This story is from the carnivore conservation blog. It seems like shooting animals in an enclosure and calling it “hunting” is a growing problem all over the world, with ethically challenged entrepreneurs in South Africa just like in Idaho. Fortunately, people are taking action against this practice.
South Africa bans hunting caged lions. Carnivore Conservation
Ralph Maughan
Dr. Ralph Maughan is professor emeritus of political science at Idaho State University. He has been a Western Watersheds Project Board Member off and on for many years, and also its President. For many years he produced Ralph Maughan's Wolf Report. He was a founder of the Greater Yellowstone Coalition. He and Jackie Johnson Maughan wrote three editions of "Hiking Idaho." He also wrote "Beyond the Tetons" and "Backpacking Wyoming's Teton and Washakie Wilderness." He created and is the administrator of The Wildlife News.
It indeed seems to be a global problem smoldering below the surface. Recently I was on a business trip to Kazachstan (that “Borat” state you remember?). I asked myself around for a guide that could take me for a hike into the surrounding mountains over the weekend, into “bear/wolf” country. The offer was something like “you need not bother with those inhospitable mountains, if you want shoot wolf and bear you can do that here in city”! I declined the offer politely. Much closer to “civilization” there is still the case of “superfluous” wolf pubs sold by a German “theme park” to an organisation in Spain, known to offer “caged hunting”.
…and South Africa itself is virtually shot empty! You travel through the country in hope to see an elephant here or there or the occasional lion peeping through the grass? Forget it! If you want to see wildlife in SA you go to the parks. But remember, world famous Krueger Park is fenced in! And you thought Yellowstone is a zoo….
This sure takes the sport outta sportsman!!
Sounds like killing for pleasure to me!!!
How do I get involved, I am so distrub by “fun hunting” to me these people who engage in these activities are sick people.