A distressing image of a sick trophy hunter posing with a dead lioness was shared on a Tripadvisor-style site for big game hunting.
Discount African Hunts, popular with Brits, operates in Namibia, Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe – offering hunters the chance to kill animals – some endangered – for thousands of pounds.
Some of the site’s packages even include having the animal carcass shipped back home, reports the Daily Star.
“This is the most exciting way to hunt a lion,” a note on the site says, before describing how the wild animals are ambushed by trackers in order for ‘hunters’ to take pot shots with high-powered rifles.
The site displays menus for what sort of hunts it has available and also features customers boasting about their kills and twisted obsessions with slaughtering animals in the reviews.
One hunter, Jacques, shared a picture posing with a dead lioness and said he had realised he “NEEDED to hunt LIONS”.
He said of his trip: “After putting on all my layers the hunt began. Holy crap that’s a lion track!
“After seemingly endless tracking in sand and thorns, Holy crap that’s a lion tail!
“Four days of amazing experiences and close calls later my dream was fulfilled. Using my PHs 375HH with 270 grain softs was a piece of cake.”
Another told of needing five shots from a powerful Mossberg rifle to kill a buffalo, writing: “They are extremely tough guys.”
Discount African Hunts offers leopards at £16,000, elephants at £40,000, hippos at £8,000 and lions at £11,000.
The site says of a lion hunt: “Get your trophy lion while you still can. The lion will be tracked by the trackers until a shot opportunity is presented.
“Every lion/lioness is different. Some will run and run while others will make a stand rather quickly.
“This hunt is much more exciting than a traditional lion hunt on bait where you just sit in a blind and wait to ambush the lion.
“This is the most exciting way to hunt a lion.”
The Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting said: “Humans have no right to take the life of an animal for recreation.
“Animals experience suffering and pain when they are hunted for trophies.
“Killing endangered wildlife for pleasure only helps push them even further towards extinction.”
Discount African Hunts was approached for comment.
This article was first published by The Mirror on 15 June 2020. Lead Image: Hunter Jacques poses with a dead lioness (Image: Johnny Goldsmith <[email protected]>).
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