I’m not a hunter.
Oh, in my younger days I gave pheasant hunting a shot.(See what I did there?) But I was really lousy at it and of the few ringnecks I did bring down, most were only wounded which meant I had to wring their neck; a ghastly procedure of spinning the poor creature around in circles like a lariat until they were dead and vomit had formed in my mouth.
My dad, on the other hand, loved to hunt..and not just pheasants and waterfowl.
In his gun cabinet was a lever action 30-30 Winchester rifle he’d bring out whenever his big game hunting buddies would call to go after deer in the Wisconsin woods or Antelope in Western South Dakota.
We have home movies of the big buck the old man bagged on one of those Wisconsin outings. He was so proud that he spent money we probably couldn’t afford to have the head mounted and, I’m sure he planned to display it in the living room of our new house in Volga but that’s the one time I remember mom putting her foot down. No sir. Not by a jug full.” she said.
So, that mangy stag head wound up hanging just inches away from my nose on the wall next to the top bunk in our bedroom which I shared with my two brothers throughout our youth.
Now..I mention this to emphasize that while I don’t understand the joy people get out of hunting…I did love my dad and I do have a lot of good friends and family members who take part in what they consider to be sport. I’ve always been okay with taking game for food but never understood the “thrill of the kill” or making the kill more challenging with more primitive weaponry.
Well, now, the shooting of an African Lion with a bow and arrow by a Minnesota Dentist on paid safari has..thanks to the internet..gotten people around the world in an absolute uproar calling for his head on a platter. Dr. Walt Palmer claims he had no idea that the lion named Cecil had apparently been lured off the national reserve by his guides and he’s really sorry.
But it’s too late for explanations and apologies, of course. People are in the mood for a hangin’.
Here are just a few LOCAL comments I copied from Facebook:
“He’s in MN somewhere. Let’s go torture him.”
“He needs to be hunted like the boss on 9 to 5.
“Everyone that does this for fun, should be hunted “for fun” by us. Bwahahaha”
“He should be mauled to death by cats, just sayin’”
And there are dozens and dozens more..all of which I find disturbing and so should you I would think.
As I said..I am among those who just don’t get guys like Dr. Palmer or Ted Nugent or Teddy Roosevelt for that matter. But to wish them to die in the same manner as the animals they kill is beyond justifiable..and frankly, a bit scary. An old friend and former colleague, Lee Swanson, offered this comment following a string of others openly threatening the dentist: “More than 600 lions are killed by hunters every year. Maybe if they all had names the outrage would be well-placed.”
When my wife and two little girls first moved to Sioux Falls in 1969, about the only entertainment we could afford was to go visit the city parks on Sundays and sometimes head over to West Sioux Hardware to see the amazing collection of exotic animals put on display by the store owner and big game hunter, Henry Brockhouse.
The great white hunter himself..Henry Brockhouse
There must have been 150 animals of all sizes from all over the world that Brockhouse had not only paid to kill but to have mounted by some of the best taxidermists in the country.
I have lots of memories from our many visits there. One in particular made me laugh. A guy with his son perched on his shoulders said to his toddler with a noticeable note of sarcasm while viewing the menagerie; “Brian..can you say dead as a door-nail?”
I also remember my own daughters being impressed by the ferocious looking big cats and bears but then asking why did the man have to kill the little deer or the giraffe or the ostrich? I didn’t have an answer other than to suppose Henry was just one of those thrill of the kill fellas who liked trophies.
The animals while still at West Sioux
Everybody was wondering what would become of the Brockhouse collection after he died in the late 70’s but that mystery was solved when it was purchased by his attorney, C.J. Delbridge for three quarters of a million dollars and given to the city on condition it be made part of the Great Plains Zoo and his name be attached.
So that’s how the whole Zoo revamping project began and when things really started to change and grow.
Delbridge Museum today.
It’s probably safe to say that the Zoo owes much of its success to The Delbridge Museum of Natural History which features the same animals that Ol’ Henry shot on his many safaris years ago.
It’s the first thing you see when you go inside the front door.
I suppose you don’t have to look.
Just head for the door to your left and enjoy those animals that aren’t dead as a door-nail.
16 Responses
Great article, I used to hunt game birds but no more!
Love the punny title, Doug. Thanks for another entertaining blog. Maybe the dentist was hunting in a blog (or bog).
Didn’t the guy also have a “prior” for illegally shooting a bear? One is an accident. Is two what used to be called a “slob hunter?”
it must be easier to care about dead lions than dead people.
i agree with Dennis. If peple that are protesting the killing of the lion want something important to protest they should protest the killing of our unborn babies. Now let everyone respond to this.
I am upset about any Big Game hunting. I do not agree with hunting for a sport. Sure, a guy killed big game 60 years ago, supplied our animals at the zoo in the end. It also those very hunters who caused various animals to be and almost be extinct. My own father was a hunter, for deer and pheasant. It was to provide food on our tables. I am ok with the killing of animals when providing food, or to control population of a animal, such as wild boars in the south. To pay $50,000 to kill a beautiful and majestic animal is just vial and disgusting. However, I do not wish for this man to be killed, shot with an arrow or skinned. People who wish those same things on a human are just as disturbing. He in my opinion should be punished according to the laws of our lands. I do not believe he didn’t know, not for one second. Why else where they trying to destroy the GPS? In my opinion, he knew, he knew all along. Because if it was done by total accident, why didn’t he come forward before they had to locate the animal? Why didn’t he say “OH NO! I just killed a collard animal.” Contact authorities, and right away mark it as a complete accident. Instead they tried to cover it up. He is not a two year old trying to cover up the fact that they spilled milk. He is an adult and should know, its better when accidents happen to turn ones self in, rather then hid or cover up.
I wish nothing more for him than to suffer the full weight of legal consequences, then to spend the remainder of his career in animal proctology instead (the more ornery and temperamental critters he has to put up with, the better).
Mr. Dentist might have to sell a gun or two to pay attorney fees now. As Ashley said, he tried to cover it up and nobody would be the wiser.
I agree with Dennis and Tim. I would like to see this much outrage against Planned Parenthood, especially since they proudly harvest fetus organs to sell to the highest bidder. But alas, babies aren’t important.
Dennis and Tim make an interesting point. In Africa, no less where genocide is just the daily business of life, by man and nature…or whomever.
I think the dentist put his trust in people who were less than trust worthy but I find it hard to believe that there was not a moment while this was happening that he didn’t think “Hey this is not right.” This wasn’t his first hunt where he didn’t know what to expect from a hunt.
As for people not liking what hunters do. You like to do what you like to do. Maybe you enjoy spending your money going on cruises to other places around the world. Maybe you enjoy riding in your convertible car or hitting the road on your Harley. Maybe you enjoy going out to eat at expensive restaurants or to concerts. I enjoy hunting and fishing. I was brought up doing it and our entire family enjoys doing it. You like what you like.
Anytime you have a movement as large as this response, you are going to have some people that make outrageous comments or threats. They are outliers. You cannot judge the whole movement by this. Yet pro-big game hunters seem to have grasped on to these vast minority of comments for their rebuttal.
Oh and I love the attempt to connect this to abortion. Classy. (Sarcasm Folks. That. Was. Sarcasm.)
Here is the thing. I’m sure 95% of the population has NEVER been to Africa or any other third world country for that matter. And if you have and didn’t realize how things work in these countries than I, nor anyone else can help explain this to you. The truth of the matter is that Dr. Palmer did NOT know that the cat was collared. And the reason the cat had crossed the park line was to feed on a dead elephant that had died of natural causes. His guides were not aware of it being collared either, however, even if they did that doesn’t mean they would stop him. Do you realize how much money this brings to the country and will feed the local village? Now, I remind you that corruption runs rampant in these countries and the money doesn’t always get used for what it should but there is a bit of trickle down of funds that do happen. ANY money is good in their economy. There is a lot of good that comes from these hunts in the local economy. For many it’s their main source of income. Wells dug, food put on the tables of these villages, all kinds of betterment comes from this industry. So really the sad point of this WHOLE stupid, blown up story is that we are putting an animal before us Humans. In light of the recent Planned Parenthood scandal and the lack of news coverage it has received, I think it is TOTALLY connectable! The out-cry from one animal getting shot compared to thousands and thousands of babies with NO voice, getting slaughtered and dismantled and then sold at the hands of greedy, desensitized, Americans should be the biggest headlines. There is truly something wrong with our society. (no sarcasm at all).
Just one more thing, Doug, I know your many years of journalism has prompt you to be a “creative” writer however, I feel that it wasn’t necessary to describe certain details to add that bit more of disgust to the picture you were trying to paint. This is South Dakota after all and some do hunt for sport. Besides if it wasn’t for the hunter we wouldn’t have those beautiful majestic birds we call the Ringneck Pheasant or the deer population we have today. Perhaps we should outlaw vehicles since there are so many animals killed or lamed every year and just left to die and rot alongside our highways. Talk about cruelty! So, PLEASE people get off your High Horses and get a clue!
FYI- I will not respond nor will I entertain a notion of explanation of anything I’ve said in the above statement to anyone. It is what it is… The Truth.
Brett–WELL SAID!
I’m a “sort of” hunter, meaning I like to hunt a little but I don’t do a lot of it. But I do find satisfaction in cleaning and preparing some of my own meals from game that I’ve taken. However, I would probably never hunt for the purpose just taking a trophy. And I do wish people like Ted Nugent would quiet down a little bit and not act so cocky about it.
But I think hunting is a necessary thing, even if it takes trophy hunters to do it. Without some controls on animal populations, particularly predators, there would be additional problems. I’m sure that even in Africa, where lions are endangered in many areas, predators such as lions probably still need to be controlled in certain areas where there are more people. If I understand the story that occurred in Africa correctly, the hunt was legal, but the baiting method was probably improper. I agree with other commenters that the previous violation by the dentist is problematic, but the focus should be on the guides that he trusted to lead him. The guides should have been aware of the local situation, and avoided the area where this lion was. Hopefully someone will be inspired to design a tracking collar for lions that is more visible to assist with these situations.
Doug,
As always I enjoyed reading your story. I don’t know if the dentist was right or wrong, legal or illegal, but I do know that all creatures feel pain, they can show affection, they can express sorrow. Pets love us unconditionally and I can imagine that creatures in the wild show similar affection for their pride.
I don’t know if Cecil had a soul, but I can’t imagine that when God create such a magnificent creature he wouldn’t have blessed it with lasting existence somehow.
Whichever side of this issue you are on , you have to agree that Cecil was more than “Just an animal”. If Walter Palmer did anything illegal, then he needs to be accountable for his actions.