Favorite lion shot in Namibia {Gadling}

Aug 16th 2011 9:31AM These anti-hunting comments are made by extremely ignorant people. The lion was NOT shot "in" Etosha NP, but instead near it in a legal hunting area. Lions commonly come out of the park and wreak havoc on neighboring commercial ranches. Those lions are declared problem animals by govt and permits are issued for them to be hunted. Lions, like elephants, are quite overpopulated in Etosha to begin with, thus the reason that they move out of the park onto commercial or communal (tribal) land looking for new territory. While this was not the case with Old Boy, I have a hard time listening to the nonsense of people who comment on things they know nothing about. Look at the photos of Old Boy! Collars and not big to begin with and considering the quality of mane that Old Boy had, it is understandable that the professional hunter and hunting client likely did not see the collar before shooting him. If it were not for hunting, there would be very little wildlife left in Africa. Even in controlled hunting areas that border communal villages in such countries as Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, etc., villagers resort to mass destruction of lions by poisoning lion kills. In such cases, the whole pride dies--not just one individual lion. Only the fact that hunting companies police such controlled safari areas keep treasured animals like lions from becoming extinct. Killing a selected few protects the overall well-being of the various populations of such animals. It's easy for pompous arm-chair quarterbacks who know nothing of the realities of the African bush to pontificate on such matters. Have they ever faced economic catastrophe from the depredations of large cats on their cattle, goat, or sheep herds? Have they ever had a child or parent killed by a lion? I think not. Furthermore these ignorant masses who think trophy hunting should be banned also need a wake-up call. Elephant culling en masse needs to be re-introduced in many regions of southern Africa. This is not hunting in any way shape or form--it is controlled killing. If we want to see the wilderness areas of southern Africa preserved from becoming desert wastelands then this better happen soon. How many elephants are in Botswana now? Approximately 200,000! This in a country with a carrying capacity of 50-55,000! Zimbabwe has the same problem--125,000+ in a country with a carrying capacity of 45-50,000! Kruger NP has 17,000+ and should have 5,000 maximum. I cannot believe how the "silly sentimentalists" have been so completely brainwashed by the anti-hunting propaganda so prevalent in the media today. I mean c'mon people! One doesn't have to be a wildlife biologist to see what happens when there is an overpopulation of elephants. One only has to look to the tragedy of the mass starvation of ellies in Tsavo NP, Kenya in the early 1970s. Have you ever seen an elephant die of starvation? How about 20,000+ of them die in that tragic way? I firmly believe that a instantaneous death from a shot to the brain by an experienced culling team is much better than a writhing elephant starving over a prolonged period. Sustained utilization is a must. If we want to see individual populations and species as a whole saved from extinction then we must start with preserving their habitat. This can only be done via proper management. Whether lions or elephants, buffalo or leopard, reality and a long-term view must be the first consideration. Enough said! Do so homework people and get the real facts...