Louis Theroux's African Hunting Holiday

[Say What Again]

Did anybody else watch this last night on BBC2?

 

I switched on to view with the predictable 'killing animals is wrong' opinion but over the course of the programme it became clear that the farmers are providing a valuable service in not only protecting - but even flourishing - once endangered species. The deer toward the end (sable?) had become almost extinct in South Africa at one point.

 

The farmer made an interesting point about Zimbabwe as well in that poachers had almost rid the country of all game. A country which he reckoned was one of the most game-rich in the world only 5 years ago. The animals he was breeding were protected, well-fed and lived in natural environments - albeit though with the sole purpose of being eventually shot.

 

The farmers also showed a genuine concern for the well being of the animals and wanted them to experience as little pain as possible and 2 of them went as far as only allowing hunting with bows as gunfire unsettled the animals.

 

I thought the guy summed it up quite well when he said that the money the Americans were pouring in to hunt these animals was actually keeping the species alive.

 

Some of the animals the guy could ?get? you surprised me though. Elephants, lions ?20 rhinos if you want 20 rhinos?.

 

The only folk who made me angry were the actual 'hunters'. Granted they're brought up in a different culture where hunting is acceptable and a way of life but they came across as a right blood thirsty bunch. The guy from Ohio screaming 'I saw loads of blood! Look at the blood!' when his wife shot a warthog was tosser. I thought he was going to drop his trousers there and then. I don't what they were doing could even be classed as 'hunting'. I would have thought hunting required stealth, skill & nerve. All these guys were doing was sitting in a hideout, 20 feet away from the target and shooting it.

 

Good programme though. I thought Louis was going to take the shot at one point.

[Tazio]

I watched the first 20 minutes and then had to turn off as I was getting the rage at the useless idiots that claim to be "hunters". I seemed to miss out the bit where they actually hunted the animals. Most of the animals killed seemed to have no fear of humans. If they get that excited by killing why don't they just pop down to their local farm and pay the farmer to let them shoot some cows.

[Sexton Hardcastle]

Yea seen it. Was good to get both sides of the arguements but the typical americans didnt do the cause any good. The whole how much money depeneds on what he would hunt is sad. Prefered the one on Prisons in America. Wodner what he'l cover next? Child abductions? Would like to see him get in to China with all the human rights etc at the moment. Would be good viewing

[Andy.C]

You literally just beat me to it. And I agree with pretty much everthing you say. Very interesting viewing. I simply don't see why anyone would hunt animals for 'fun', as in my eyes it says more about the person having issues rather than anything else.

 

In saying that, it was actually quite touching to see some of the older guys having real emotional attachment to the animals (despite the fact they were basically raising them to be killed). And it was a very good point about the fact that by doing what they do, they are in a roundabout way saving the species.

 

Perhaps, not suprisingly, the American tourists come off looking like the messed up people. I mean, travelling to South Africa, paying big money to shoot an animal (lion, rhino...whatever) just to say you've killed one is a bit FUBAR. Plus...it wasn't real hunting...it was sitting in a giant pen, waiting for something to walk past your hidey-hole

[makateer]

You summed up my view exactly on that program too.

 

I felt quite sorry for the american guys wife. You could tell she wasn't into it at all, and seemed she was wanting to keep her husband happy by going on the holiday, and peer pressure that made her kill the animal.

[Andy.C]

Plus...I loved Louis Theroux's line (which made the old guy flip out a bit). 'Isn't it just like playing tennis without the nets?'

 

The stare the guy gave him after that was classic...but actually led to what I thought was the best bit of the program when he really explained things (zimbabwe etc).

[Benzinho]

Watched that last night too and really enjoyed it in the end also. Completely agree with what's been said about the american tourists looking the worst for wanting to go and 'hunt' for fun.

 

It was interesting that the first guy he met, the younger farmer, said that when he was younger, he would be delighted with one kill in an entire hunting season of 3 months, and then you see these yank tourists coming over and getiing 5 or 6 easy kills. It was actually like shooting fish in a barrel! Can't understand the appeal at all.

[Dusk_Till_Dawn]

You summed up my view exactly on that program too.

 

I felt quite sorry for the american guys wife. You could tell she wasn't into it at all, and seemed she was wanting to keep her husband happy by going on the holiday, and peer pressure that made her kill the animal.

 

The most revealing bit was at the end when the old boy was kicking off with LT, talking about how elephants destory masses of vegetation to the detriment of the countryside in South Africa. It makes you realise that, as much as we all have opinions on this, it's probably an issue that most of us don't understand.

[Dr. Bapswent]

You could easily farm and save these animals without the need to shoot the after.

 

Whats the point in saving endangered species...to allow fat idiot americans to come along and pay for the right to shoot them as the stand still?

 

Talk about backward logic.

 

It was sickening.

 

Id rather see the people shot than the animals.

 

How about that for a way of helping endangered speciesl?

[i8hibsh]

Did anybody else watch this last night on BBC2?

 

I switched on to view with the predictable 'killing animals is wrong' opinion but over the course of the programme it became clear that the farmers are providing a valuable service in not only protecting - but even flourishing - once endangered species. The deer toward the end (sable?) had become almost extinct in South Africa at one point.

 

The farmer made an interesting point about Zimbabwe as well in that poachers had almost rid the country of all game. A country which he reckoned was one of the most game-rich in the world only 5 years ago. The animals he was breeding were protected, well-fed and lived in natural environments - albeit though with the sole purpose of being eventually shot.

 

The farmers also showed a genuine concern for the well being of the animals and wanted them to experience as little pain as possible and 2 of them went as far as only allowing hunting with bows as gunfire unsettled the animals.

 

I thought the guy summed it up quite well when he said that the money the Americans were pouring in to hunt these animals was actually keeping the species alive.

 

Some of the animals the guy could ?get? you surprised me though. Elephants, lions ?20 rhinos if you want 20 rhinos?.

 

The only folk who made me angry were the actual 'hunters'. Granted they're brought up in a different culture where hunting is acceptable and a way of life but they came across as a right blood thirsty bunch. The guy from Ohio screaming 'I saw loads of blood! Look at the blood!' when his wife shot a warthog was tosser. I thought he was going to drop his trousers there and then. I don't what they were doing could even be classed as 'hunting'. I would have thought hunting required stealth, skill & nerve. All these guys were doing was sitting in a hideout, 20 feet away from the target and shooting it.

 

Good programme though. I thought Louis was going to take the shot at one point.

 

 

did you actually watch it? they actually said they hated the animals they were killing and showed no compassion whatsoever.

 

I hope someone shoots them and sees how they like it

[K1874M]

The most revealing bit was at the end when the old boy was kicking off with LT, talking about how elephants destory masses of vegetation to the detriment of the countryside in South Africa. It makes you realise that, as much as we all have opinions on this, it's probably an issue that most of us don't understand.

 

I had to agree with the guys thats owned the parks... there was no money to made from the land and the animals were being wiped out from illegal poaching, this way its controlled and to be fair all wild animals with the rare exception are wanted by predators of some sort.

 

They had all ready re introduced one kind of animal that was close to extinction, purely becuase they could, before they couldnt due to the lack of money to be made from the land.

 

Taz, your right about the simplicity of the hunt, the animals are easy to catch and thats probably the only negative I could get from it.

 

Dr, they said them selfs there was no money to be made simply rearing them and farming them, to continue there work they needed alot of money this way they can do it. They may have lied they may have been telling the truth.

 

As the guy sad, Africa is a feckin mess poachers would happily wipe out all the animals with out a 2nd thought. Due to the mess of Zimbabwe they are now entering Africa and wiping out species due to the lack of affordable food.

[K1874M]

did you actually watch it? they actually said they hated the animals they were killing and showed no compassion whatsoever.

 

I hope someone shoots them and sees how they like it

 

Not all of them said that... one of them actually said he loved the animals and doesnt actually hunt him self any more.

[Say What Again]

did you actually watch it? they actually said they hated the animals they were killing and showed no compassion whatsoever.

 

No they didn't. I think they may have said they didn't get attached to the animals.

[Say What Again]

You could easily farm and save these animals without the need to shoot the after.

 

Whats the point in saving endangered species...to allow fat idiot americans to come along and pay for the right to shoot them as the stand still?

 

Talk about backward logic.

 

It came across to me as the lesser of 2 evils Dr.

 

There's no money to be made in simply farming these animals to keep the species alive so nobody is going to do that.

 

As the guy said about Zimbabwe, poachers would end up killing what was there and pretty soon they're would be no animals.

 

I suppose that would solve the problem too.

[Lovecraft]

I'm glad he decided not to kill anything.

[CostaJambo]

They have to make it an easy kill so that the Yanks can actually hit something, consider it a brilliant holiday and go home and brag about it to their mates rather than paying all that money and going home disappointed. The equivalent would be a bit like going on a fortnight's p*ss up to Ibiza with the lads and not getting your hole I suppose.

[rudi must stay]

aye, watched it as well. The usual entertaining stuff from Theroux imo. Really made the hunters look bad, have to say though I was a bit disgusted with their attitude towards killing, you just wonder if these guys could be capable of killing someone cos they looked like they absolutely loved it.