Elephant Hunters !

I was roaming around my laptop, sorting things out a little, since there is a tendency to end up  with a bit of a "topsy-turvy", a "tohu-wabohu" or in simpler words, "a mess." 

There are essays I wrote about Religion, right next to some Jokes and Puns, ( come to think of it, Religion and Jokes go well together, since they fall loosely into the same category ), next to some short stories about my travels in Africa, and other little comments like the one below.

I don't think that I have posted this one before.

If I have, it's no shame to repeat it.

Here it goes:

Elephant hunters:

A very few weeks after we heard about a „Great White Hunter“ having killed a Lion after having lured the animal from a protected zone into a hunting zone, we read about another such Hero who shot an Elephant. Not just any Elephant, but one known for his mighty tusks and his advanced age.

Every newspaper featured pictures of the proud hunter with his trophy Elephant and his guide, who assured all and sundry that his client had done nothing illegal.

It was also reported that the hunting community was applauding this brave hunter, who, with a single shot put an end to the life of a beautiful animal.

Let me assure you that there was nothing brave about this slaughter.

I have been in Africa a total of 12 times and, in aggregate, have spent almost a year on this beautiful continent.

I too have 'hunted' Elephants, Lions, Rhinoceros, Hippos, and all manner of other denizens of Eastern and Southern Africa. My hunting was done with a camera which takes a great deal more guts than that displayed by these hunters-killers.

And I can tell you from personal experience that it is not at all very difficult to get within 10 to 15 meters of an Elephant. From that distance anybody, strong enough to hold a gun, can hit a barn door and just as easily can hit an elephant behind the ear in order to kill it.

So what is the enthusiasm of the hunting community all about ? Are they waxing euphoric because one of theirs has killed an Elephant? One of theirs, who carried a large caliber hunting gun, and who was protected by a hunting guide, carrying another large caliber instrument of killing ?

Methinks the man is probably a coward.

Let him, armed with a Nikon, get within 10 meters of an Elephant.

Even today, considerable time after I have written the above, I get angry when I think about these hunter-killers.

There is a restaurant just a little ways outside of Bleiburg, where in the dining room the owner displays the heads of two mighty Kudus, which, he is proud to relate, he shot on one of his hunting Safaris.

I refuse to visit his establishment. I'm sure he does not care about my boycott.

Bertstravels