http://www.iol.co.za/sport/rug...1732403#.U-R81GPjwjE

Crusaders in for zebra hunt controversy

August 8 2014 at 09:24am
By SAPA

Conservationists have criticised players from the Canterbury Crusaders Super 15 team for killing wildlife, including a zebra.

Wellington – Conservationists have criticised players from New Zealand's Canterbury Crusaders Super 15 team for killing wildlife, including a zebra, while touring in South Africa, then posing in photographs with the 'trophy' carcasses.

South African conservation group The Landmark Foundation posted pictures on Facebook showing five Crusaders players with the animals, alongside the caption: “Here are the Crusaders rugby players killing wildlife for laughs on a recent visit to South Africa.”

The players include All Black lock Sam Whitelock and inside back Tom Taylor, who has blood smeared on his face in one shot as he holds a rifle in one hand and the horn of a dead blesbok antelope in the other.

Foundation director Bool Smuts said the animals were most likely killed on a private game farm.

“This was not hunting for the pot, this was hunting for the joy of killing the animal,” he told the New Zealand Herald.

“We accept it was legal... the question we are asking is to what value is it for conservation and is it an ethical practice?”


Conservationists have criticised players from the Canterbury Crusaders Super 15 team for killing wildlife, including a zebra.

Whitelock told New Zealand broadcaster TV3 that meat from the dead zebra was given to local farm workers for food.

“I didn't eat it but the people on the farm did,” he said. “It's something that I've been brought up with my whole life. I've always made sure that we eat the things that we've hunted.”

Crusaders chief executive Hamish Riach said the players were doing nothing illegal and they had been singled out by anti-trophy hunting activists who were using them to promote their agenda.

“They're grown men, they were in their own time and they were partaking in a very legal activity,” he told TV3.

“They weren't poaching, they weren't endangered species, they didn't have an illegal guide. It was all very, very appropriate and done within the context of the legal industry in South Africa.”

He said the Crusaders would not ban hunting on future trips to South Africa. – Sapa-AFP

screw the bunny huggers, Hamish made a good call when he made that comment.

I have always said we should the bloody antis to stuff it!

We do not tell them what to do and not to do, so why should they stick their noses into our hunting?

They can't help themselves mate. I had a bit of a stoush with a friend of mine on facebook (I love stirring her up, its like a sport to me ) She's anti hunting but eats meat. That's ok to her as cows etc are born on a farm . She hasn't post anything about the zebra hunt but if she does I'm going to jump all over it.

I always tell the meat eating anti-hunters that they would rather pay someone to kill their food rather than do it themselves.

Same old shit with the Anti groups. They try to pontificate their beliefs and make others believe that as the truth or gospel. I had a argument this morning with an anti hunting group on another site when one of their administrators was stating for all to see that Africa is all private reserves and the animals are all fenced in. Then he or she got pissed when I tried to explain that the statement was false.

quote:

Originally posted by ghostbird:
I always tell the meat eating anti-hunters that they would rather pay someone to kill their food rather than do it themselves.

That is just nonsense, I mean really, don't you know that meat, milk and eggs are made in the supermarket, next to the bakery.

Several years ago while I was still working for American Airlines at D/FW, I was in the airport after returning from Zambia, and ran into a friend and was showing him some of the pictures I had taken on the safari. A ticket lift agent saw a picture of me with a big zebra I had shot. She actually screamed out “How can you shoot a zebra?” . My answer to her was, as I simulated holding and aiming a rifle, said I just pull the trigger once the crosshair is lined up on him! She then called me a murderer, and stormed away, while my friend and I were laughing our heads off!

These people are beyond help, they simply cannot get over the Disney movies they were reared watching as a child!
......................................................................

My brother and cousin are anti hunting though my cousin used to hunt a fair bit years ago.

We have some debate on Facebook and agree to disagree. A few weeks ago I showed them the photos from Buz & the Duckworths with all those wire snares and traps.

I asked them what would happen to all the wildlife if such antipoaching operations were stopped because of banning hunting in say 2000 hunting concessions! That made them stop & think! No more BS from them. My cousin in fact conceded - "fair enough - $2 per snare ..."

Q./ As matter of interest, Is there any truth to the allegation that this was a canned hunt?

Which private game farm hunting service provider in SA did the Crusaders utilise?

in NZ, clients can hunt on private game farms, sure its legal, but it don't get the respect of other styles of hunting in NZ.

Just wondering if the Kiwi Crusaders used the same easier-convenient approach to take those African game animals.

New Zealand Deerstalkers Association vice president Graeme Steans said there was little difference between the Crusaders hunting in South Africa
and visitors who came to this country to stalk the likes of deer, thar and chamois.

I say we support the Crusaders.

I don't know if they have the time, or the experience, or all the equipment, or whether this was their first introduction to hunting . But I am glad they are involved in hunting.

Whether they hunted on 500 acres or 500,000 acres doesn't concern me. I can hunt the way I want and so can they.

I know quite a number of guys that are shooters. Some of them have some quite impressive rifles and other guns too. And they are quite well versed and can shoot very well at some eyebrow raising distances. But they don't hunt and certainly not any bigger game animals. They don't really have the access, or they never got started hunting when they were younger. or they spend their money on a Kriss and a 416 Barrett with a suppressor . These are fine men that are not any different than most of us . They would never criticize us for hunting and shooting. They just never got the exposure and developed that interest.

I would quite like to see some of these guys join us as hunters. Sure their first hunts might be in Texas and behind fences. That is fine. Over time they would look to the Rockies and to Africa and that is a good thing for all of us. We as hunters need these type of sportsmen to join us.

Like all of us I have introduced guys to shooting and hunting all my life. But now we need these guys that are much more in line with us to start with . Just a look at the threads over the past year will convince all of us.

quote:

Originally posted by TexKD:

Whether they hunted on 500 acres or 500,000 acres doesn't concern me. I can hunt the way I want and so can they.

ITs well know that if a person don't hunt the way that some others on AR choose to hunt, they can then face verbal wrath,condemnation and disapproval.
regardless of whether the hunting method is legal or not.

I wasn't posting at you Trax. I was just saying . . . that we as hunters need to welcome these guys , even if they aren't quite up to us. Yet. Hey that is why we are the old guys and they can then aspire to be like us lol.

Y'all know what I mean.

Sometimes their actions might not be what we more purists and more experienced hunters might do , and even turn some that are antis into a stir. I don't care about them as they are going to be anti no matter what in most cases.

But if 20,000 kids that see the Crusaders say hey lets start shooting and maybe go hunting . . . then I like it.

I remember my first kill. With a BB gun. I had lobbed bbs out of that Daisy into cans and targets and the pond. But I couldn't get anything else. But I was after some birds and I was in some thicker trees. One bird made the mistake of landing very close. I learned that concealment and close range are both good.

TexKD, I do understand you,, no offence taken by what you posted.

But trust me, a hunter can be condemned & castigated on AR long before anti-crowd gets a piece of him.

There are hunters who state there are hunts that are 100% legal , but they still don't feel comfortable and hence personally choose
not be engaged in such styles of hunt.

Id say the Crusaders hunt was a form of bonding process for the team members.
[one player stated that he grew up with hunting back in NZ.]

WE have seen other forms of team bonding methods, result in players from various rugby codes,being charged for assault,DUI, public mischief and even gang rape.

These rugby code players in this instance, relatively speaking, have behaved like angels/within the law...

Anyone who had blood on his face was probably a newbie - it's a SAffa thing to blood the first-timer - they probably grilled the testicles for him too ....

And well done to the Crusaders management for sticking up for their boys.

quote:

Originally posted by Bren7X64:
And well done to the Crusaders management for sticking up for their boys.

Absolutely

TexKD said it well. Some anonymous person from Dallas like me will not impact quite like the Crusaders from NZ might on kids that don't know about hunting.

Once again, hunters, or Trax, wants to F up the issue. Hunting on game farms in SA is not bad. When I hunted there, I rarely saw a fence unless we approached a gate to enter or leave.

Those that say infighting will kill our efforts are right. Bow hunting deer is not sporting to me, but I'll keep those opinios to myself. They are hunting and their shows generate money for the industry, or I think so.

I'm just tired of dumbshit comments that can fuel anti-hunters.

Saeed, I'm sorry for venting. However, I get pissed. The "lion hunt of a lifetime" got trashed. He, from what we can tell, hunted legally. Pricks want to trash his "hunt of a lifetime," and I don't blame him for going radio silent.

There is a wealth of knowledge here, but many believe hunting can only be right in their eyes. Bullshit.

Let's all get along.

quote:

Originally posted by TexKD:
I say we support the Crusaders.

I don't know if they have the time, or the experience, or all the equipment, or whether this was their first introduction to hunting . But I am glad they are involved in hunting.

Whether they hunted on 500 acres or 500,000 acres doesn't concern me. I can hunt the way I want and so can they.

I know quite a number of guys that are shooters. Some of them have some quite impressive rifles and other guns too. And they are quite well versed and can shoot very well at some eyebrow raising distances. But they don't hunt and certainly not any bigger game animals. They don't really have the access, or they never got started hunting when they were younger. or they spend their money on a Kriss and a 416 Barrett with a suppressor . These are fine men that are not any different than most of us . They would never criticize us for hunting and shooting. They just never got the exposure and developed that interest.

I would quite like to see some of these guys join us as hunters. Sure their first hunts might be in Texas and behind fences. That is fine. Over time they would look to the Rockies and to Africa and that is a good thing for all of us. We as hunters need these type of sportsmen to join us.

Like all of us I have introduced guys to shooting and hunting all my life. But now we need these guys that are much more in line with us to start with . Just a look at the threads over the past year will convince all of us.

As you would expect from a team of rugby players representative of the average Kiwi bloke (well above average in Rugby ), a good percentage of them have hunted before and some are avid hunters (when they get time from their rugby duties as professional players). The Whitelock brothers were breed on a farm and hunted small game as youngsters graduating to larger game. They both appeared on a hunting programme here on TV last week where they were hunting pig, wallaby and red deer. One other Crusader or maybe an All Black whose name escapes me at the moment was also on the same programme shooting game.

I have seen Crusader and AB Captain Richie MaCaw on TV too climbing high and hunting tahr.

More power to them

quote:

Originally posted by DCS Member:
TexKD said it well. Some anonymous person from Dallas like me will not impact quite like the Crusaders from NZ might on kids that don't know about hunting.

Once again, hunters, or Trax, wants to F up the issue. Hunting on game farms in SA is not bad. When I hunted there, I rarely saw a fence unless we approached a gate to enter or leave.

Those that say infighting will kill our efforts are right. Bow hunting deer is not sporting to me, but I'll keep those opinios to myself. They are hunting and their shows generate money for the industry, or I think so.

I'm just tired of dumbshit comments that can fuel anti-hunters.

Saeed, I'm sorry for venting. However, I get pissed. The "lion hunt of a lifetime" got trashed. He, from what we can tell, hunted legally. Pricks want to trash his "hunt of a lifetime," and I don't blame him for going radio silent.

There is a wealth of knowledge here, but many believe hunting can only be right in their eyes. Bullshit.

Let's all get along.

I'd support the Crusaders if I understood rugby at all.