To celebrate my 300th WanderLearn podcast episode, I'm sharing my most popular episode. If you like the nuanced way I tackle the controversial subject of hunting, be sure to go to the bottom of this page and follow the links to hear the other episodes I've done related to hunting.
In 2018, Brittany Hosmer Longoria was swept up in a social media firestorm with these trending hashtags:
- #disgusting
- #cuntress
- #findThisBitch
- #huntTheHunter
- #Monstress
- #immoral
- #murderHer
- #KillHer
- #poacher
What had she done to induce such a vicious reaction?
The surprising answer is nothing that remarkable.
What she had done was to hunt a leopard in Namibia and take a photo of her holding the dead leopard. Here's why that's unremarkable:
First, she was not a poacher. She spent nearly $40,000 to get all the permits to legally hunt that old male leopard. I could understand that people would get worked up if she were a poacher. She was not. She did everything by the book. Nobody disagrees with that.
Second, she didn't post the photo on Instagram. She submitted it to the Safari Club International (SCI) when they solicited photos that exhibited a "hunting heritage."
She uploaded the photo to SCI's private server. SCI would evaluate these photos. But before they could, an animal activist got a hold of the photo and released it to the public.
In other words, it's not like Brittany illegally shot a leopard and then bragged about it.
On the contrary, she went through all the legal steps and took a pretty standard post-hunt photo. This sort of thing happens thousands of times every day, so what Brittany did was thoroughly unremarkable.
Therefore, it's a bit hard to understand why she, out of all the legal hunters who post photos of their trophies, would get targeted by social media harshly.
I met with her in 2019 at the SCI conference to talk with Brittany.
Listen to this podcast and tell me your thoughts in the comments below.
Although I met her briefly, she's clearly a shy and humble person. Introverts dislike the spotlight. I commend her for her courage in facing the spotlight to dispel some myths and misunderstandings about hunting.
I warned her that I would hit her hard with tough and uncomfortable questions, which a journalist must do to capture all sides of a story. Indeed, you'll hear that at one point in the interview, she nearly shuts down, seemingly exhausted by my barrage of questions.
As always, she kept her cool and composure, which her hysterical enemies often do not. I commend Brittany.
Moreover, I wanted to give her a chance to answer some thought-provoking and provocative questions that people who dislike hunting may have.
Meanwhile, people who hate hunting should listen to her pro-hunting arguments. Many people who have a knee-jerk adverse reaction to hunting have never given much thought to it. Ignorance leads to misunderstandings.
So if you hate hunting, listen to this podcast. I don't expect to convert you. In fact, I am not even trying to convert anyone to anything. I just like to promote listening and the calm exchange of ideas.
I am a part-time vegan (I only eat animals when I'm traveling or when I'm a guest at someone's house). So I'm not a hunter. However, I believe many people who disapprove of hunting don't see the nuance in this complex subject. I don't claim to be an expert. I just like to listen and learn. I hope you do too. If so, share this episode and comment below.
If you want to leave a comment, here's a tip: the less emotional and savage your comment is, the more convincing it will be. Scream and swear often if you want to turn people off from your argument. I know, this is the Internet, so we're all supposed to get outraged about everything. But please try to act like a grown-up.
Here is a funny and educational video about the subject
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQh-f1rBjx4
What about Green Hunts?
The hardest question I didn't ask Britt Longoria during the podcast is why she doesn't do Green Hunts. I didn't ask that question because I didn't think about it, but a couple of people asked me after the interview.
A Green Hunt is when you shoot an animal with a tranquilizer instead of deadly ammunition.
After the podcast, I asked Britt if she could answer the question. She wrote her response and here are the highlights of what she said.
- Green Hunts are much cheaper than normal hunts. Killing one white rhino costs $60,000 versus $7,500 for a Green Hunt of the white rhino.
- She wrote, "Although a green hunt would be an exciting adventure, there is a lack of hunting fulfillment and intent, which is hard to describe to people who have not experienced the full cycle of a hunt."
- Britt concludes, "During a green hunt, there is a whole entourage of people participating, rather than the meditative qualities of a private or solo hunt. The intent of a green hunt would be different as well for science, sport, or entertainment; rather than the profoundly emotive process that may or may not end in harvest after a traditional hunt. I support both practices; however, I would not be able to compare the two experiences as the same."
Britt hasn't tried a green hunt, so I think she should try before she concludes that they're a big difference between the two. She might learn that the difference isn't as big as she theorized.
And even if she does feel that there's a big difference, not all hunters may agree with her.
Britt observes that Green Hunts have a bigger entourage than a normal hunt. I could see how that could be annoying or distracting.
Still, I imagine there is a HUGE difference between hunting ALONE and hunting with a buddy.
In other words, if you graph the intensity of the hunting experience with # of hunters on the X-axis and intensity on the Y-axis, you would get an asymptotic line that flattens out when you have 5+ hunters.
In regular hunts, you usually have an entourage of at least three (driver, guide/PH, and hunter). You often have another hunting buddy, a skinner, or an armed government official. So you have 3-6 folks on a traditional hunt.
Let's say you have twice that on a green hunt.
I've never been on either hunt, but I imagine there's not THAT much of a difference between having 5 or 10 folks on your hunt.
But it must be MUCH different whether you are ALONE versus having one buddy.
And there's a pretty big difference going from 2 hunters versus 3-4 hunters.
That's why I say the graph is an asymptote.
What do you think about Green Hunts?
BONUS #1: Listen to my wife and I
debate Brittany Longoria and hunting.
BONUS #2: A year after this interview, I followed up with
Longoria for a second interview.
BONUS #3: If you found this podcast intriguing and profound,
listen to my podcast with the Director of Conservation at Safari Club International.
Lastly, at the end of this podcast, Brittany mentioned that she is on Instagram but that it's private. Recently, Brittany Longoria made her Instagram page public from private.
More info
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