Ricky Gervais blasts trophy hunters trying to excuse 'grim sport' by saying they 'provide a service'

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Ricky Gervais has condemned trophy hunters for exploiting the needs of the poor following a protracted debate over hunting sparked by the controversial activities of female huntress Rebecca Francis.

Francis had accused Gervais of targeting her specifically because she was female after the comedian posted a picture of her lying next to the corpse of a giraffe she had just killed with the caption: What must've happened to you in your life to make you want to kill a beautiful animal and then lie next to it smiling?

Francis was subsequently bombarded with furious messages and death threats on social media accounts belonging to her.

A few days later, she responded in a defiant statement vowing to never apologise for hunting, where she claimed Gervais used his power and influence to specifically target women in the hunting industry and has sparked thousands of people to call for my death, the death of my family and many other women who hunt.

The mother-of-eight from the US insisted hunters contribute the most to the welfare of wildlife by helping create a natural balance.

Gervais later denied her claims of sexism, insisting in a tweet: men and women that do it [trophy hunt] are equally vile and worthless".

He has continued the debate over hunting on his social media accounts, where he today said he was sick of Trophy Hunters trying to excuse their grim sport by saying they provide a service.

In a lengthy Facebook post, Gervais wrote: They exploit the needs of the poor. They pay lots of money to go and shoot a magnificent animal because the authorities need the cash, and then claim they are doing a good deed. Its not a good deed.

Those authorities would rather have the money and the animal still alive but they cant afford to. So theyre forced to take money from rich psychopaths who get their cheap ******* thrills from shooting a giraffe or elephant in the head.

If they were providing a service they would be the ones being paid. Imagine a vet paying you to put down your dog and then taking a selfie next to the corpse.

And as for the money goes to saving their remaining animals, oh dear. Where will it end? Can you pay more to kill the leopard with a hammer if thats your perversion? Theyre already killing with bows and arrows for ***** sake.

"And would we allow some billionaire sicko to shoot one cancer patient if he gave a million dollars to cancer research? No. Of course we f*****g wouldnt. If they really wanted to do a good deed they would donate the money, and not shoot the animal. They would be heroes then. As opposed to murdering scum."

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/ricky-gervais-blasts-trophy-hunters-trying-to-excuse-grim-sport-by-saying-they-provide-a-service-10195455.html

[Dakine10 5,452]

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/ricky-gervais-blasts-trophy-hunters-trying-to-excuse-grim-sport-by-saying-they-provide-a-service-10195455.html

The mother-of-eight from the US insisted hunters contribute the most to the welfare of wildlife by helping create a natural balance.

It's weird they're hunting giraffes for conservation and then they're hunting lions for conservation. There's nothing natural about that.

If someone is smiling and posing with an animal that they've just killed, They killed for pleasure and they are happy. Nothing will convince me otherwise. Just admit it. Don't pretend there is some respect for life behind that motive.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Oh I agree. Not to mention the spurious attempt to avoid the accusation by suggesting that Gervais is sexist simply because the hunter in the photo happens to be a woman.

[Merrytooth 5,748]

Here is the pricelist for hunting each animal in South Africa.

http://www.africanskyhunting.co.za/pricelist.html

I thought the animals are going extinct, hence the conservation to save them.

Now it is seems to become a sport for those who can afford to the pay the price.

Edited April 23, 2015 by Merrytooth

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Mothers of 8, who apparently don't have enough to do...

[BaronB 42]

Having travelled many times to Africa to view the amazing wildlife, I have been met with both sides of the story. 1. It is terrible and 2. It helps pay for conservation. Having dug a bit deeper into the matter with game rangers and South Africans I can say that 1. seems to be the consensus. Wealthy people "hunting" endangered species serves less towards conserving them as it does towards making them extint. Think of that what you will. I know I would never hunt an endangered species.

[JohnR! 5,495]

Cruelty to animals is a symptom of psychopathy. It's really not that complicated to understand how some people can kill an animal just FSAG and smile next to the corpse.

[BaronB 42]

Cruelty to animals is a symptom of psychopathy. It's really not that complicated to understand how some people can kill an animal just FSAG and smile next to the corpse.

I agree with this completely.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Cruelty to animals is a symptom of psychopathy. It's really not that complicated to understand how some people can kill an animal just FSAG and smile next to the corpse.

What's disturbing about this is that it's calculated. She flew a few thousand miles to do this, that's insane in the membrane.

[shippingforecast 126]

I've read a lot of counter-arguments on this based around how the primary goal is "conservation" but I just don't see how shooting the thing you want to conserve in the face even comes into it. It's like taking a failing business that has a lot of locations, pumping in a bunch of money to help keep them open, but only on the proviso that you can burn down one of them.

It's a completely futile argument. They do it because they enjoy killing.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Of course they do. They just don't want to admit that so they make up some lie to make them come across better.

I'd have more respect if they just admitted that the number 1 reason they did it is that they enjoyed it.

Edited April 23, 2015 by Venkman

[JohnR! 5,495]

It's a good example of applied stupidity...

What's disturbing about this is that it's calculated. She flew a few thousand miles to do this, that's insane in the membrane.

[Ban Hammer 12,841]

Here is the pricelist for hunting each animal in South Africa.

http://www.africanskyhunting.co.za/pricelist.html

I thought the animals are going extinct, hence the conservation to save them.

Now it is seems to become a sport for those who can afford to the pay the price.

45k for an elephant probably goes a long ways towards paying rangers to keep the poachers in check. yet some apparently don't like that concept, meaning the elephants will just have to take their chances with poachers.

[Dakine10 5,452]

45k for an elephant probably goes a long ways towards paying rangers to keep the poachers in check. yet some apparently don't like that concept, meaning the elephants will just have to take their chances with poachers.

Just say you want to shoot an elephant. You don't make up a back story for it.

[JohnR! 5,495]

That would be true in a myopic view of an imaginary world where elephants are the only commodity that can be traded for money. Luckily on planet Earth there are such things as real commodities and taxes and other means to collect funds to pay for these services. So many possibilities!

Makes one wonders if elephants can facepalm...

45k for an elephant probably goes a long ways towards paying rangers to keep the poachers in check. yet some apparently don't like that concept, meaning the elephants will just have to take their chances with poachers.

Edited April 23, 2015 by JohnR!