Hunter Trampled to Death by Elephant he was Tracking to Kill for Ivory

Poll

Did hunter Ian Gibson get what was coming to him?

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2015/04/17/hunter-ian-gibson-trampled-death-elephant-tracking-kill_n_7085374.html

Did he deserve it?

-------

In my opinion, **** yes. Animals have just as much a right to live as humans do (who are technically - but not semantically - also animals). Hunting as a sport is filled with materialistic, edgy, mid-life crisis angst, and a complete lack of empathy. This man wasn't hunting for the sake of survival, or to utilise and share as much of the elephant as possible in order to bring a utilitarian increase in happiness; he was hunting for ivory for personal gain, and selling into a phony medicinal industry which causes the suffering of many peaceful creatures. Elephants have been seen to have just as much emotional intelligence as humans in many ways: they grieve, play and protect their family. I can't imagine being able to point a gun at one of those peaceful animals, with the knowledge of what pain and suffering is about to be brought to it, and pull the trigger. Anyone who has the capacity to do so doesn't deserve to live on this planet, in my opinion.

I read a fantastic satirical comment on one of Ricky Gervais's post on the issue: 'Actually, the hunter was separated from his family, he was slow and old, fat and ugly. There was no chance of him mating again, or finding fatty enough food to sustain his American diet in Zimbabwe, so the local elephants allowed this elephant to take his life out of kindness. They knew he was only going to die of heart failure shortly and was getting weak with his early onset of angina, so they did the kindest thing and trampled him to death, the birds, hyenas and large cats ate for hours, no part of him went to waste. It was truly the kindest thing to do. The Elephant declined a smiling selfie next to his dead body though.'

Of course, I would much rather this guy never hunted in the first place, and didn't die prematurely. I'm sure his family are deeply saddened, and my condolences go out to them, but I don't feel sorry for the guy whatsoever.

(edited 9 years ago)

Scroll to see replies

Reply 1

the bear

the Elephants were here long before our dysfunctional species. why can't they be left alone ?

Good.

What he did was not illegal and certainly does not warrant the death penalty so no, he does not deserve it. Looking at the Facebook comments underneath the article I think it's deplorable how bloodthirsty the people there are. " I hope he was absolutely terrified in his last seconds" is not something to wish on another human being who was engaging in his, albeit morally dubious, job.

I disagree with the idea that animals have the same rights as humans. I'm sure most of the people who are celebrating this man's death have at one point eaten animals, worn cosmetic products produced by animal testing or benefited from medical treatment which used animal testing. Of course the difference here is that the hunting occurs for gratuitous enjoyment and not a greater good, but the point still stands that an animal life does not have the same worth as a human life.

What the man did was legal and, considering the far more immoral things that occur in the world every day, he and those close to him do not deserve the bile being directed at him.

Reply 4

Elcor

Original post by tengentoppa

Who are you to dictate the significance/insignificance of a life?

I don't give a **** if it's legal: morality and humanity come before legality. In most cases the two go hand-in-hand, but just because something is legal doesn't mean it's moral, and just because something is illegal doesn't mean it's inherently immoral. Law is clearly vital for society, but I think citing it as a rule-book for life is a cheap way out of actually getting involved with the ethics of a situation.

Reply 5

Captain Haddock

Original post by tengentoppa

Elephants are large, powerful, highly intelligent animals. If this murderous scumbag finds himself trampled to death in what essentially constitutes an act of self defense then it's his own bloody fault.

Reply 6

tengentoppa

Original post by Elcor

Let's suppose we give animals the same rights as humans. That would mean no more animal testing for medical research and drugs which save millions of lives will no longer be produced. Is that a morally defensible position? Would you refuse medical treatment for you or someone close to you on the grounds that it had been created through animal testing?

Reply 7

EllieC130

Just read the title and thought "karma".

Reply 8

ChaoticButterfly

Original post by the bear

the Elephants were here long before our dysfunctional species. why can't they be left alone ?

Steady on. You are sounding almost like a Green party member

Reply 9

username1221160

At least he was man enough to hunt something that can fight back. Most people who enjoy hunting animals prefer weak targets.

Reply 10

Elcor

Original post by tengentoppa

At no point did I state I was against animal testing, and this idea is derailing the thread. In my OP I clearly imply that if the death of the elephant ultimately brought about a net increase in happiness from locals benefiting from the carcass to counterbalance the suffering of the animal, it would be okay in my books. Ian Gibson was hunting the elephant for personal gain, and feeding into an entirely unsustainable industry which is threatening to make many beautiful species extinct.

Reply 11

tengentoppa

Original post by Captain Haddock

It was reckless, and it was morally dubious. But his actions were not so bad that I am going to celebrate his death and wish that he suffered in his last moments. I find the blood-lust and hatred directed at this dead man excessive.

And murder is defined as the unlawful premeditated killing of one human being by another. So he was not a murderer.

Reply 12

tengentoppa

Original post by Elcor

You emboldened the part of my post where I said "an animal life does not have the same worth as a human life"

I assumed you were objecting to that part of my statement. My mistake

Reply 13

limetang

It would be interesting to see how many of the 90% who voted yes, would also be against the death penalty.

Reply 14

Flame Alchemist

Original post by limetang

It would be interesting to see how many of the 90% who voted yes, would also be against the death penalty.

I'd be one of those people, but in acknowledgement and justification. I'm against capital punishment as a violation of human rights, leaving no room for error and being a fundamental misinterpretation of what legal retribution should take the form of.

What this man did was legal. What the elephant did was legal. Human law does not come into it; this was purely naturalistic, instinctive self-defence on a fundamental level, so, yes, he did have it coming to him, at least in the sense that if he was prepared to kill the elephant, he should've been prepared for the possibility of the elephant killing him.

(incidentally self-defence would be a perfectly suitable defence claim if this were a legal issue)

Reply 15

Joshale

haha, laughed when I heard this, good on the elephant.

Reply 16

Joshale

Original post by limetang

It would be interesting to see how many of the 90% who voted yes, would also be against the death penalty.

Voted yes and not against it, especially abuse to animals

Reply 17

Joshale

Original post by tengentoppa

yes I would, human's aren't superior to animals, after-all we did evolve from them.

Reply 18

Zargabaath

I know it's a shame a life was ended and that he was still a human being, but I still find it really difficult to bring myself to feel sad or anything towards his death.