Photos have surfaced on the web with Donald Trump Junior and Eric Trump posing in front of animals they've hunted and killed: elephants, buffalos and crocodiles. The one above shows Don sporting his knife while holding the elephant's tail.
So did Don really kill this elephant with his knife or gun? It's obvious from his bullet belt, it was killed with his gun and hacked with his knife. I could imagine the rush a guy would get hunting down powerful, darting animals. Admittedly, I don't know much about hunting animals, but I wonder how hard it is to shoot a huge elephant with a gun.
People on Twitter have lashed out against them, including people from the group PETA which stands for "People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals"
Don snaps back, "The opinion of someone who has vegetarian in their bio as that defines them so profoundly means little to me."
Ouch!
TMZ also reports that he has said on twitter: "I have no shame about [the pics]. I HUNT & EAT game ... I'm a hunter, for that I make no apologies."
Even though pics have just surfaced, the actual safari in Zimbabwe took place last year and they've killed an elephant, crocodile, kudu, civet cat and waterbuck according to TMZ.
It seems like this got harsh fast. I've noticed when it comes to the topic or eating or hunting animal meat things get out of hand. Both sides seem really passionate about their feelings and behavior.
Do people who believe it's ok to hunt animals not have a right to act out their values? And who are others to judge them? Why can't animal hunters call and curse out vegetarians?
But there seems to be two issues here:
1. Animal hunters who believe it's ok to hunt and kill animals for food. 2. Animal hunters who believe it's ok to hunt and kill animals for the sake of the hunt.
Clearly, both of those are frowned upon by vegetarians, but it's worth thinking about for others.
Either way, Don Jr. claims that the food didn't go to waste.
This isn't the first time, guy millionaires have showed off their ability to hunt down elephants with a photo opportunity. Bob Parsons, CEO of Godaddy did the same a few months back and also was lashed out against as well:
It doesn't seem like these guys really care what people think, but I wonder why Don Jr took such a risk during an early part of season 12 of the Celebrity Apprentice.
If you're into reading a cool short story on the matter, this was written by George Orwell in 1936 and still resonates today used in many Literature classes today. It's a short story told in the first person of a British soldier who shoots an elephant that killed a man in front of an Indian village during England's hold on India. Here's an excerpt:
"Afterwards, of course, there were endless discussions about the shooting of the elephant. The owner was furious, but he was only an Indian and could do nothing. Besides, legally I had done the right thing, for a mad elephant has to be killed, like a mad dog, if its owner fails to control it. Among the Europeans opinion was divided. The older men said I was right, the younger men said it was a damn shame to shoot an elephant for killing a coolie, because an elephant was worth more than any damn Coringhee coolie. And afterwards I was very glad that the coolie had been killed; it put me legally in the right and it gave me a sufficient pretext for shooting the elephant. I often wondered whether any of the others grasped that I had done it solely to avoid looking a fool." Read the whole short story here
