Sadistic Safari?

Shocking: Giraffe Hunting

Animal Rights – Despite statistics showing that the giraffe population in Africa has dwindled in the past 24 years from 140,000 to less than 80,000, an alarming trend has taken hold of big game hunters and safari enthusiasts: giraffe hunting. Hunters from the United States, Europe, and Russia are willing to pay more than £ 10,000 for a chance to shoot the gentle creatures.

Images of the latest “hunt” show whole families posed for pictures with their “catch of the day.” Obviously, giraffes are easy targets, so to make things interesting for the tourists, they spend three to five days on game reserves with guides and trackers. After “hunters” succeed in killing the defenseless animal, they have the option of keeping the hide, or having the giraffe’s neck and head stuffed and mounted, however some are content to pose for a snapshot with their “kill.”

For £ 1,500 the tourists can walk away with a sick trophy comprised of the hide or head of the animal, and often the native assistants on the tour are paid with the giraffe meat.

The fact that this is legal might shock readers, especially since it is allowed in countries which report low populations of the animals. According to Dr. Julian Fennessy, the world’s preeminent giraffe specialist and founder of the Giraffe Conservation Foundation, says certain countries can allow giraffe hunting. South Africa, Namibia, and Zimbabwe have sustainable populations. Yet, in other parts of Africa the population is quite threatened or already extinct, such as populations in Angola, Mali, and Nigeria.

“In some African countries legal hunting can actually help local communities by bringing in money and making meat available to them. Many hunting staff like guides, trackers and skinners who assist the tourists are paid in meat from the kills,” added Dr. Fennessy, who called the situation a “complicated argument.”

Learn more about the Giraffe Conservation Foundation here.

Donate to the Giraffe Conservation Foundation here.

See more fun family photos at: Here.