunt go towards maintaining the wilderness where they organised these types of hunts, they build fences, have patrols against poachers, etc.

From the article:

"Funds generated from hunting goes towards fixing the border fence that was washed away in the 2013 floods, combating poaching, which is excessive in this area due to close proximity to Zimbabwe, and running a sustainable conservancy."