Not another one.
On Friday, wildlife groups in Zimbabwe revealed that a German tourist paid top dollar to kill one of the biggest elephants the nation has seen in years.
According to reports, the hunter shelled out $60,000 to fatally shoot the giant creature, who was believed to be more than 50 years old.
Emmanuel Fundira, chairman of the Safari Operators Association of Zimbabwe, said the animal was murdered on October 8 just outside Gonarezhou National Park.
Related: Cecil The Lion’s Killer Is Cleared
He explained that, because of the elephant’s size, it shouldn’t have been gunned down. Rather, he feels it should have been considered a “national treasure,” saying it was:
“so huge its tusks were almost hitting the ground while it was standing. We have never seen any animal that big.”
He added that humans need to stop being so casual about taking the lives of innocent wildlife:
“We need to discipline ourselves and hold such iconic things sacred.”
A spokeswoman for Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority says the hunt was legal only if the proper paperwork was issued, and added that she was not aware of the incident.
Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force chairman Johnny Rodrigues is disgusted by the unnamed tourist’s actions, commenting that the country hadn’t witnessed an elephant that large in decades:
“The last time one was seen (of such size) was more than 40 years ago. The hunter should not have shot it.”
It’ll be interesting to see if this sparks the same kind of outrage that Cecil the lion‘s death did. What do U think, Perezcious readers?
[Image via AP Images.]
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