Fury as British hunters offered ‘cynical’ 20% off to kill African big game on safaris

Fury as British hunters offered ‘cynical’ 20% off to kill African big game on safaris



British hunters are being offered a “cynical” 20% discount to shoot leopards, cheetahs and rhinos in Africa.

Hippos, buffalos and elephants are also on the sickening wishlist of targets.

Safari boss Brian Roodt told the Sunday Mirror he launched the promotion to lure hunters back to Namibia after the pandemic.

He insists hunting is vital if Namibian wildlife is to be protected from poachers – and claimed the animals always have a chance of escaping the sights of the shooter.

Brits travel to the south African country because of the rich diversity of big game they can stalk, track and kill.

Hunters can pay up to £21,000 to shoot a leopard or £20,000 to kill a rhino – both now discounted by 20%.

Roodt, 31, says on his Quality Hunting Safaris website: “Leopard hunting is largely an exercise in patience and can last as long as 12 days.

“This time is spent quietly waiting inside the pop-up blinds located near the bait drop. If you have what it takes, bagging your monster tom will be an experience you won’t soon forget!”

When asked if many British hunters had responded, he said: “A few. My clients are all over the world. I enjoy it and I respect nature and hunt ethically. We only hunt by foot and stalk and we make it challenging for both the hunter and the animal to have a fair chase.

The promo offering 20% discount to shoot animals
The promo offering 20% discount to shoot animals

“We don’t hunt hundreds of animals a year. We get a selected number of animals and we normally don’t utilise all of them.

“We also want the game animal numbers to recover and we try and harvest old, mature and past-prime animals, in other words animals that are way past breeding.

“Hunting has its benefits but we have to respect both parties and both sides’ opinions. Yes, I love animals a lot, yes I like hunting – but I do it for the right reasons.”

Dr Mark Jones, policy head at the Born Free charity, hit back: “Allowing hunters to kill for fun is no way to ‘manage’ wildlife.

“A discount is particularly cynical.

“If we are to end this heinous activity we must find humane ways of managing habitats that benefit both wildlife and communities that live alongside it.”

This article by Sean Rayment was first published by The Mirror on 28 August 2021. Lead Image: Brian Roodt holds a ‘trophy’ leopard – which hunters pa yup to £21,000 to shoot.


What you can do

Support ‘Fighting for Wildlife’ by donating as little as $1 – It only takes a minute. Thank you.


payment

Fighting for Wildlife supports approved wildlife conservation organizations, which spend at least 80 percent of the money they raise on actual fieldwork, rather than administration and fundraising. When making a donation you can designate for which type of initiative it should be used – wildlife, oceans, forests or climate.

Dive in!

Discover hidden wildlife with our FREE newsletters

We promise we’ll never spam! Read our Privacy Policy for more info

Supertrooper

Founder and Executive Editor

Share this post with your friends




Leave a Reply

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

5 Comments