Namibian School raffles an Elephant Trophy Hunt

[Richprins]

I understand and respect your position.

Fine, Laura! That's how we roll!

I respect your and mith's positions too!

It's just about the tactful grey area of how one does not seem to be trying to enforce one's opinion on others...the point I'm trying to make?

I doubt whether there are many vegetarians in Namibia, for example, and hopefully that was included in your email?

One of our members, dup, is from Namibia and regards biltong as a salad to be served with the main course. Maybe a joke in bad taste, from my side, but just trying to lighten the mood a bit?

That school will be devastated by now, I think, as change sends emails out? And they won't reply.

The nice thing is one can debate this stuff freely here, and we can even contact relevant officials etc., agree to disagree, whatever!

[Bushcraft]

Well said lauraa - I am in complete agreement with you.

I'm also in complete agreement

There are many other avenues that this school could choose to follow I'm not sure who's worse though; the "school" or the rich foreigner who's going to fly in to "hunt"

[lauraa]

I haven't really ventured much into other cultures so I would never judge anyone for their need to do what is necessary to survive (like the need to eat meat). However I feel there is a huge difference between a need to hunt for survival and factory farming. I am definitely blessed to be able to have the choice and opportunity to eat other foods & have those foods meet my nutritional needs. I didn't mention that I was a vegetarian in my petition or my emails to the school b/c I didn't feel it was relevant. I am not perfect, I try to do my best to be a good person to all earth's creatures. Yes I am an american, yes I am Caucasian, yes I am a woman. But I am a HUMAN first and foremost. I love my fellow man & my fellow animal. Animals cannot speak for themselves so I try to give them a voice. Sometimes I stand alone & that's ok. I show my support mostly with how I choose to (or not to) spend my money. By not going to to the zoo, the circus, buying meat, fur etc. A quote I read recently said something like "The earth has enough resources to sustain every man's need but not every man's greed". I think that about sums up how I feel.
To be honest I would LOVE to interact with elephants, lion cubs, dolphines etc but if that means going to a place where I am paying to support the kidnapping, confinment and exploitation of these animals then I will just have to stick with watching the nature shows on TV.

[Mel]

Schools are very short of money on our subcontinent, as over most of the world, and teachers trying their best?

They are doing nothing illegal, and regarding sustainable utilisation of wildlife...that is what hunting is all about? The kicker is, while many decry hunting etc. a significant number support elephant culling in Kruger, for example?

I understand the need to raise fund for ill-equipped schools - but legal or not, I don't see why it has to be an Elephant Trophy Hunt.

A wrong sign, IMO.

[Flutterby]

I agree Mel...there must be plenty of other ways...like "Win a safari"!!!

I doubt whether there are many vegetarians in Namibia

How could you possibly know that? Maybe they all live on Marmite!!

[RobertT]

I agree Mel...there must be plenty of other ways...like "Win a safari"!!!

I doubt whether there are many vegetarians in Namibia

How could you possibly know that? Maybe they all live on Marmite!!

It would be called vegemite, sure MITH can fill us in on that.

[Flutterby]

Marmite is also vegie-based.