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Dear Melissa,
I have to hand it to you.
That pic of you sitting gloating triumphantly behind the huge male lion you killed has gone viral.
I’m not saying that people aren’t admiring your big strong teeth or even your big strong breast implants.
But your timing was all kinds of special. A week after we hear that the western black rhino is officially extinct, you post this picture of yourself on all your social media sites. Now you are front page news in many countries. Even the comedian Ricky Gervais has weighed in. He thinks you are a great hunt. Typo.
When a man wantonly destroys one of the works of man we call him a vandal. What then do we call a person who shoots a wild animal?
Not for food, or even for their pelt. Just for pleasure.
Help me on this. I want to understand what frisson of pleasure do you get when you see a creature toppling to its knees? Which do you prefer? A crocodile? Or a giant bear? Which turns you on more? Heaven knows you have killed enough species to be an expert.
Do you have any feelings at all? Apart from vanity, that is.
I see from all your pictures, you wouldn’t dream of going on a hunt without heavily mascara-ed eyelashes, a piece of statement jewellery, your glossy hair, neatly braided…
Perhaps that adds to the revulsion people feel when looking at you with your ‘trophies.’ Because you see, sweetie, equality of the sexes, like Communism, is great on paper. In reality it is something else. Biologically a woman is the giver of life.
When she takes life it is an aberration. When she takes life for fun it is perverse.
Your utter disregard for animals and nature is breath-taking.
I read that you desired to kill an adult male lion as it is the most sought-after trophy by wealthy foreign hunters.
The Maroi ‘Conservancy’ gang – Hannes, Laurens and Julious (sic), did your bidding and imported a lion to the area so that you could kill it. I know that you know that this is called canned hunting.
Trophy hunting is an obscenity beyond the obvious one. Trophy hunting for lion is killing healthy members of an imperiled species.
Do you know or even care that when an adult male lion is killed, the destabilization of that lion’s pride can lead to more lion deaths as outside males compete to take over the pride? Read National Geographic and learn a few things. I know I did.
Once a new male is in the dominant position, he will often kill the cubs sired by the pride’s previous leader, resulting in the loss of an entire lion generation within the pride.
Trophy hunting by definition is counter-evolutionary. It is based on selectively taking the large, robust, and healthy males from a population for a hunter’s trophy room.
These are the same crucial individuals that in a natural system would live long, full lives, protecting their mates and cubs and contributing their genes to future generations.
See why everyone thinks you are bloodless, callous and recidivist?
Your grinning happily behind a dead lion has shocked people in a country that is almost unshockable.
In South Africa rape and murder are commonplace. Let’s be more explicit. Baby rapes are prevalent. But it took your narcissistic exploits to energize a country that is compassion-fatigued.
Amid the sad and irritating news which leaves the populace numbed by your career of legalized poaching – murdering – animals touched raw nerve ends. Hunting for sport is bloody and antiquated.
In a mere four days the Stop Melissa Bachman Facebook page has had over 95,000 hits.
You awakened a vast tribe of anti-hunters who are intent on urging the international animal protection community to muster support for the plight of animals and the environment.
For that I thank you.
The website of the Maroi Conservancy – your enablers – has crashed.
When the site was up there was some feeble defense along the lines of ‘providing employment to the locals’ and ‘conservation’.
Since when does killing an almost endangered species count as ‘conservation?’ You’ve been drinking too many Klipdrifs and coke with the manne.
The money that does come into Africa from hunting pales in comparison to the billions and billions generated from tourists who come just to watch wildlife.
According to National Geographic, despite the claims that trophy hunting brings millions of dollars in revenue to local people in otherwise poor communities, there is no proof of this.
Even pro-hunting organizations like the International Council for Game and Wildlife Conservation have reported that only 3 percent of revenue from trophy hunting ever makes it to the communities affected by hunting.
National Geographic published a story in which Jeff Flocken, the North American director for the International Fund for Animal Welfare wrote; The United States government is considering whether to add lions to the list of species protected by the Endangered Species Act. Such protection would ban the importation of dead trophy lions into the U.S.
A recent study led by a scientist from Duke University showed that as few as 32,000 lions are left. Approximately 600 lions are killed every year on trophy hunts – 80% are killed by Americans.
A few years ago I read about a South African woman who was attacked by a male ostrich. She engaged it in a fight to the death with her bare hands and managed to strangle it. An ostrich has a kick stronger than a mule and their toe-nails are sharper than a serpent’s tooth. She was knocked to the ground several times and suffered a couple of broken ribs and a punctured lung. Perhaps the whole of the human race would have celebrated your “victory” if you had been attacked by the male lion and managed to kill it with your bare hands.
I don’t know if you have ever heard of a bloke called Mahatma Gandhi. I don’t think his name comes up a great deal in the bomas you hang out in after a good day of killing. He once said “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”
Given this premise I am afraid you and your animal killing chums are egregious, recidivist and morally bankrupt.
Yours etc. Jani
P.S. Isn’t it deeply ironic that “Melissa” means honey and sweet?
ends

Read Jani Allan’s column on rhino poaching here
My Grilling Life - Jani Allan 
This picture or representation of the act is unpleasant at best. I am curious however of Jani’s views on human abortion.
Those whom think this photo is okay, or even stand by this disgusting human being seriously needs to educate themselves. The Asiatic Lion (African Lion) is listed Vulnerable on the IUCN list which is the point below endangered, why would the natives encourage hunting on lions or any of their animals when the balance in the Savannah is fine; let alone most of their species are either vulnerable, endangered and until a few weeks ago, extinct.
As stated above, killing one male lion, or five makes no difference; you are still inflicting change upon a pride, and a new male lion will eventually insert his dominance and they notoriously kill off the cubs generated by the previous male, because it’s not HIS genes; and I have known and read of them killing the lionesses as well, one male lion killed, could resort in another 5-6 being killed off by their own pride members.
I have not, and will never pick up a gun and willingly shoot an animal for pride, or a stupid trophy photograph, population control is something I respect; whomever believes this photo, or any of her photos are due to population control, please go and educate yourself.
Disgusting.
Buzzard, 18.
PEOPLE HEAR ME OUT AND READ MY COMMENT ^ up there
ok these are all very repetitive and very true in most cases other than the unnecessary, which by the way guys, do not threaten this woman we can’t have all the good people going to prison under suspect.
my earlier comment is pretty good, and I’m not one to brag, check it out ^ its up there but
“Ill never say my name”
I just want to see people’s thoughts because honestly I agree with the majority but I am also kind of upset that this is so blown up, I mean when the author comments on her calling her sweetie, like she is a little idiot nothing, I take offense to that. I love animals more than humans but if this was a man be honest, its not like you would be talking to him like he is a child. you would all be acting very differently.
Maybe I’m wrong and please correct me, but this issue is IMPORTANT TO ME and I would like to hear FEEDBACK on my previous comment and on this one if possible.
Again I know you all have other lives better than the internet but perhaps there is another way to handle these environmental issues rather than talking to a cement wall (Melissa in this case)
I’m sorry i forgot the last sentence, we should show her all the issues she is causing and OPEN HER MIND not attack her into a corner where all she thinks is “I hate environmental and animal rights activists” this is why people hate us. BUT WE ARE GOOD PEOPLE BECAUE WE LOVE AND CARE show her that.
We had a dog once who ripped the next door neighbour’s dog to pieces. The dog next door was a little yapper, that was all he could do and I suppose in the end Robert decided to fix the yapping for good. The neighbours insisted we had the dog put down so with huge heartbreak I took him to a dog psychologist who agreed with the prognosis. She told us that once they had tasted the blood of a living creature, there was no guarantee that this same beloved dog would not attack the children next door. I think it’s the same with humans, the same disease that takes hold when they have taken the life of another animal. It’s called “blood lust” and the more one feels the pleasure of killing other living beings, the more this madness takes hold and the more they want. Big hunters have this disease, an urgent need to kill and see blood. This is why they will pay a fortune to come to remote places in Africa, because they are possessed with a blood lust for more death. They have made themselves sick and they themselves are mentally sick as they have an urgent need to satisfy this all-consuming lust that borders on the psychotic and at times exceeds it. But I don’t think the answer to their healing is to say, “there there darling, you have a sickness and it’s not your fault and we love you”. I think we should built institutions for these people where they can be placed on medication and gradually recover from this terrible illness of wanting to kill. But to say, “my darling, shame” – no I don’t think this will help a whole lot.
That is why lions hate Melissa Bachman.
Yes, threats are certainly meaningless and there are certainly better ways to react despite how awful this person is.
On your other point though: you do realize that the author is a woman, right? Her calling her sweetie is in no way a slight to her gender. That would be dumb since she herself is a woman… She’s simply using a term you might use while trying to educate a child, regardless of gender, because quite frankly, the action this article is about is ludicrously immature and childish (or as you put it the action of a “little idiot nothing”). So yes, I think it would have had EXACTLY the same tone if the subject was a male and you are reading way too much into that.
If it was a man we’d expect the barbaric sneer and revolting brutality but such revulsion from a woman is truly obscene.
You are right about not making hunters hate anti-hunting people. But which came first? The hunters did. What are your feelings people? Please let us know which is the way forward
well written Jani!! I think this sick female should be locked up and shouldn’t be allowed to handle guns. If these trophy hunting sickos think that they achieve something great they are wrong as the hunt is not even on equal and fair terms. A person hiding in the bushes with a gun and shooting a beautiful animal who is not aware of the imminent danger so as to fight for its life on an equal basis is not fair. These sickos are nothing more than COWARDS with an inferiority complex who cannot make it in the human world and thus vent their anger on innocent animals !! They are too stupid to undersand that their ‘trophy’ was gained on uneven terms. I used to live in S.A. but now live in Europe for the last years but I would also like to sign the petition for bachman not to be allowed to enter s.a. how can I sign up? Her site should also be wiped out so she can’t have any access for her SICK boasting!!
I’ll bet her rich Daddy would be proud of her.
you people are so narrow minded its insane , you do not farm cattle , you have never had a lion come and kill 10 head of cattle in one night and then just eat one , you have never had your livelihood be at steak and loose 10 of thousands in the wake of a problem lion , you need to get out of your offices and wake the fuck up , a balance needs to be maintained and if you cant see that you are blind , next time you have a nice juicy steak think of where it came from
Well Bernard, I’m guessing that’s your fault for thinking that you could have a farm in lion territory. Who do you think was there first? Your attitude is typical of us arrogant humans who think that just because they need to earn an income, they have right to encroach on land that doesn’t belong them. I guess it’s ok, the Portuguese, British, Americans, Spanish, French and the Moors did it to humans, so why not animals too.
Oh by the way my steak came from organic farm in Argentina
I forgot, if you want to maintain a balance why not take a gun and put a few humans out of their misery.
Terrible beyond words. Canned hunting?! Perhaps she’d like a go the other way round…
This is the very reason why I wont go to Africa, it would break my heart to see such things, they are truly ignorant to the majesty & beauty they have on their doorstep & take it for granted, there will come a day when they realise their mistake & all they will have left is baron sun scorched land with no life, so very sad. Melisa, I hope & pray the spirit of this Lion haunts you in your sleep until your dying day, & in the after life I hope the tables are turned & people like you are hunted by the countless millions of animals that have needlessly died in the name of what you call ” sport”…….sleep well !
While I agree with the bulk of what you’ve written I have an issue with it as well. Why do we need to comment on Melissa’s breast implants, make-up, hair or jewelry? Seems like a distraction from the real issue, unnecessary vanity-killings of an endangered animal. It makes you sound mean-spirited. In the comments jokingly saying you don’t mind if a man stuffs his trophy wife (this comment really got to me, it was disturbing to me actually) as well as guessing that Melissa has ostrich skin luggage… I think there’s enough woman-hating in the world, we don’t need fellow women making nasty statements about other women. While I agree that this is a terrible act that Melissa committed, I don’t think I’d personally attack her appearance in an attempt to further my point, which I believe is totally unrelated. Please, let’s not forget, that just as animals are treated unfairly and slaughtered daily by humans for unjust reasons that women, similarly, have been and continue to be subjected to violence, rape, oppression… I believe in your cause in writing this, I just don’t agree with the way you did it.
Fashion is the bitch in everybody’s lives.
I fully support your stance and I find her actions appalling. However, what is the difference between this and commercial farming? If you take a deeper look both are equally as cruel. Maybe instead of only singling her out we should all consider where the food on our plates comes from?
farming,,,although I don’t agree with how animals are treated,,,,are for food,,,,and this woman is going to do ”what”????? with this poor animal???just acting like a big shot,,,,,,disgraceful
Not that i think that shooting animals is okay… But she was in a special park, designed for hunting, when she killed this lion. So actually she did nothing wrong^^ so if you want to be against something, be against huntingparks, that more usefull then blaming someone from something hundreds of other people do there every dat^^
Why must we tear apart another in order to make a strong point that killing for pleasure’s sake is just wrong? Animals have feelings of love, sadness and compassion in their respective groupings. They play and have fun, too, therefore they have emotions and are sentient beings. Let us educated and wise beings stope all killing and that includes the spirit~soul of another person
So many humans on this earth have NO REGARD for LIFE!!! I think our sources should become extinct.
This woman is a shame to mankind! It is people like her that make the world seem like a more horrible place. Clearly the woman wanted a good pic of her victory, so she probably laid the lion in a way that no blood was seen and the picture looked tidy. And, shame on the idiot who took the picture… It’s an awful thing to say, but another big lion needed to come out of the bushes behind her that day!
This is a well-written article on a topic that is important to me. I am an animal lover who prefers to hunt with a camera, and I do not understand the thrill people get from killing an animal. I eat meat and have no problem with killing for food, but killing for sport is barbaric.
However, I have one minor point about your comments about the effect on the pride when a male lion is killed. The vast majority of adult male lions live either alone or with a few other males. Only the select few get their own pride. So without knowing the specifics about this individual, the odds are very good that a pride was not affected.
Pingback: Jani writes to Melissa Bachman | Mimi's Blog
Jani, your point about if she’d killed it with her bare hands’ was spot on my first thought when the picture came to light online. If anyone in this page is a better role model to women its you Jani! Informed, graceful and just enough spice to make your point perfectly crafted! This women wants to be treated like a ‘hero’ for her murder? I say throw her in the jungle un-armed, and lets see how she does then 🙂
I am angry and sad and I shouldn’t hate you but I do. How dare you? Who gave you the right to think you could kill such a beautiful creature? You should be imprisoned. You don’t deserve freedom. My heart is broken.
Thank you so much Jani, for all the effort, thought, and control in your letter to melissa ( I feel no need to capitalize her name as she is of no importance nor deserves any respect). I absolutely agree with you as how killing this lion has such great effects. Although I am not sure she can fully comprehend that. I will never see how being a”life taker” can be so prideful. I pray she never has children of her own to teach these atrocities too. While I am sure most people think that yes, the rape and murder should be equally offensive, I do not believe the people committing the crimes are publicly showing how they have attained their happiness of such acts all over the internet. I do hope this woman is thrown to the lions, crocodiles, or any other predator to feed their population, in hope to replacing some of what she has taken.
Terribly sad……one hundred years ago it was manhood pride to go hunting in Africa, but now we realize that is is the end, very soon all big animals will be gone, and there is nothing left for the generations to come, Terribly sad. That women with her fake boobs and her bird brain is happy. Now she can parade in her tribe and show what she could afford to do. She is certainly a poor piece of count in search of an identity !!!!
Dear Melissa…I have to hand it to you, GOOD shot…if I can give you some advice, next time you come to SA for a hunting trip, take good photos, film it..do it all…just dont let your photo get into any form of Media here in SA. There are much much bigger problems cocerning the hunting/poaching of animals in cruel ways, and your ONE photo has just given some bored SA celebs/people and foreigners who cant even spell hunting a chance to add 5cents (that may be too much) of their mind. Hunting has its place, and YES it is legal. Thank you for not shooting a rhino!!! Its amusing to me that people who know nothing about, most of the time have the biggest opinion on hunting??? Since everyone had a chance to raise their thought, here are mine!!!about an hour ago · Like..
And then most of you eat meat….from innocent animals but that is OK because that is food ? Does the fact that it is food make it right to also kill animals ? Makes me sick to see how most of you condemned this women and yet just as guilty by eating meat…….
Here’s an argument against continuing lion hunting for conservation: sveneick.bookslive.co.za/blog/2013/11/20/murder-for-a-good-cause/
Skiballas
But why have these reserves in the first place? What purpose do they have?
Breeding beautiful animals just to slaughter them? And doesn’t that defeat the wanting to kill a ‘wild’ animal?
I don’t get how this is a good thing??
Emmerentia
There is no point concentrating on things that are becoming extinct as it’s false economy. If lions need to be hunted to preserve them then it should be up to rangers not Hollywood looking bimbos!!
Arseholes the lot of you… Killing a wild animal is WRONG… I rest my case… End of.
I believe that anyone who can kill an animal and be proud of it is disgusting. And about money and conservation – hunting for pleasure still should not be legal. I understand the food chain, and people in other countries hunt animals for that and also clothes. Does this woman want to eat the lion? No. She’s simply done it for her own ego, which has actually made most of the world hate her. Idiot.
I find it really irritating that this women is singled out for shooting a lion. Shes the Devil now and all that, YET, the same people chastising her now, forget that there are local wild hunters in South Africa who week in and week out shoot wild!!!! Come on people! Stop blaming the outside world and start looking at your own country!!!! South Africans are famed for hunting! Almost extinct or not! So point the finger inwards first!
the world would be a better place if it wasent for people like melissa jani allan keep up the good work
Jani, I enjoyed your thoughts. I am not much of a believer, but I do pray that there is a special place in Hell for this Melissa creature. Also, I am curious, is she perhaps the spawn of a similarly last-named idiot, who is a poster child for the NRA?
Well written! It is infuriating that some people do not understand why this is a “big deal”, take this article for instance: http://townhall.com/tipsheet/katiepavlich/2013/11/18/ignorant-antihunters-freak-out-over-woman-who-legally-killed-a-lion-n1748813
I don’t know what’s more upsetting- the fact that this pathetic excuse for a human being seeks satisfaction from killing beautiful and majestic animals, or the fact within this thread there are so many knobs that are in someway trying to rationalise what Melissa does. Jani, I loved your letter, and I agree with Owen that its so much more satisfying putting together an eloquent retort in light of such a disgusting and horrifying subject matter. I wanted to cry so badly- but I feel that your letter elevated my spirits x
Look up her website. It’s all too real.
I don’t think anyone should feel cool hunting something with a gun….. Hunt the lion with your bare hands bi*ch then feel special, instead of sitting from half a mile away with a rifle. Wipdeedoo….. And on a moral point as much as they are overpopulated in areas it still isn’t cool….
Clearly all she is good at is killing, and when someone’s got that little going for them they tend to need to capitalize on it. It’s a shame she can’t just try to put her boobs to better use.
And for all the morons who think being against killing animals is about being vegan or vegetarian? Well, need I say more than moron?
My 10 year old daughter Julia would like to leave a comment:
You should be ashamed of your self your picture has Gone viral because it is just not nice you shouldn’t be proud of it killing a wild animal like that just to say that lion is much more beautiful than you how dare you you should be ashamed
I am not a member or follower of PETA. I am not an animal rights activist and I am not a hunter. I am however a mother, a daughter and a sister. Basically your avergae person who doesnt follow too much of these types of stories. Only what i happen to come across. I am however disgusted by the thought of hunting for sport. Its one thing to hunt for over population and then use the meat to feed either other animals or humans. Its another to MURDER just because. These idiots who are saying that the money from hunting is what keeps these rescues and sanctuaries going are out of their damn minds and reaching for ways to justify these kills. How many more species have to be rendered endagered or extinct before you stop the violence? I read the story and all the comments afterwards, and to a lamen you sound completely ignorant. Keep doing what you do, unbalance our echo system. GOD will judge you. MURDER is MURDER. You dont have to walk on 2 legs with 5 fingers and 5 toes to figure that one out. You WILL be held accountable. And when that time comes I feel sorry for you.
Brilliant Brilliant Brilliant writing ! I can’t say much more than that – you pretty much said it all and then some. I hope this link is read and shared across the world.
I couldnt have said it better…I dont think anyone could have. Well, maybe the lion (if she had missed, that is.) I hope she doesnt have children is the only thing I could have added.
OMG I have no words. Brilliant writing!
I agree loser is right like to see her near that beautiful animal with no gun see how brave she is!
Deep thanks. Let’s hope the unprecedented and unified support help to stop trophy hunting!
May God bless you, as i sit here intrigued by the level of class you ma’am have i hope your words keep traveling, the sense of passion you put into this was marvelous.
Much respect and fascination. Lucas Naccarati
lol @ all these butthurt anti-hunter, peta, tree hugging libtards. You all have done nothing for the conservation of wildlife/land. While hunters have. Want to stop trophy hunting? Kenya did, go look at how much wildlife they have left. You all are so ignorant. This post is not even close to brilliant. All it really is, is a few carefully worded lines, mainly making fun of her and trying to hurt her, nothing about the species of the animal or any alternative for protection of the species. You know nothing of hunting, the regulations, rules, required to legally take a mature lion, which in fact are NOT endangered at all. You Americans are always trying to interfere with the world, now trying to get South Africa to ban her. What a joke, you think they will ban something that brings in money and employs many people in a struggling continent? It’s amazing how you people would rather see a fellow human suffer or get killed than an animal be hunted. Hunters, and only hunters are responsible for species population come backs, like the elk, deer, mountain lion, bears, wolves, prong horn, and many others around the world. You have haven’t been there or done that, you are in no place to open your mouth. Poaching(which is different than hunting) and human expansion are the true culprits of animals going extinct. Hunting brings in money to help aid in fights against poaching(which is why Kenya has almost no wildlife left.) Get your head out of your ass and mind your own business.
Direct descendant of a Hitler Storm Trooper
Hi Melissa
It’s actually not just your fault, these things are happening.
We still live in a very sick world, where the substance of your practices are enjoyed by a large number of human beings.
I will not insult you, in any shape or form, though; I actually had tears in my eyes, seeing the lion you have just killed. In essence you are ill, and truly think that you need help.
A dehumanized person should not just reflect anger from healthier and happier people; it should also spark the will to cure them, with the help of more lucid and mature energy.
As such, we and the wild life population, paradoxically, thank you. For you sparked the beginnings of a revolution happening in the world next 10 / 20 years.
Your name will not be forgotten, stay tuned. In the process of your healing (and your followers), you will serve as a vital example, for those powerful changes.
As the big oil companies, as way of analogy, are at the fore front of the green revolution; as the banking system is itself at the fore front of a more fair and transparent world, as said, paradoxically, you will be at the fore front of raising consciousness about the ecosystem and all amazing creatures in it.
Stay tuned, don’t give up, kill a few hundred more and you will save millions. That’s a promise.
At the end of the day, you will be happier – in 5 / 10 years – all the hatred towards you will start vanishing, slowly. One day you will wake up and truly feel: ‘God what have I done’.
But it will be ok, just a phase since your healing process and example to others have already started in your favor. All the people that follow you will start to get the message, slowly as well, and you will be remembered as the person who helped the world gain maturity towards animals. One of the best barometers of a society sensibility and maturity levels.
Stay tuned as said, soon your healing process will begin. Don’t worry, yes we are a very powerful group of people, but will not attack you in any shape or form. We will just align your healing, your future and example, with that of planet earth, and of course, all our beloved non-human animals, sweet as they are, with which we share this cool sphere called home.
Bless you for your mission, and all the suffering you still have
Sincerely
Tomás Seara
Exactly BRILLIANT! is right!
No Zoe No. I agree with the spirit of your post but your voice, as is mine and that of every other person outraged at this person who is truly ugly on the inside, can say more – however inarticulately or typo laden, express your outrage at Bachmann and those like her!!!! Maddens me!!!
Brilliant Brilliant Brilliant writing ! I can’t say much more than that – You said it all and then some. I genuinely hope this post gets read and shared across the world.
I can’t agree more! Shame on her! What a loser!
I also couldn’t agree more. Helluva piece of writing!!!
Well written. The hunter hopefully, after this going viral, will be hunted……This is an abomination and whatever organisations are out there to oust these human predators and be jailed NOT FINED will be the best manhunt reward on behalf of these gracious animals….Can something be done to stop these unlawful killings of God’s creatures…..
Hi Jani
I agree with you 100%!
Only when the last rhino has been poached or the last lion hunted, will people actually realise the seriousness of their actions.
It makes me sick that there are people out there who willingly pay money to inflict harm and pain onto other living beings! And one so beautiful as the lion.
I believe when people actualllly visit our beautiful game reserves in South Africa, and see the animals in all their glory, there isn’t any experience quite like it.
Our rhino’s have to be monitored 24hrs a day, our elephants are now under attack, and now the lion too!! What kind of word do we live in?! Man was put on this earth to protect, and people like Melissa Bachman, make me embarrassed to be part of the human race. I don’t care how anyone wants to justify hunting. A human with a gun, allowed to kill animals for money, is an absolute disgrace on humanity. I abhor hunting.
Its like the premise behind Hostile…sickening. What if her kid starts hunting stray cats in alleys with steak knives for fun….would she worry about his mental condition or the condition of his soul? Same principle. She sucks.
Sucks is one way of putting it:) Good point!
Couldn’t agree more! Makes me so sick and sad to see these things! What a loser! I mean, no soul, empty. Wow.
I get that this looks bad. I’m a huge big cat enthusiast, and a proponent of conservation to Africa’s wildlife. That being said, there are ranchers in Africa that breed schools of lions specifically for this purpose. It’s a lousy thing to do, but it’s legal, and it generates a lot of money for the nation’s gov’t. Trophy hunting is a common bucket list item for the wealthy, and a huge tourist attraction for those not nearly as sympathetic as we are to these animals. A lion like the one Melissa Bachman killed probably cost her well over $10,000 to shoot. She pays up, she chooses the lion she wants to hunt, the rancher lets it’s out, and she and that rancher go find it. If that lion were wild, then she’d be arrested for poaching, no question.
@Jimmy Heyworth
See, everything you said may well be correct, but in no way does it mean its right. Just because something is legal does not mean its ethical.
Lets play a game of hypothetical. Lets say there’s a country where child prostitution is legal. There’s a lot of countries in the world and this one has found out that it can make a lot of money charging wealthy people money for the opportunity sleep with child prostitutes. Sure… it looks bad, but its perfectly legal in this country, and sleeping with children just happens to be on the bucket list of a lot of wealthy people… admittedly wealthy psychopaths… but wealthy people none the less.
And sure, if you just randomly did this to a child in the street it would be pedophilia, but they kidnap children from the wild and keep them in captivity for wealthy people to exploit so no harm, right? And after all, it may be a repulsive idea that makes a reasonable person question whether there is a future for the human race, but it makes a lot of money for the government and allows them to support the large number of physically disabled orphans that the government has to support.
Now tell me, in my scenario, how do the facts that:
– the people are wealthy
– the people really want to do it
– its totally legal
– it supports people who are even less fortunate
affect the absolute repulsiveness of the act?
Okey Geoff, going a bit overboard there mate.
Dear Geoff,
I think that when you break it down to a component like that then everything under the sun is permissible if the overall ‘goodness’ of the society benefits. This leads to killing children with deformities of any kind (ancient Egypt), killing children because they are not male (China), enslaving people (early USA), extortion (crime syndicates everywhere ), organ farming, body part harvesting for ritual cures (Africa), witch burning, inquisition, holocaust, ancient ‘lotteries’, the inception of the Catholic Jesuits and their justified murders. It is when you start to think that more people will benefit from the disenfranchising of the few’s rights that a society goes down a a terrible path that brings them through door after door that will not close easily without much blood and sacrifice being made. You would only feel justified if morally there is no higher power to answer to….but if there is, then ALL humans have unalienable rights….which includes those too young to otherwise speak for themselves.
I personally believe in God….but if I didn’t …..I would still want the world to be a place where powerless people would not be exploited.
I’m totally with you on that point. Just because its legal does not make it right. I feel that if she wants to sport hunt she should sport hunt her own family and kids (if she has any), see how she feels then!! That’s how we feel about her killing animals that that have the right to live without being hunted by greedy men and woman.
You are describing how our ancient ancestors lived. Back in the time of the Roman Republic and also the Roman Empire, people could buy slaves and have sex with them. It didn’t matter if the slave was a 5 year old girl. If it belonged to you, you could f*ck it, beat it, kill it, eat it. You could even invite your friends over to participate and you could smoke opium and drink wine as well. One big drug and sex orgy.
We judge this behaviour harshly today, but if we lived in those times, we might accept them as the way things are. We might even join in. The hardest thing to be is objective. Is anything objectively wrong? Or is it merely subjectively wrong?
Here’s something really difficult to understand – even Jesus did not speak out against slavery. He spoke out against a lot of stuff, but not slavery. One could argue that if Jesus did not explicitly condemn a practice, that He implicitly condoned it. Which leads to the logical conclusion that Jesus condoned slavery, and all that was associated with it. Quite a big pill to swallow, isn’t it? Not the behaviour one would expect from The Messiah. Even Spartacus, who lived and died more than 70 years before the Christ was absolutely against slavery. He led a personal crusade against it and tried with all his might to conquer Rome and free the slaves, but he perished in battle against Rome. God Himself did not come to Spartacus’ aid and help him vanquish the evil Roman slavers, pedophiles and general miscreants, instead he allowed Rome to continue for more than 1500 years. Slavery itself was only abolished in Britain in the 18th century and it took until the late 19th century before it was abolished in the Confederate States of America.
What is really hard to contemplate, philosophically, is why neither God nor his Messiah, intervened in human affairs to let us know that they were against slavery and all its attendant inhumanities and cruelties. They are also silent on the subject of hunting animals for trophies and other acts against animals.
Are our ideas about what is morally right consistent with God’s view? Are we more righteous than God because we care about things He does not seem to care about? Or do we just need to invent a Better Improved God to go along with our modern mores?
We are so glad you are offended by someone else’s actions halfway around the world. Good for you! Please please keep us all posted the next time you are offended.
Your scenario???!!!
Amazing. Amazing. Well said.
Nowhere in the world is child prostitution legal. There may be countries that do not enforce the laws well, but do not make a straw man for your argument Geoff. I find is absurd that people find the hunting of a game animal farmed for that purpose done legally and brings lots of money to the governments of impoverished nations which benefits its citizens, especially when there are so many countries in the world that allow legalized abortion where we kill innocent children in their mother’s wombs by the millions every year. I do not hear the uprage against the mothers who kill their children and the doctors who do the actual murder. Our priorities are all wrong. The killing of this farmed lion is no different than the killing of a cow.
The sad thing is that anyone who can afford $10K to hunt a captured animal for the “thrill of a trophy kill” could use that money to help local people in a more long term way. Give that money to a local school, hospital, employment project…
Are you aware of the lack of management in African parks. I agree that she likely did it legally, but there is still an enormous number of people getting away with poaching. I believe that the legal way of natives generating income by helping wealthy 1st world citizens to hunt is very detrimental to the whole paradigm of how human beings perceive animals. There are other ways to help the citizens of Africa. In order to help them conserve their land, we need to show them how to live with these large predators because, if not, they will soon be wiped off the face of this planet. You may be a conservation enthusiast, however, I would advise you to look into the state of African wildlife because it is worse than you know. I was ignorant until I recently took a conservation biology course. Please do your research before you give credit to such a destructive business.
Anyone who “Gets away” with poaching- are usually locals. We know this because when they catch them they have a “don’t ask just shoot philosophy” this woman probably paid as much to shoot that animal as someone does for a house. That feeds a lot of poor African families and flourishes their town. My guess is she paid close to 80,000 dollars to kill that animal. 80,000 dollars of American money that goes straight to the people who likely need it the most.
I do not agree with killing that beautiful beast at all- but I do not see how ridiculing her for her charitable donations to a town or park that desperately relies our income.
A great way I believe to make everyone happy- Take the baby rapers/ sex industry smugglers of all the countries to those parks cage em in.. and let us pay 100,000 dollars to hunt them. That fixes everything.. actually pit them all naked in the middle of the park and let the lions hunt them. put it on NAT Geo and charge per episode.. with taxes of course.
I would love to get a list of everyone they hurt and choose your hunt.
Hunt A
convicted of Raping 6 month old baby Girl
31 year old Male Tattoos 70,00
Hunt B
Convicted of Pandering and Child Prostitution
56 Years Old 60,000
F it Ill shoot both of them!
Send me a Bill Cluck cluck!
But that’s just my wacky thoughts.. which is why I got kicked out of the really good schools.
Piper
Its not only Africa, The indian government paid 300 rangers to keep Tigers safe from paochers, when they did a tiger head count the discovered there were no tigers left and the rangers had been paid for up to six months to guard nothing.
Still disgusting this practice……. those animals could have been a genetic pool to rehabilitate the dyeing breed… and people goes and shoot it??? Why not get rid of all those monsters instead
TOTAL RESPECT Jani. I wished I had same for that hideous bitch.
*dying….. so totally pissed off even my typing shows it….
Hey Jimmy, do you have sources with figures for the amount of money that canned hunting generates for the za government? (and if the money is significant; as a counter-arguement -if elephants were bred for canned hunting + ivory, would that be justifiable if it generated a huge amount of gov. income..)
Professional hunting adds R6.2billion to the economy. Now, this is via very professional game farms, that manage their stock, as growing number of game on the farm means a sustainable business, thus overall the numbers on the private game farms are always growing.
Somehow I get the impression that every halfwhit bunny hugger on this site thinks the farm opens it door to hunters and the owner stands on the hilltop and screams “all hunters, come now and white every animal of the face of the earth”.
I have been to a hunting farm (although I dont hunt, just went for the social), and the farmers are very particular about what you are allowed to shoot. They check the numbers and make sure you only shoot that of which there is excess. Dare shoot something that has not gotten the Farm Owners okey, and prepare for a hefty fine.
Skiballas…so where do we draw the line? Should we now start killing off the excess of humans to keep better control of the population?? We’ve already allowed the sale of children be a huge part of society! And the sale of dogs for fighting to the death for entertainment! We could go on and on, but when do YOU consider this “just wrong”!
It appears you’ve already been sipping the ‘kool aid’! C’mon people…this mentality has to be stopped!!
Lousy thing to do? It’s a disgraceful disgusting thing to do. Humans disappoint me every day.
@Jimmy, H
ow do people live with themselves to kill such a magnificient creature? I don’t understand? Cold, Ruthless Hearts. I do not care if they were bread for this kind of game, how can you live with yourself killing something that did nothing to you and is defensless over a gun.WTH!
Just because it’s legal doesn’t make it right! It’s legal to marry an 8yr old in Yemen does that make it right? FYI those fees help Africans just about as much as you buying an iPhone helps the Chinese kids in Chinese sweatshops.
Well Toks James, actually it does help the kid in China. If everyone stops buying Chinese produced products, everyone in China is out of a job. But I do get what you were saying…
Skiballas,
I couldn’t reply to you directly and I’m glad you got what I was saying but saying that working in sweatshops helps the people who really don’t have any other option other to starve to death is like saying stitching up a stab wound is helpful to you, sure it stops you from bleeding to death but doesn’t mean I wanted to be stabbed in the first place!
Agree!
You know…it used to be legal for people to set black people loose and hunt and kill them…so lets let years of oppression and inhumane levels of cruelty exists simple because someone says its legal. we arent questioning the law of the land here…we are questioning the laws of HUMANITY and LOVE…not power and privilege…we know what that looks like already and why it’s allowed. We arent wondering why she hasnt been arrested…we are wondering why she isnt ashamed beyond comprehension.
The money that does come into Africa from hunting pales in comparison to the billions and billions generated from tourists who come just to watch wildlife.
According to National Geographic, despite the claims that trophy hunting brings millions of dollars in revenue to local people in otherwise poor communities, there is no proof of this.
Even pro-hunting organizations like the International Council for Game and Wildlife Conservation have reported that only 3 percent of revenue from trophy hunting ever makes it to the communities affected by hunting.
And Jimmy does that make it right! That is sick!
@Skiballas – not trying to give a false equivalency, but just pointing out that the 4 points Jimmy makes in support of his position in no sense justify what happened.
@Henry – I’m not sure if you’re agreeing or disagreeing with me. The point of using a ridiculous example like child prostitution was to provide a context to examine the arguments Jimmy used and show they don’t really hold up, and yes, that same argument to the greater good has been used to justify any amount of horrible behaviour in our past.
@Joe – at its heart, this is an action about the genetic heritage of the earth. While not officially endangered, the African Lion is listed as “vulnerable” IUCN Red List, meaning it very may well be if things continue. If the actions of this celebrity encourage other wealthy people to do the same, we may well be looking an endangered animal in the near future. So yes, through around the word “offended” as if it is a meaningless insult – sometimes offense can be well and truly justified whichever part of the planet you are standing on.
You can’t be much of an ‘Enthusiast’ if you think for one second…THIS IS OK….we don’t care if it was raised to be shot by some ‘Rich…nothing better to do with their money…than KILL’ If they care so much about the economy there…then DONATE their money….and leave the aniamls out of it…a “Sport” is for 2 teams on EQUAL standing .. playing fair…THIS IS NOT….and NEVER will be a sport….unless and until..they go at it hand to hand…They are pussies with guns…and money…Selfish to the core…and should be bloody ashamed of themselves…What a waste of a beautiful creature…and detrement to nature….We can fix any economy without MURDERING aniamls…Shameful
When are we going to evolve as human beings? Try not to kill and maim, whether literally or metaphorically
I have an ex who goes trophy hunting in Africa just about every year. He has killed many beautiful animals, including a hyena, gazelle, cape buffalo, Kudu, Blue Wildebeest, impala, hippo, and Zebra. He has even killed a giraffe, but claims it was only because the giraffe attempted to attack them (He might have just told me this because of how much it upset me). He has told me many times before that one day he wants to go back for a lion, and he also said that it would actually cost around $50,000. Any animal is available to them for the right price; lions, elephants – nothing is safe. However, just like the girl in this article, he viewed the lion as the “ultimate trophy”.
My family and I are all hunters, and I have been hunting since I was a little girl; got my first buck at age 11. I have hunted dove, duck, deer, elk, quail, and boar. My dad always taught us to only kill what we knew we would eat, and when it came to deer and elk, we only killed if it was bigger or had more points than any buck/elk we had killed in the past. We did mount them, but we also put their meat to very good use (one elk would last us all winter), and we sometimes even donated to our church’s food bank. I have always enjoyed hunting and I understand the thrill and excitement that comes along with it, but I also know that this type of hunting that is going on in Africa (at least in most cases) is not “really” hunting.
In my experience, and from what Ive learned from the people I know who do this, it is more of a status symbol than anything else. Having a full trophy room is great to them, but the more exotic the animals you have to show off the better, and having a lion mounted in your home is like having a Lamborghini in your drive way; its not there because its practical or useful, its there so you can show off your wealth and “success.” This type of hunting is a sport for the extremely wealthy. And many of the companies that cater to them and who have these “reservations” make it so easy that most true hunters wouldn’t even call it hunting, including myself.
One more point I want to throw into this already long reply; in the article they talk about how this provides jobs to the locals. I know for a fact that one of those “jobs” is for an African to walk in front of the rich and paying hunters while they are hunting to 1.) lead the way and 2.) Be the bait in case they were to walk up on a lion or some other aggressive animal laying in the brush. These people are not allowed to carry weapons and their job is simply to walk out front and potentially distract any attacking animal enough to allow the others to get away. They are paid very little, but with the lack of good paying jobs there, for some it is the best they can do.
I really hope that something will be done to stop this girl and anyone else from doing this. I cant believe that we as Americans are responsible for killing 80% of the lions killed every year!! Like I said before, I have nothing against hunting. We as humans have been doing it since we existed. But if you are killing just for fun and have no plans to use the animal for anything but a trophy, in my opinion you are wrong. If you cant eat it, or if the animal is in any way endangered, leave it alone! I can’t understand what would make this girl want to kill such a beautiful creature anyways, except to fuel her narcissistic and selfish desires and disgusting need for attention. I am so glad to see such a response against her, however, and I hope that because of this, more people will learn about what it truly going on and in turn maybe we can do something about it.
1 – Food went to feed the hungry
2 – Ranch that allowed it to happen did it for sustainability reasons
3 – The area receives the money.
To those mouthbreathers who think hunting is linked to conservation:
You are provisionally correct. When we are speaking of invasive species such as the Nutria in the southern USA, or population control of a native species, such as certain deer species in North America; hunting can certainly act in accordance with and as a tool of conservation.
When applied to the situation of lions, this is so divorced from reality I wonder if you also believe that tiger blood can make your erection last longer.
Even if lions weren’t already threatened by depletion of their natural habitats, the very fact that overal GLOBAL population of the species is so low means that the genetic pool is limited to the point that recovery of the population is extremely threatened . Even if no lions were killed prematurely again, they would still be under imminent and very real threat of unrecoverable genetic decline. The killing of any lion represents not just a simple subtraction of one from the total but the subtraction of potential dozens in the future and the representing genetic diversity derived therefrom.
Now I realize the idea of genes and evolution is a big, scary, intellectual/satanic threat to some of your world views. Even the “good book” has certain things to say about siblings breeding with each other, it’s not good. A few generations down the road your great-grand niece/daughter/wife won’t have no teeth. Well , same thing goes for the big kitty kats.
Great Read,
“I get that this looks bad. I’m a huge big cat enthusiast, and a proponent of conservation to Africa’s wildlife. That being said, there are ranchers in Africa that breed schools of lions specifically for this purpose. It’s a lousy thing to do, but it’s legal, and it generates a lot of money for the nation’s gov’t. Trophy hunting is a common bucket list item for the wealthy, and a huge tourist attraction for those not nearly as sympathetic as we are to these animals. A lion like the one Melissa Bachman killed probably cost her well over $10,000 to shoot. She pays up, she chooses the lion she wants to hunt, the rancher lets it’s out, and she and that rancher go find it. If that lion were wild, then she’d be arrested for poaching, no question.”
This comment by Jimmy pretty much hit the nail on the head, but breeding is still terrible in my opinion regardless.
No, you can hunt wild lions in a few places but you won’t see a nice mane like that on a wild one.
it’s funny how quick folks make comments with no knowledge. let me start by saying i was a game ranger in South Africa.
1) Lion breed like cats…oh yea they are cats.
2) if a male dominant lion (about 10-14 yrs old) is kicked out of the pride. he faces a long, slow death from starvation. hunger can cause a lion to lose his inherent fear of man and thus cause him to be a danger to local people and their livestock.
3)i fully support the hunting industry,
it plays an extremely important role (even more than current conventional conservation) in conservation. I understand hunting wild animals upsets many, as i have had at least one tourist ask me “what do you think about hunting….” on each game drive ive done. After i explain the role of the hunting industry and its importance to conservation, the person has a change of heart.
a few brief pointers about hunting industry (take note im NOT talking about POACHERS)
1) if the hunting farm was not a wild game hunting farm…it would be a cattle farm.
2)Most current game hunting farms (in South Africa) used to be cattle farms, and have been converted back to a natural state and restocked (at great expense) with wild life.
3) with some species, mostly antelope, by hunting the alpha male (usually the best trophy hunt, large horns), you make way for younger males to mate the next season this preventing in breeding of fathers with daughters…this keeps a strong healthy gene pool.
4)Predators are essential to maintain a balanced ecosystem, if predators are absent (lions etc) then controlled intervention is necessary.
5)hunting farms are a business, most businesses owners will not miss manage there most valuable resource, the animals. I have friends who are PH’s (profesional hunters) A PH’s job is go out with a client and to assist the client (hunter) in tracking etc, but most importantly there job is to make sure the hunter hunts an appropriate animal (see point 3).
6)hunting is is 99% being in nature and supporting conservation and 1% about shooting.
7))man is part of nature/creation too.
8)bravo to the rich folks who spend their money on conservation farms that allow sustainable hunting that ensure the survival of many species, and employ many people, and boo to folks who haven’t spent a penny or a day to make a difference to conservation.
i could say more but hope this helps establish a better “world view” about what and why HUNTING is important.
Beautifully written Jani – says it all. Well done.
Thanks Susan!
Yes women are the givers of life but too bad there are so many women who will kill the life that they could have given because they were too stupid to use protection and got themselves pregnant (but that’s completely ok!) But once someone shoots a lion that isn’t even endangered she is a horrible person! Seems logical….
Actually neither is ok, and yet it is the same people that say they are Pro-life, that will support this kind of behavior. If you are “Pro-life,” does that mean only in the case of a child or fetus, or are the animals not living breathing creations of God as well? ALL life is precious and you can not pick and choose which life you want to preserve when it pleases you. I am trying very hard to understand the logic of those who say they respect life, love God and carry around a bible, yet do not live by any of its principles. Buddhist, respect all life, it is their core principle and I have yet to see one of them standing over the dead body of a creation of God, smiling. This animal did nothing to hurt this woman, like a typical killer sociopath, she planned her murder right down to the very last detail. I am a follower of Christ, I believe in God and I know that God is Love, and this is NOT love. Do you think God is smiling at this picture? I wonder what kind of decrepit soul one has to have to find pleasure in taking a life, any life. I hate killing spiders, because I know they have a purpose. Both sides of, pro-life and pro-choice are hypocrites in many ways, but let’s be clear, no matter which way you look at this, or how many verses in the bible you may twist around to support this, there IS NOTHING that can be said to make this woman, killing one of God’s creatures for fun, right. It is a travesty, a degradation of humanity and it shows us who in our world are the true savages of our time!
All life is precious!
Praise the Lord. I agree with everything you have written.
ALL life is precious?? So when you kill a spider in your house that has done nothing to you, then you’re doing the same crime as killing a lion. Or is it rather only life that you think can be cute and cuddly is precious?
This is the best response ever.
Yep, she is one sick person (cough), um I mean pathetic excuse of a person. If she can learn all about canned “hunting” and still think this is ok to do, then she’s worse than the worst of the lowest form of life on this planet. Have a read and educate yourself Melissa: http://www.cannedlion.org/
Another conservation topic that may be of interest: http://qz.com/130247/90-dead-elephants-in-zimbabwe-are-proof-that-the-ivory-trade-has-gone-industrial/