Heartbreaking story on elephant poaching

[Stegall Law Firm]

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/04/world/africa/africas-elephants-are-being-slaughtered-in-poaching-frenzy.html?_r=1

I realize there are no shortage of depressing stories out there competing for our attention, but this one really gets to me. I hope something can be done to save these creatures. I hope that the ignorant, rich Chinese who buy ivory products wake up and quit demanding their spoils of murder. I hope that the heartless mother ####ers in Africa who commit these atrocities get what's coming to them (and I've learned that everyone, sooner or later, has to answer for what they do in this world).

Stewardship and conservation are things at which people generally suck. We'd rather consume, exploit, and move on. Humans can be absolutely despicable. I'm going to look into a wildlife organization to which I can make a donation. What else can I do? I know what I'd really like to do: send some AK mags and a case of 7.62 to the guys who work in the parks defending these animals.

I do like the park rangers' policy on dealing with poachers: “We don’t negotiate, we don’t give any warning, we shoot first.â€

[Guest 6.8 AR]

I can't think of anything to add to your sentiment, except that I agree with you. I'm not very familiar with the

problem, but it is one that has been lingering for decades after the decision to protect elephants occurred.

[Dolomite`s Breezy]

I am a big fan of elephants.. I just think they are the neatest things.

I hate to see and hear this is going on still..

Its just so sad and senseless..

Makes me wish that all the next generation wont even grow the tusks anymore... then there wont be a need to kill those.. unless they are doing it for herd population control..

I just read someone is just going around killing horses in a TN county also..

[hornett22]

I never understood hunting for anything other than food.

Ted Nugent used to have an archery shop in Jackson ,Michigan. I'd stop in there now and then when I was in town visiting my Uncle.

Ted had a zebra in there I guess he shot. I never could wrap my mind around it.

[monkeylizard]

Just because it's stuffed now doesn't mean the meat wasn't eaten when the animal was taken. How many TN hunters have deer heads or racks mounted some place? I don't see it as any different since plains zebra are not an endangered or threatened species.

As for poachers, they could never ever get enough of what's coming to them, in my book.

Edited September 6, 2012 by monkeylizard

[Dolomite`s Breezy]

There are a lot of places in Africa that have hunts to maintain herds and keep them at a healthy count.. and the meat goes to the locals..

I am not against hunting.. far from it..

Only thing I ever did not like is trapping.. the leg traps are not humaen and the animal suffers a great deal with those..

Poachers often times are in such a rush to get the ivory or horns that the animal is often not dead yet..That is gruesome..

[Jonnin]

Very sad. I hope they find them, sell the ivory to some artist/carver (rather than some idiot that will grind it into "medicine") and use the profits to hire someone to protect the herds. And sell tickets to the show where they let the poachers play, unarmed, with a nice PO'ed bull rogue elephant in an arena type setting.

[RobertNashville]

This is a very sad story...I guess any example of hunting a species to extinction or any other form of animal cruelty affects me more deeply than almost any other atrocity.

If you can find a wildlife organization to donate to that isn't too far off the deep end I'd like to donate as well and I hope you'll pass the information along.

[hornett22]

Don't get me wrong. I have no love for poachers. Ruin it for the rest of us.

[Jonnin]

This is a very sad story...I guess any example of hunting a species to extinction or any other form of animal cruelty affects me more deeply than almost any other atrocity.

If you can find a wildlife organization to donate to that isn't too far off the deep end I'd like to donate as well and I hope you'll pass the information along.

Does such a thing exist? Wife was into the world wildlife fund for a while until they sent us an anti-gun POS letter, something about "why they let people have guns to murder these poor animals" or some such idiocy.

[Oh Shoot]

Don't get me wrong. I have no love for poachers. Ruin it for the rest of us.

Speaking of Nuge and poachers ... oops.

Btw, I imagine one might could get that zebra right on his own fenced hunting preserve in Michigan. Hell, maybe an elephant, too for all I know. Advertises deer, American buffalo, and "exotics".

"American buffalo" sounds a lot more dangerous than "bison", which is about as aggressive as your average farm cow.

- OS

Edited September 7, 2012 by OhShoot

[Gun Smith]

"bison", which is about as aggressive as your average farm cow.

- OS

Are you sure about that?

[Oh Shoot]

Are you sure about that?

Well, you wouldn't want to get in a confined pen with a bison bull anymore than a normal bull, and trying to ride one would probably be similar, but they're certainly not dangerous animals per se. Cape buffalo they ain't.

Only Indians ever killed by bison got trampled while running them. And the reason riflemen had to eradicate them from long range or using horses as cover is because they run away at sight of a man. But so dim, gunfire didn't phase them.That's why they were so easy to slaughter.

You're not likely to be able to get a pure bison to play with (or shoot) nowadays anyway, and it ain't likely that Ted's are either.

I looked into them back in the 70's, thinking I might want to do a bit of the beefalo thang, there were still pure bison bulls and cows available then but they've all become their own various beefalo subspecies now as I understand it, though seems there ain't much of a market for it anymore.

- OS

Edited September 7, 2012 by OhShoot

[BigK]

too bad the chinese, who make up most of the market for the ivory, don't share our same values

[Dolomite`s Breezy]

A few years ago someone had started .. or wanted to start... a exotic hunting preserve.. well canned hunt actually.. a few acres fenced in and some zebra and other hoofed animals along with boar.. Not sure if that ever took off but people had a fit over it..

they where more worried about them escaping that the hunt itself..

I dotn get the alure of Canned Hunts anyway but to each his own I guess..

There was a guy on a diff board that went to ( I think Texas)who ran around at night , barefoot with a spear hunting wild boar..

[Jonnin]

too bad the chinese, who make up most of the market for the ivory, don't share our same values

I think it is actually an illegal black market there, just not terribly well policed. Probably, if you looked hard enough, you would find a few americans with some questionably gotten diamonds, ivory, animal skins, feathers, and whatnot as well. Ever few years some yahoo thinks he can get away with bagging an eagle for example, usually makes the news.

[RobertNashville]

Does such a thing exist? Wife was into the world wildlife fund for a while until they sent us an anti-gun POS letter, something about "why they let people have guns to murder these poor animals" or some such idiocy.

Actually, I have found one that seems to be not over the top as far as hating guns or hunters or waco environmentalists. However, I don't want to distribute a name until I can find a way to confirm that.

[Gun Smith]

Well, you wouldn't want to get in a confined pen with a bison bull anymore than a normal bull, and trying to ride one would probably be similar, but they're certainly not dangerous animals per se. Cape buffalo they ain't.

Only Indians ever killed by bison got trampled while running them. And the reason riflemen had to eradicate them from long range or using horses as cover is because they run away at sight of a man. But so dim, gunfire didn't phase them.That's why they were so easy to slaughter.

You're not likely to be able to get a pure bison to play with (or shoot) nowadays anyway, and it ain't likely that Ted's are either.

I looked into them back in the 70's, thinking I might want to do a bit of the beefalo thang, there were still pure bison bulls and cows available then but they've all become their own various beefalo subspecies now as I understand it, though seems there ain't much of a market for it anymore.

- OS

The reason I ask is that a couple of beef farmers I know tried the beefalo route but said they were to aggressive to fool with. A lot harder on the fences and the farmers.

Me personally, I don't have a clue other that what others say.

[Oh Shoot]

The reason I ask is that a couple of beef farmers I know tried the beefalo route but said they were to aggressive to fool with. A lot harder on the fences and the farmers.

Me personally, I don't have a clue other that what others say.

Well, probably fair to say the pure bison were "unruly" and not very "trainable", but not dangerous as in charging people or whatever.

The two small beefalo herds I observed way back when might have been a bit more skittish overall, but not much, you could walk right up to them like normal dairy cows, and that was before the strains became more standard. Nobody starts with pure bull or cow bison anymore, and I'd wager the current strains behave pretty much the same as any domestic stock.

But on topic to my original comment, it think it's safe to opine that a few scattered around Ted's 300 acres would pose zero risk to a hunter, even if they were pure bison, which seems extremely unlikely. More like shooting a Holstein in a pasture rather than a Cape buffalo in the bush.

- OS

Edited September 7, 2012 by OhShoot

[oldmustangjunkie]

Beefalo are very docile and tame. However, they are so large and strong that they run through fences easily when spooked without incurring much injury. They are very difficult to contain.

[xRUSTYx]

What's even sadder about that story is the fact that KONY is still around

[SonnyCrockett]

bad deal

,dont need ivory,dont want ivory and

elephants deserve better

[analog_kidd]

Here is another sad elephant story that happened a little closer to home. Seems almost unbelievable...

http://blueridgecountry.com/archive/mary-the-elephant.html

[SonnyCrockett]

Here is another sad elephant story that happened a little closer to home. Seems almost unbelievable...

http://blueridgecoun...e-elephant.html

barbaric