Trophy hunting is a big problem that threatens wildlife populations around the world. It’s hard to imagine that there are people out there who participate in this activity and think that it is okay. In 2011, a trophy hunter shot a sleeping lion in Zimbabwe and watched it writhe in pain before killing it. Then, he gloated about it on Facebook. (1)
Outrage After Trophy Hunter Shot A Sleeping Lion
Guy Gorney of Manhattan, Illinois, is a big game trophy hunter. He has killed over 70 animals, including elephants, rhinos, hippos, leopards, buffalo, and lions. In a video that has circulated online, the trophy hunter shot a sleeping lion in the back. The lion can be seen waking up and rolling on the ground in pain before he fires two more shots to finish the job. (1)
His current profile picture shows him straddling that very lion. (1)
News stories circulated in 2015 and again caught fire in 2019. This is not an offense that animal rights activists and many other people are willing to let go of.
No Remorse
The 64-year-old has no remorse for what he did to that lion and any of the other animals that he has killed in the past. (2)
“I have a hard time understanding, if you have a picture of somebody with a deer, nobody seems to care. But if it’s an elephant, it’s a big problem. If it’s a lion – especially now – it’s a huge problem,” he said in a 2015 interview with CBS. “But to me, either way, I’ve stopped a beating heart.” (1)
According to Gorney, he’s actually doing a good thing. He claims his hunting is helping other people and protecting other animal species.
“You can say, “Why’d you shoot a lion?” I love zebra, so shooting a lion probably saves 70 zebra a year, give or take. There’s all these kinds of balances in nature,” he said. “When I killed that buffalo that had hurt somebody, the people that had benefited from the death of that animal cheered. Clapped,” (2)
Why He Hunts
Besides thinking he is actually doing a service to other people and animals, Gorney hunts big game for adventure and thrill.
“I like pitting myself against these animals. And what greater trophy than an elephant?”
He says elephants are hard to track down and very dangerous, which is part of the fun of it.
“The first elephant I got, I walked over 120 miles tracking elephants before I actually caught up to him and found him.” he recalled in that same interview. (1)
The adventure part is what really gets him. That’s what pushes him to travel to faraway countries to track down and kill these animals.
“The “why” is just the – I call it the adventure of it. Same reason Teddy Roosevelt did it.” (2)
If a Trophy Hunter Shoots a Sleeping Lion There Will be Outrage Online
Gorney’s actions and complete lack of remorse have outraged people online. Many people have called him out on Twitter on how ‘cowardly’ it is to shoot sleeping animals like that.
“A sleeping lion, wow what a big man!” wrote one user, with various angry emojis attached. (1)
“Even if it was awake, the Poor Animal Shouldn’t be Killed AT ALL!!!!!!!!!!! EVIL B*****D!!!!!!!!!!” wrote another user, also with several angry emojis included. (1)
Others called for an end to trophy hunting, saying that it is not a sport or hunting, it is just animal murder. (1)
There was also discussion around Twitter about what people thought his punishment should be. Some suggested five years in prison, while others said he deserved to be fed to a pack of lions. (1) Unfortunately, trophy hunting is legal in many countries, including the United States. (3)
The Lion Population Is In Danger
100 years ago, there were approximately 200,000 lions in the wild. (4) Today, there are only 20,000 – down from 30,000 just two decades ago. The big cat is already extinct in 26 African countries. (5)
Lions are listed as a vulnerable and endangered species. Experts predict that they could be completely extinct by 2050. (6)
The top reasons for this are habitat loss and poaching. (6) This is why many people are so angry that trophy hunting of endangered species like lions is still allowed.
More needs to be done to protect this incredible species, before they are a mere memory.
Keep Reading: Man Found Five Starving Lions In Sudan Park Then Started A Campaign To Save Them
Sources
- “Outrage Over Lion’s Death Not Going To Deter Suburban Hunter.” Chicago. August 6, 2015.
- “Revealed: Trophy hunter who crept up on sleeping Zimbabwe lion and shot it before celebrating as it died in agony is unmasked as remorseless Illinois man, 64, who boasts of killing at least 70 big game animals.” Daily Mail. Stephanie Haney. March 20, 2019.
- “Banning Trophy Hunting.” Humane Society.
- Wild Life Day.
- “Lion.” Panthera
- “VULNERABLE AND ENDANGERED SPECIES: AFRICAN LION.” African Impact