SA elephant shot dead, stuffed and shipped off to the richest man in Romania

http://traveller24.news24.com/...-in-Romania-20141124

Cape Town - There is something extremely disturbing about watching one of Africa's most majestic creatures undergo a metamorphosis from a breathing, eating, walking, trumpeting gargantuan to a lifeless stuffed display piece ready to gather dust in some foreign hall.

The Sunday Times recently visited Highveld Taxidermists outside Pretoria to witness this process for themselves.

Watch the disturbing footage here
Apparently the creature was shot and killed by Ioan Niculae, a Romanian billionaire who founded agricultural company InterAgro, in Hoedspruit, Limpopo in February 2013.

Niculae is apparently a hunting fanatic and requested that his gigantic 'prize' be stuffed by a local taxidermist and shipped off to his home country when done.

Apart from the environmental dubiousness of the situation, the whole exercise is also an incredibly expensive and lengthy one.

According to the report, Niculae shelled out at least $40 000 (R438 210 at R10.93/dollar) to shoot the pachyderm and another $50 000 (R546 912) to have it stuffed and shipped to Europe. The entire process has taken Dieter Ochsenbein and his team of taxidermists seven months to complete.

However, it was slightly delayed as the elephant is only one of 19 other trophies, including a scene containing two lions chasing after a hartebeest, headed for Niculae's home.

Ochsenbein said that foreign hunters usually bring up to 10 animals at a time to be stuffed, but that their largest order from one customer added up to 400 animals.

While we have no doubt that this trade is a great economic boost to local industry, we can't help but feel slightly disturbed by the thought of endangered animals like elephants and lions succumbing to this fate.

According to the WED website elephant numbers have dropped by 62% over the last decade, and they could be mostly extinct by the end of the next.

An estimated 100 African elephants are killed each day by poachers seeking ivory, meat and body parts, leaving only 400 000 remaining.
ost two of her most majestic Big Tusker sons to the ravages of poaching. Tembe Elephant Park's iSilo died in April this year, they say of old age, but by the time his body was found, his face had been mutilated and enormous tusks hacked away by poachers. He had lost all dignity in death.

Also see: Death of the Kings - Gone but not forgotten
Just a few months down the line, Tsavo East National Park in Kenya lost their Satao - the biggest tusker in East Africa - to poisoned spears.

Apart from their magnificent presence, as part of thee Big Five, elephants are also of the utmost importance to South Africa's tourism industry, drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors to our parks on an annual basis.

quote:

An estimated 100 African elephants are killed each day by poachers seeking ivory,

Then stop it.

Instead of crying about legal hunting which does not only support elephants and the environment, but provide a lot of employment.

Another stupid report written by someone who knows absolutely nothing about elephants.

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:

quote:

An estimated 100 African elephants are killed each day by poachers seeking ivory,

Then stop it.

Instead of crying about legal hunting which does not only support elephants and the environment, but provide a lot of employment.

Another stupid report written by someone who knows absolutely nothing about elephants.

You are RIGHT ON Saeed!

Hunters are an easy target as most of us are identifiable.
Poachers on the other hand are for the most part anonymous & unseen.

Note to all taxidermist: if any reporter enters your business snooping around, RUN THEIR BUTTS OFF!!!!!!

]


Then stop it.

Instead of crying about legal hunting which does not only support elephants and the environment, but provide a lot of employment.

Another stupid report written by someone who knows absolutely nothing about elephants.[/QUOTE]

You are RIGHT ON Saeed![/QUOTE]

Another pen carrying anti hunter..If they would only do something that really stops the illegal hunting then I could be supportive of their cause.

cool mount--love to have that, but I do not have a house big enough to display him.

But then again it would bring new meaning to the "the elephant in the room" during one of my dinner parties.


ha!

All of the money brought into the country by this Romanian was done so legally and helps the country.

How much money from those 100 poached elephants helps anyone.

Until African governments stop burning all their stockpiles of poached ivory and simply flood the world market with dropping the price to a point where poaching would not be profitable to those on the high end of the operation, their will be elephants poached until they are extinct.

The governments should also offer rewards for the heads of poachers, they should be shot on site.

So what, the guy did it all legal and had the money to do it, it'll look much better in 50 years that a poached one does in 5 hours. who is this dolt

quote:

Originally posted by dande_jack:
So what, the guy did it all legal and had the money to do it, it'll look much better in 50 years that a poached one does in 5 hours. who is this dolt

That is not the point he was making.

Notice it was all about the money.

Just another silly, stupid, jealous bloody liberal, who is probably happy to get government handouts, but feel so jealous of anyone having any money to do what he wants!

Shot dead and stuffed.
The live ones are very difficult to "stuff".

Mark

quote:

Originally posted by Mark Clark:
Shot dead and stuffed.
The live ones are very difficult to "stuff".

Mark

Ooh, dunno so much, heard that were some that could stuff live sheep and the odd goat.

So sorry!

quote:

we can't help but feel slightly disturbed by the thought of endangered animals like elephants and lions succumbing to this fate.

Endangered?
Elephants?

quote:

Originally posted by Duckear:

quote:

we can't help but feel slightly disturbed by the thought of endangered animals like elephants and lions succumbing to this fate.

Endangered?
Elephants?

Well they must be endangered, the author hasnt seen any wandering around Cape Town vicinity.

What is endangered is an honest reporter with any integrity!

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:
What is endangered is an honest reporter with any integrity!

LOL .... Very true

quote:

What is endangered is an honest reporter with any integrity!

So, they are all turning into lawyers?