What Is Your Opinion On This?

"A professional trophy hunter shot and killed the largest ‘tusker’ elephant in Botswana after paying $50,000 to join a hunt.

Botswanan hunter Leon Kachelhoffer claims he killed the big tusker, which was carrying 200lb (91kg) of ivory, on the country’s northern border with Namibia.

The elephant was in its early-50s and killed with a single shot, a hunting industry spokesperson confirmed.

There are only 40 ‘hundred pounder’ tusker elephants with at least one tusk weighing 100lb left roaming in Africa."

More here

 

I haven’t read the article, but often hunters are granted exotic game tags (for $$$$$) because these big, mature males go on a rampage, killing significant numbers of younger males—enough of them to mess with the overall population. Harvesting that animal and bringing in 6 or even 7 figures for the tag is a win for the local population of the species and a win for the country that raked in the money. Almost always these days it is a major step forward in conservation.

Hunting and conservation are two sides of the same coin.