Tuesday 13 September 2011

Decent Sized Male, Pretty Scruffy Mane…

…and yes, I’m talking about the lion trophy, not the Tory banker!
Millionaire banker Sir David Scholey (Ed: Boo! Hiss!) poses by the bloody corpse of a lion after shooting it for fun on a "trophy-hunting" holiday.
I do like the scare quotes around the term ‘trophy hunting’….
Other souvenir snaps show the Tory party donor grinning as he stands in front of elephant tusks and antelope and buffalo skulls during a big game hunting trip to Zambia.
What should he do, look solemn? Hold a handkerchief to his eyes?
Angry animal welfare groups yesterday described Sir David's trips as "sadistic and selfish" — but he said he saw nothing wrong in paying huge sums to kill exotic beasts.
Well, did he have the correct licenses? It would seem he did. Did he hunt them in accordance with the game laws? It would seem he did.

So, what’s the problem? It's not like he's something socially unacceptable, like a train-spotter, is it?
He added: "I have been hunting all over the world for many, many years and I have always hunted within the legal arrangements of the country concerned. I regard that as an entirely personal matter.

"All the animals I hunt are wild beasts. And I have felt threatened by them at times.

"The lion I killed certainly wasn't an endangered species where I was hunting it."
And the need to ensure the necessary habitat to support such a trophy animal ensures that the land is protected and so many, many other species will thrive there.

If trophy animals have no value, they become meat on the hoof or nuisances to farmers. And will therefore be killed out of hand.

Not that that cuts any ice with these folks:
The League Against Cruel Sports said: "It is enormously selfish to kill magnificent animals for sadistic pleasure. It beggars belief that someone in a position of authority could think it's acceptable.

"If he is a Tory donor, they should seriously consider whether he is the sort of person they want associated with the modern party."
Maybe we’re going about this all wrong. Maybe we should be hunting animal rights loons instead.

OK, maybe the thrill isn’t the same, but even so...

It’s hard for me not to be sympathetic to the chap when he…

Oh. Wait:
Sir David donated cash to Justice Minister Ken Clarke's failed attempt to become Tory leader in 2005.
That tears it! I've heard enough!

Release the hounds!

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'd love to see the League Against Cruel Sports schlep out to Zambia and protest against hunting in downtown Lusaka...they might find that the Zambian police aren't as bound by human rights legislation and political correctness as the Met.

Anonymouslemming said...

There's a big debate in South Africa about culling elephants. While this debate has been raging, elephants in a number of parks have stripped all of the edible vegetation from a number of areas of the parks, depriving not only themselves of food, but many other animals too.

Now hundreds of elephant, giraffe, birds and other animals are dying of hunger and disease. Mainly because a bunch of tree hugging wankers who never actually go outside were horrified about the idea of shooting noble animals.

These fuckers should be made to watch and smell the results of their 'care'.

Anonymous said...

Not hunting seems to cause more problems for the various target species than a system of controlled hunting in many African countries.

Anyway, why can't these countries manage their own wildlie policies without various bunny huggers from the other side of the world sticking their noses in?

John Pickworth said...

I hate these rich bankers. Hobnobbing in exotic locations around the world with their gold plated blunderbusses...

Meanwhile us poor folk are left wi'naht but our annual fortnight of seal clubbing to look forward to.

I'm so pissed off I might microwave the cat twice tonight!!!

King Athelstan said...

Maybe we’re going about this all wrong. Maybe we should be hunting animal rights loons instead. Snork! no, just lefties in general.

Ancient + Tattered Airman said...

Cull the bad eggs from society. That would be much more helpful to the environment in this country. The government can sell licences to prospective hunters. The more you pay the more you are allowed to bag! Seems like a win-win to me, ridding the nation of vermin and helping the Chancellor balance his budget.

Woman on a Raft said...

Do you think we could tell jazz-fiend Ken Clarke that he's in a new production of the Wizard of Oz? Nadine is playing Dorothy, John Redwood is the Tin Man and Hezza is coming out of retirement to play the Scarecrow.

You see where this is going? It's a win-win situation.

Anonymous said...

There's a few species I would like to endanger, namlely, Politicians and Common Purpose trained Local Council political "offdicers"
I would willingly have my photo taken alongside such "trophies".

Tory Aardvark said...

Personally I think we should shoot warming alarmists and any eco loons that take part in Al Gore's 24 hours of alternate reality where Al and his mates try to make even more money out of Climate Religion.

A brace of Monbiots would look good over my gun cabinets

JuliaM said...

"...they might find that the Zambian police aren't as bound by human rights legislation and political correctness as the Met."

Heh!

"There's a big debate in South Africa about culling elephants. "

I guess they figure they'll have all the time in the world to resolve it... :/

"Not hunting seems to cause more problems for the various target species than a system of controlled hunting in many African countries."

Spot on!

"You see where this is going? It's a win-win situation."

:D

Dr Evil said...

If he took on the Lion with a large knife or spear, then fine, a brave man and a good kill. But with a hunting rifle? Pathetic.

Lord T said...

Sounds like a good guy. Annoys Tree Huggers and doesn't like Cameron.

My sort of guy.

English Viking said...

Hunting is not wrong, per se.

The only thing distasteful about your post is the sickening amount of money this C*** has drained from the public purse, not the blood from ferocious animals throats.

The reckoning is coming.

I'd pay good money for a license to shoot that fat T***.

JuliaM said...

"If he took on the Lion with a large knife or spear, then fine, a brave man and a good kill. But with a hunting rifle? Pathetic."

It's not a foregone conclusion - sometimes, the lion wins. They have a pretty amazing turn of speed.

"I'd pay good money for a license to shoot that fat T***."

Vermin aren't licensed. Shoot as many as you want.