Practice what you preach,tread softly on the earth and respect our mother,Mr. Thompson!

First off,I'm a bit disgusted today..While going to my mail box today,i noticed a new Special Projects catalog came in. If you don't know what that is,its a catalog for knife collectors and such, AKA Cold Steel. I have been a knife collector and dealer for many years now,and i was excited to see what new items were out this time,but when i opened the first page,i saw this child like man holding a beautiful dead leopard in his arms he killed in Zambia with a .375 h&h. I guess it was the child like expression on his face that disgusted me the most,and it reminded me that we should respect nature more,and this killing was nothing more than a self gratifying trophy hunt. Don't get me wrong,i believe conservation can work in two ways,to balance nature,and we need a thinning of certain species from time to time,but we as humans need to realize these beautiful creatures have a right to be here too. I would like you to share your thoughts on this subject as well,i believe we are in a time where it is more important than ever.Here is the link to the picture,and this makes me very sad.
lynncthompson.com...

Let's break the stranglehold that foreign oil has on America - I ride my bike 10 miles every day and I suggest you give it a try as well. You'll get exercise, you'll lower greenhouse emissions, and with all the money you save on gas, you can buy a high performance knife from Cold Steel that will last a lifetime!
-Lynn C. Thompson
President, cold steel, inc.
lynncthompson.com...

This is what i mean when i say practice what you preach! Here is a man telling you how to help mother nature,when he is destroying her in a different way! What a hypocrite!

Please share your thoughts. I am not trying to judge,but i think we need to help people like him to realize their own actions with awareness. Thank you.

I am against killing for anything but self-defense and survival. Also take note that I am NOT FOR killing for self-defense and survival. If you actually get any sort of gratification from the taking of life you're a psychopath. We'd be well to do to expunge killing for self-gratification from the species.

The self-gratifying element does make sense however. Much like sex tends to be pleasurable to encourage procreation, it makes sense that other simple and survival-critical activities also bring some level of pleasure. What was once necessary and associated with reward is now a but pastime and indulgence in base instinct. The main problem is that unlike tending a garden or having a romp in the hay, trophy hunting is out specifically for the purpose of taking life; it has no other end in mind.

The excuse that it maintains balance is tendentious. Has our species really ever been a necessary element for nature to maintain balance? No, we upset it in such a way as to turn species into weeds. We encroach and then complain endlessly. I have heard the same excuse from people I know.

About the only common ground I can find with the outdoor sportsman is that they also want to preserve wild areas. The difference between myself and them is their viewing of it strictly as a target practice range.

[edit on 10/26/2009 by EnlightenUp]

What a disgusting picture!

I am a vegetarian myself, but I have no problems with people killing animals for food if it done responsibly and with with respect for nature, in fact I think it's a lot more honest than just going to the store & buying packaged meat.

But this is just a pure, egotistical trophy hunt like you pointed out.
Very sad...