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    • wojo14
        Post count: 325

        I hate to beat this story to death, but I love hearing.reading about peoples views on this subject. This is an educated Zimbabwe citizen’s take.

      • Brennan Herr
        Member
          Post count: 403

          Great point of view. Gives a real sense of how out of touch people are with the reality of others living situations. Be it threats from dangerous animals or even more dangerous humans.

        • Ralph
          Moderator
            Post count: 2580

            Thanks for posting that. That goes right along with what I’ve tried to say.

            “We Zimbabweans are left shaking our heads, wondering why Americans care more about African animals than about African people.”

          • David Coulter
            Member
              Post count: 2293

              This is a great article. However, for me, it pulls away from the original intention of the thread about the story. That being the unethical method used to take this particular lion.

              The whole story, of course, includes a whole range of views about trophy hunting, hunting at all, and the views that come in from extreme positions. It really got to be a mess.

              Personally, I have no interest in trophy hunting, but I have spoken to those who think there is value in it that reaches beyond the ego of the shooter. That value is mainly economic and/or a value to conservation of a region.

              From my perspective, the view that all lions are bad is as extreme and ill advised as the view that all lions are good. The apex predator should be taken into consideration in it’s important place in the environment. And, a lion that terrorizes a village and eats people should be dealt with so that people can go about their lives. That’s different from the situation of people choosing to take a hike or hunt in grizzly country. They are choosing a certain risk. The people in a village where a man-eater is present were born there, so choice has little to do with it.

              The writer, Goodwell Nzou, has a very intimate point of view with dangerous wildlife. His point of view is a very valid one, but not the only one to take into consideration when talking about environmental issues or ethics in hunting. His point of view is exactly the one to consider when people are terrorized by a rogue animal. We love dogs, in general, but would not allow a pack of dogs to control a playground anywhere in this country.

              The danger is always in painting with too broad a brush.

              Thanks for this thread. best, dwc

            • Ralph
              Moderator
                Post count: 2580

                More and more I find this quote to be a good way of thinking and wish more of the world would think about it.

                “Give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others”. >Christian D. Larson

                Perhaps then we would have an open enough mind to understand that all is not what it seems.

                Especially when it comes from the press.

                Like the old adage, “Believe half of what you see and none of what you hear”, says a lot……

                P.S. I totally sympathize with those that might get eaten to have no sympathy towards those that would do the eating.

              • wojo14
                  Post count: 325

                  dwc, I agree with your view. I also see the point the author of the article was getting across. I am not a trophy hunter either, but I like horns. But, I like meat even more. I too, do not agree with ways animals are taken.

                  I just wanted to give the author his due respect. He had a very good point. I agree with him in a lot of ways.

                  A lot of people do not have an open view and are bias to their own belief. 8)

                • wojo14
                    Post count: 325

                    This is why I posted this article. I wanted to get opinions on the authors view.

                    Thats why I love this site. 8)

                  • Stephen Graf
                    Moderator
                      Post count: 2429

                      I think I have to agree with David’s point of view, and Ralph’s quote from Larson.

                      To me the author seems bitter. Bitter about a lot of things, including loosing his leg. He seems most bitter about America’s relationship to Africa, which I can’t blame him for.

                      He also seems a bit stuck in the past. Take this quote for example: “my mother waited for my father and older brothers, armed with machetes, axes and spears, to escort her into the bush to collect firewood.” He makes this statement, not from an historical perspective, but matter of factly like this is the way it is. I thought it very interesting that the Father and Brothers, much better equipped to carry firewood, never thought past carrying their machete.

                      Three strapping guys with machete’s standing around while one woman gathers the firewood? Antiquated and unfortunate way of living.

                      While I agree that the reaction to the lion shooting may have been overblown (as we don’t really know yet if the shooter is guilty of poaching) Overall, I was not impressed with the authors point of view, or his attitude.

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