Farm Raised Lions for Thrill Kills

Somewhere in the 60’s or 70’s a sick phenomenon proved highly profitable. The showing of Snuff Films. These were films where someone was actually killed in the film. One such film, I was told, showed a pretty young woman at a party, who suddenly got a look of unexpected surprise-then horror on her face as two men grabbed her by the arms and either strangled her to death, shot or stabbed her to death as she screamed. There were clandestine venues where each film would be shown where eager ghouls paid $200.00 for a ticket to watch a film of someone being brutally murdered then carefully sneaking to the location..

A new version of the snuff film has been created where puppies are stomped to death or slowly pressed to death. And people fork over similar high ticket prices to become a part of this by watching an innocent puppy be cruelly killed. These people are sicker than the people in Noah’s day who sinned so badly that God flooded the earth to drown them all with the exception of Noah’s family who were righteous. In my opinion, the sins today are far greater than the ones in Noah’s day. How could any human being take pleasure in watching an innocent little puppy suffering and dying ?

As a friend and advocate for animals, I grieve over these accounts being given and must walk away from my keyboard from time to time while writing this.

They now have created a new thing. Raising lions and other game animals on a farm. When they are grown, hunters pay several thousand dollars to come to the enclosed farm area and shoot these magnificent beasts who scream and twitch as each bullet goes through them. Again, they are hemmed in to one area so there is no place for them to escape. Here is an even sicker twist, ‘clients’ can drive their cars onto the farm area and shoot the animals from their car. Now that is a real thrill to those mental cases.

A contributor to this column, Lawrence Craig, sent me a newspaper article about this outrage that brought me to tears. The story told how in South Africa, lions are bred in captivity, drugged and then paraded before trophy hunters to shoot from parked vehicles. This is sickening cruelty. The dazed lions are shot for FUN!

There are about 200 places in South Africa that breed lions in captivity for canned lion hunting. Get that phrase–CANNED LION HUNTING. As many as 6,000 lions are ‘stockpiled’ for hunters. When a lioness gives birth, her cubs are taken from her and used for tourists to pet and pose with them in photographs for which there is, of course, a charge.

According to the story, when a lion gets bigger, it is moved to an enclosed area and there it stays until someone pays to shoot it. It is called Canned Lion Hunting because the defenseless lions are literally served up on a plate for hunters. The lions cannot run, hide or defend themselves in any way. It is called ‘trophy hunting’ since usually the lion’s head is then cut off and mounted in someone’s den or living room for bragging rights. It would seem better to shoot one of the trophy hunters, cut his or her head off and mount it in your den.

No justification can be used to defend those who ‘hunt animals’ who have been bred in captivity for the specific purpose of, now get this, dying for the entertainment for others. This should never be accepted or legalized. I would hope that there would be real human beings who would determine to put a stop to this outrage. As many as 1.7 million trophies-parts of hunted animals stuffed or mounted for souvenirs-were legally traded between 2004-2014.

About 200,000 of the murdered lions were from threatened species-of which 2,500 were brought home by British Hunters. Every day this horror is allowed to continue means more dead lions at a time when the population is dropping throughout Africa. There was once 200,000 lions in Africa. Now there are around 25,000.

Radio Host-syndicated columnist Jerry Newcombe sent me this account beginning with a shocking photo of a sick trophy hunting couple kissing over the corpse of a lion they had just killed. And we will NAME that perverted couple: They are Darren and Carolyn Carter smooching over the fallen beast on a so-called “canned hunt” experience in South Africa.

Darren and Carolyn Carter are seen kissing over the corpse of a captive lion they killed in a morbid photo

Legelela Safaris – one of dozens of companies that targets Brit tourists with hunting packages – shared the photo on Facebook.

The firm wrote: “Hard work in the hot Kalahari sun…well done. A monster lion.” Pictured with another lion on the account, the caption reads: “There is nothing like hunting the king of the jungle in the sands of the Kalahari.

“Well done to the happy huntress and the team…” Well done? No, it is horribly done.
This looks as though this lion was a tame animal killed in an enclosure, that was bred for the sole purpose of being the subject of a smug selfie. This sentiment was shared with Eduardo Goncalves of the Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting.

When asked about the horrifying snaps, Mr Carter, of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, said: “We aren’t interested in commenting on that at all. It’s too political.” You bet it is Mr. Carter which means a comment is required. Experts say that the tragic lion was bred in captivity purely to be hunted by bloodthirsty tourists.

This couple. Darren and Carolyn Carter, remember that name, should be utterly ashamed of themselves, for showing off and snogging for the cameras at the expense of an innocent beautiful lion that can never be replaced.

Here is the outfit that promotes and profits off these Canned Hunts: It is LEGELELA SAFARIS. Legelela offers giraffe hunts for £2,400, zebra from £2,000, with prices for leopard, rhino, lion and elephant hunts available “on request”.

We want your help to fight this cruelty and have it outlawed. It’s an uphill battle because the canned lion industry is wealthy and so far, the South African government is ignoring the cruelty because of the money it brings in. Of course there is serious money involved. We have to lobby government; we have to raise public awareness and we have to support other groups.

READERS, just writing this story has taken a toll on me personally. Please join in sending notices to PETA, THE HUMANE SOCIETY, and the American Society for the Humane Treatment of Animals that you request their participation in taking a stand for abolishing canned hunting in Africa or anywhere else. It is our understanding that there are such canned hunting places here in America. Let’s find them and close them down. And Please contact your representatives in D.C. to make animal cruelty, trophy hunting, and mistreatment of animals in general a felony as well as those who participate in these horrific gatherings. This writer managed to have a law passed in D.C. which would make the import and export of Ivory illegal.

The new animal courts that have been established, are urged to take part in this. This is why we pushed to have them established.

Videos were not included since they are too disturbing, especially for animal lovers. Again Readers, help us with this. We must stand for those who cannot stand for themselves.

Photo Caption: Sick Couple smooch over Lion they just killed.

E-Mail Austin Miles: chaplainmiles@aol.com