PETA is closing its Go Daddy account over elephant hunting incident.
Poor Bob Parsons.
The Go Daddy founder is about to lose a few hundred domain name registrations from its client People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).
I’m sure he’s just shaking in his boots.
The group is enraged about an elephant hunting video he took in Zimbabwe. The video caught attention after being posted at online petition site Change.org.
Nevermind that Parsons posted a similar video last year. I guess no one saw that.
Parsons loves this kind of attention, and he’s not going to lose any sleep over losing PETA’s account. For every PETA domain he loses he’ll get 3 more registrations from someone else in his NASCAR-loving customer base.
Now, if I may opine on the video for a second.
I’m not a hunter. I’ve only shot a gun once in my life (despite living in Texas). And you all know I’ve had my share of differences with Bob Parsons.
But this uproar over the video just goes to show how myopic people can be. We assume that everyone else is in a similar situation than us and should be held to our standards.
If you lived in Zimbabwe and the only way to feed your family was to get elephants off your property (and eat them), you’d do whatever it took. When it’s a matter of your kid dying or an elephant dying, which one would you choose?
Yeah, it’s easy for me sitting in my cozy office in the United States to say you shouldn’t shoot elephants. Or you shouldn’t become a pirate in Somalia. But many people literally have no choice: it’s die or do something we wouldn’t consider over here.
You think these guys should be worried about emissions from their dirty diesel vehicles when they’re trying to figure out where tomorrow’s dinner will come from?
The only thing I’d be enraged about is if Parsons was paying Robert Mugabe for his visits. If you really want to make a difference in the life of the average Zimbabwe citizen, you’d get rid of that guy.
You make an excellent point, but your argument begins to falter a little when one remembers that starving Africans didn’t shoot the elephant. An American multimillionaire did. On his vacation.
@ Kevin – so someone comes and does it for them and that’s a problem?
There are parts of the video that seem a bit tasteless. Yeah, so Parsons was out there to kill two birds with one stone…a hunting safari that also helps out villagers. That’s better than a hunting safari that doesn’t help anyone.
I suggest that you read Mike Berkens TheDomains.com on this subject.
@ Howard – what about it?
Andrew:
How very sad that this senseless, part ego-driven, part PR stunt does not enrage you!
An AC/DC soundtrack, Go Daddy hats for the villagers and a cowardly brutal attack on an innocent animal is not humane. Your lack of recognizing this is surprising. Are you being controversial or just heartless?
@ Claude – oh, it’s definitely part ego-driven. And part PR stunt.
I just think we look at these things myopically.
“If you lived in Zimbabwe and the only way to feed your family was to get elephants off your property (and eat them), you’d do whatever it took.”
This is what is called a false dichotomy, Andrew.
I agree, you would do whatever it takes, including activities designed to create a “problem” by which one can induce foreign millionaires to come visit and shed money.
In some legal systems, if you catch another man with your wife, he must give you half of his cows. Now, if you and your wife are clever, you can pretty much lock up all of the cows in the village with appropriate planning.
You seem to assume there are no other measures to both prevent and address issues that arise in human/elephant relations. Your unquestioned assumption is what is incorrect. Elephants are complex intelligent and emotional animals, and they do respond to behavioral therapy, as demonstrated in the rehabilitative treatment of abused circus elephants and, yes, so called “problem elephants” under this legal loophole which has been created to serve what is, at root, a financial incentive.
Look, this country has a program under which rich people can come shoot elephants. Fine. That’s the way it is. But buying into the saccharine morality tale of the Great White Hunter performing some act of humanitarian kindness is pretty simplistic.
Come on… the incorruptible politicians of Zimbabwe, out of their deep concern over ravaging elephants, found the only possible way to address the problem and… hey what a coincidence! The only solution just happens to involve a lot of money changing hands. Riiiiiggghht….
@ John Berryhill – do I think the video was somewhat tasteless? Do I think perhaps this should be handled locally rather than having some rich guy come in for vacation? Sure (if they can afford it).
But I also think this is being look at in a vacuum.
And I also think Parsons loves the attention PETA is putting on him.
Bob Parsons is a douche.
Thank You!!! Exactly my thoughts. The most practical post about this video yet.
As i mentioned on Elliots Blog you cant complain about stuff like this when your perspective of life is from a house in the suburbs with take out menus.
Hell, if Elephants were trampling the flowers some housewives planted they would be lining up at WalMart to buy a rifle.
Whats sad about this whole thing is the overexposure Bob did by passing out GoDaddy hats and the lack of perception those complaining have about life on $1 a day.
@ Alan Dunn –
Hell, if Elephants were trampling the flowers some housewives planted they would be lining up at WalMart to buy a rifle.
Funny, we have that problem with deer here in Austin. (90% of car insurance claims in my area are accidents with deer). You’d be surprise the vicious and deathly language some otherwise humane people here use about deer.
Gotta love the namecheap discount we got as a result, though.
I’m totally repulsed by Bob Parson killing the elephant. I am transferring my domains from Godaddy to BigRock.com. I’m using the coupon JUMBOSAVE, it makes the cost $4.95 and its valid till 7th April
“But I also think this is being look at in a vacuum.”
I agree, and the boundaries you have placed around your view of it is the PR line sold by the corrupt politicians who run the program and profit from it.
That’s why I suggested you had fallen victim to a false dichotomy, instead of taking a larger view.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I too am helping an unfortunate African widow recover funds that are being held in a Nigerian bank…
John,
“The only solution just happens to involve a lot of money changing hands”
This is very often the case in the USA also – healthcare, prisons etc.
Every country has its problems but you cant hold countries like Zimbabwe up to western standards.
You can criticize the use of these events for publicity but you cant expect rich Americans to save all. If Bob spent all his money saving elephants then people would claim he wasn’t spending money in his home country.
You cant win with this video. People who do not live there can not criticize and People who dont have the same resources Bob does can only “dream” of what they would do .. yet probably wouldnt do anything.
Andrew hit it right on the head with GoDaddy’s target customer being the NASCAR crowd and I’m pretty sure this video will do no harm to GoDaddy just like all the scandals many companies face (if one could even call this a scandal)
Hell, many people watching this video probably wouldnt even donate $1 to the world wildlife fund then expect to preach about why others should commit their own funds.
Like I said, you cant win with these videos.
Do I agree with this video – no, but i also dont agree with judging the acceptable practices of a society most people wouldn’t even go to if they were given a free first class round ticket.
Andrew,
We had the same problem with Moose where I’m from.
So its ok for the government to sell a license to shoot Bambi or Bullwinkle but people got all gonzo over Dumbo.
Note that Bambi and Bullwinkle are uaully just enjoying a peaceful life in the woods.
Its all insane to me – the whole idea of buying a gun to shoot another creature but you cant draw the line and claim that one is good and the other is bad.
At the end of the day the most destructive creature on earth is mankind – not the animals.
Andrew,
Is the word “myopic” a new word for you?
I ask this because this posting makes no sense.
In no way have “we” been myopic. Plenty of readers on this blog and others, such as “The Domains” have stated that there may have been a need to prevent the elephant from ruining the crops. The opinion has been written (and backed up with facts) that there are other methods to allow the elephants to roam and forage and still allow for safe, economical raising of the crops.
The only myopia is buying into Parsons stunt.
I
You are definitely not a comedian.
I’m sorry my friend, but you missed the mark on this one.
John B and the others against this killing are right.
This isn’t a dear, or even a moose (which shouldn’t be killed for being in the “wrong” place either).
It’s an elephant. One of the greatest creatures to ever grace the Earth.
PETA does a lot of wacko stuff, but they’re 100% right on this one.
There is no justification for what Bob did.
None.
But, if you want to get out of the vaccuum of PR spin from people with financial interest in the program, you might realize that those edumacated scientists who are always up to no good (like actually being Africans, and knowing a thing or two about crops, people, and elephants), have studied the issue at a deeper level than “if you have a problem shoot it”.
But, I realize that any thought which doesn’t fit on a bumper sticker is too much for people in comfortable homes to handle.
e.g.
Problem Animal Control Strategies in Human-Elephant Conflict Areas of Dande Communal Lands, Zimbabwe: A Study in Sustainability.
By Mupangwa, J.F., Nyabadza, T., Mberengwa, I. and Chaipa, I.
http://www.jsd-africa.com/Jsda/Spring2006PDF/ARC_Problem%20Animal%20Control%20Strategies%20in%20Human%20.pdf
“Focus group discussions further revealed that new immigrants and new household formations have been settled where elephants frequently pass through. The settlements are in a linear pattern along the rivers which is where their cropping fields are also located for easy access to water in the drier seasons. Thus, these water points are also major source of conflict as well because elephants and other animals source water from these rivers.”
Oh, you mean MAYBE not putting your field on an elephant migration route MIGHT be a good idea?
Whodathunkit?
The rest of the article also discusses results from such advanced technological solutions as “planting chili peppers around the crops”.
But, you see, this involves getting nerdy people without a lot of money to hang out with clipboards and laptops to actually determine how the problem develops and to seek solutions that don’t involve killing a threatened species for the purpose of greasing the palms of politicians and serving the ego’s of, um, people who live in comfortable homes.
There used to be a time when the application of education, intelligence, research, and study, as a means of solving problems was preferred over “shoot it, nyuck, nyuck”, but I guess it all depends on which vacuum one prefers to inhabit.
Steve,
You are right – elephants are one of the most beautiful creatures on earth but that perspective is also skewed by the fact that you most likely live in a place with a zoo and they don’t run in the wild destroying your ability to live.
I haven’t taken a side on this – if anything, my point is you can’t judge a 3 minute video like this except for what purpose bob may have shot it for. Using it as a pr stunt is not a very humane thing but that’s another issue well outside of what people are discussing.
If elephants were destroying your village and you earned a dollar day then your standards would lower also.
Obviously its easier for people to just look and say its wrong to shoot an elephant but without the right perspective its not an opinion that has any merit
“If elephants were destroying your village and you earned a dollar day then your standards would lower also.”
And if you hadn’t blocked a migration route by poor planning of your fields…
And if you didn’t habitually piss off large social animals with complex psychology by shooting their family members…
And if you took the recommendations of scientists who have found that crop selection including chili peppers deters elephants…
Then maybe the idea of cashing in on the “problem” YOU created wouldn’t be as attractive.
John,
Thank you and I’m sure these farmers attended college and have the same access of education we do in the western world.
1 a day doesn’t buy education either – like I said, the opinions are based on living in an entirely different world as these people.
@Alan
Africans aren’t stupid, so you might drop the patronizing attitude toward them. What is going on here is the creation of a financial incentive for the production of this “problem” in search of a solution.
The comment awaiting moderation includes a link to a scientific report BY African scientists.
Robert Mugabe and his regime thank you for your financial support.
Now, the next time Parson needs a problem solved, like, say, a hemorrhoid removed, then I suppose we’ll have a video of the event with a heavy metal soundtrack.
I didn’t say africans were stupid nor patronizing anyone
You are twisting my words like a good attorney would
While I totally see Andrew’s point I can’t totally agree. I get it, the world is full of crazy problems and solutions. Ive seen it first had as I’ve been busy expatting inIndonesia a while now. I’ve seen it first hand in the villages of Java. Sometimes crazy stuff. But what Bob could have done was relocate that elephant. Wouldn’t have been a big deal for him. He doesn’t live in the village is kind of my point. Call me crazy but I think it’s our responsibility as people to offer our knowledge that we believe is right to others and try to help them grow, and if they aren’t interested, so be it. No need to shove it down their throats.
Well, Andrew won’t let the comment including the link to the study through moderation, so I guess you are simply left with a personal insult.
So, I will leave the thread with a note from Rudyard Kipling:
Take up the White Man’s burden–
Send forth the best ye breed–
Go bind your sons to exile
To serve your captives’ need;
To wait in heavy harness,
On fluttered folk and wild–
Your new-caught, sullen peoples,
Half-devil and half-child.
For $10k or less Parsons could have paid to have the elephants relocated. Throw in $1k to make sure the family (or village) is fed for a year.
His goal was to stir up controversy in the press and blogs as media exposure for Godaddy. Perhaps it will pay off; he wouldn’t have done it if he didn’t think it would result in added registrations. But had he chosen the route outlined above, I for one would be moving domains to Godaddy instead of the other way around.
This was a blatant a PR trick, imho. Nothing more.
Sticks and stones John.
I’m not going to resort to a personal insult for you not agreeing with me. Our opinions differ and my only real opinion is that people need to view this from another perspective and not just be outraged by some rich white guy shooting an elephant.
At the end of the day few people are ever going to do anything about this anyway so I have a quote for you
“Those who can usually don’t”
What have you done to save an elephant today?
About as much as I have .. lets move on.
@John “And if you took the recommendations of scientists who have found that crop selection including chili peppers deters elephants…”
True, but when the margin is so thin between your children going hungry and the next meal – who wastes the time, money and thought process on planing chili peppers? Certainly not the hard working people in the video.
This was not about feeding starving Africans.
This was not about killing a rogue elephant.
This was about blood lust. Pure and simple.
Elephants are extremely intelligent animals. AAnd if Parsons wanted to do the right thing hhe could have had them relocated. He certainly can afford it.
And, Andrew, I don’t believe that PETA is playing into Parsons’ hands. Promoting beautiful women to promote your product is one thing and most guys I know, me included, love it. But killing this elephant is not coool. and most people who viewed this video not think of Parsons in a much lesser light.
PS: Having real problems posting here. Double letters, etc. The right margin on this posting box pulls left.
“If you lived in Zimbabwe and the only way to feed your family was to get elephants off your property (and eat them), you’d do whatever it took. ”
How do we know the elephants were on the villagers property and not the other way around?
Maybe the villagers recently planted crops in the middle of an elephant path?
So, we don’t know that the elephants were the problem. Maybe the villagers are the problem?
Either way, seems odd that a rich white guy with a rifle had to come from half way around the world to kill an elephant.
Just a crappy thing for Parson’s to do and even worse that he videotaped it.
No way GoDaddy will EVER go public now.
Hi Andrew, you can’t be objective because you place a godaddy affiliate ad on this blog 😀
If anyone knows of an “akismet whitelist” tool so I can stop Mr. Berryhill’s comments from going into moderation, I’d appreciate it.
This story is really going viral. Not all PR is good PR, a lot of people are angry and he’s going to lose a lot of clients. If I were Moniker, etc I would start an advertising blitz about now.
@ David J Castello – remains to be seen. He took a lot of flack for his commercials at first, and we see where that landed.
You are right that a lot of people like to see hot women. But keep in mind lots of people like to hunt, too. I’m not one of them. I don’t like the idea. But I also don’t watch NASCAR.
Rob Sequin@ Totally right, You have to stand up and be counted in terms of my own personal integrity. I will never deal with GoDaddy again. It is not about the villagers. Is is all about what creates the market.
@Andrew
I’ve been in promotion most of my adult life and Parsons badly misjudged here. Every male I know, including Gays, appreciates beautiful women. And those who complain are easy to marginalize. This is different. No one I know threatened to pull their GoDaddy accounts over some T&A, but I know plenty of people with large portfolios who are furious about this. Parsons next strategy is to act like this is between him and PETA. Bad move and people will see right through it. Most of the questions on the non-domainer blogs are, “What are the alternatives to Godaddy?” And his competition just sat up and noticed.
David, a LOT of people continue to be upset about Go Daddy’s ads. Religious right groups ask their members to boycott them all the time. So do a lot of women I talk to.
It’s possible Bob misjudged here, but I’d argue this isn’t that different.
I guess time will tell.
@Andrew
The big differemce is that mainstream America is totally disgusted with this. And that’s the faction you don’t want to mess with. On the other hand, the Religious Right and womens groups tend to be fair game for those fanning the flames of notoriety.
@ David – I think the religious right is fair game but that’s because I’m not a part of it 🙂
My hunch is this will blow over. Go Daddy registers a domain every 1.5 seconds, if I recall correctly. I doubt this will have a material impact on its business.
@ Kevin Murphy – yeah, I give it maybe until Sunday. Then the twittersphere will be on a different topic.
Awesome movie..
Almost discovery style..
Biker Bob outfitting the entire village with Godaddy baseball caps and have them slaughter an elephant. Tape it , publish it ..priceless.
I can’t wait for Biker Bob’s next movie where takes on killer whales…Here we will see the poor people in Japan slaughter a non nuclear poisoned whale just for food… The Whale had to die because it could eaten nuclear poisoned sea vegatation… If the whale had consumed this many people would have died in Japan from radiation sickness,, goooooo Bob !!!!!!!!
I’d have to watch the movie again but wasn’t he shooting the elephant as it was running away?
It’s not like the elephant was even charging at him.
What a dick.
“I’d have to watch the movie again but wasn’t he shooting the elephant as it was running away? “
Well yeah. I mean hunting isn’t a self-defense activity.
@Andrew
Quote: “You are right that a lot of people like to see hot women. But keep in mind lots of people like to hunt, too. I’m not one of them. I don’t like the idea. But I also don’t watch NASCAR.”
There are two types of hunters, those that agree with this type of big game hunting and those that don’t. There are MANY real hunters that are TOTALLY against this type of macho hunting. It’s sick IMO.
There are also those that kill coyotes and crows that they will never eat, and those that will only hunt for food.
These are very different types of hunters.
I’m sure five guys with Air Horns ($10 tops) could have scared off those elephants in one or two nights.
Did you know that when you kill one member of an elephant’s family you are supposed to kill the entire family, babies and all?
If not they will sit around crying for a couple weeks.
I agree with the Berryhill totally on this one and with the poster that said Bob Parsons is a dick.
BTW….how many stalks of corn were trampled in that video….maybe 30? Hell, Bob could have bought enough corn to feed that village for ten years without batting an eye.
@Alan ….If you are going to say that we are not allowed to pass judgment sitting all comfy in our American homes, then you can’t either by saying that we don’t know what it is like to live on $1 a day.
Do you? Have you ever lived on $1 a day? If not, by your own standards you can’t judge them either.
Elphants have a life span of about 50-60 years.
I wonder how long he lived before being surprised at night, trying to run off to avoid confrontation, and then get shot just because he was hungry like the African who lost some corn stalks?
Fu*kin’ A man….the more I think about this the madder I get.
So is it possible that thegodaddy girls could quit on him over this? Girls generally don’t like to stand or represent this sort of stuff. They have their own careers to worry about and now they represent the likes of this video.
what a complete a-hole!! elephants are majestic creatures and should not be killed for sport! i hope people think again before using his services from now on. i will never use godaddy again! Im sorry but I cant support this type of behavior. lets send a message loud and clear! if you have sites with godaddy move them to a different provider! I moved my sites today to ferngullygraphics for hosting at http://www.ferngullygraphics.com
I heard from a reliable source that Bob actually shot 7 elephants and paid $10k per elephant he shot!
Check out this funny video PETA made: http://meat.org
Loser give them a wall not kill them. Ass
Brad Pit and Angelina Jolie donate $2mil to a Namibia animal sanctuary but this genius just cant figure out a way to help these people without killing a bull elephant. Parson’s hubris is sickening. He is the great white American saving the day with his trusty gun. This guy makes me want to vomit…… on him.
“The time will come when men such as I, will look upon the murder of animals, as they now look upon the murder of men.” – Leonardo da Vinci.
Those who speak out against the killing of these elephants do a great service for all of us, even those too ignorant, or too cowardly, to speak, for they help to remind us of the importance of keeping watch.
Bravo to all those who stand up and shout.
The rest of you,(Parsons and fans)should be ashamed of yourselves.
Killing the elephant?
debatable.
video with godaddy hats for the villagers?
Tasteless.
andin either case, bad business decision. the NASCAR lovers may like Parsons, but percentagewise, they have just upset a large portion of their audience.. and it’s not just vegitarians that are of the opinion that this is in poor taste.
If Parsons makes a good PR move now, he can at least fix his boo-boo…
Donate $100,000 to the elephant foundation or something… Bob, you’ve gotten twenty times that in free PR.
Very simple. Why is there not enough food in the country, which was the breadbasket of Africa (a food exporter) until Mugabe took over?
Answer: Mugabe stealing productive farms from farmers and giving them to gunmen and henchmen as rewards.
Right solution to the hunger problem: Get rid of Mugabe and his thugs.
Wrong solution: Pay Mugabe and his thugs more money they don’t need for the right to shoot an elephant. Use the people thronging for the elephant meat as a sign that you are doing the right thing and “helping” them.
This is wrong on so many levels, and it has nothing to do with one’s position on hunting. If Bob really wants to help those people, why doesn’t he just shoot Mugabe and pose over that old bastard’s carcass?
With this video of killing an elephant, Bob Parsons comes out as a tasteless, heartless and shameless fellow.
@Kevin @Andrew
This won’t die down soon. It takes time and money to move several domains. godaddy fortune is sure going to take a dip this FY.
I just remembered another incident that Bob recovered fine from (although he did sort of apologize). He blogged about his views of torture.
In retrospect, Parsons’ actions since my blog post back then in 2005 prove my 6 year old post wrong:
https://domainnamewire.com/2005/09/07/the-godaddy-blog-over-the-top/
I have +-120 domains with Godaddy and I will transfer these. I will also not be registering with Godaddy again. I would rather use 123-reg or 101domians.
F-off Bob!
I have over 200 domains with Godaddy and will transfer each and every one of them. He can finance his future killing sprees with someone else’s money.
Andrew- he is paying the thug dictator of this counrty, do a little research into how much you pay for permits in this country to shoot an elephant.
Peta is a small part of this, he has pissed off me with thousands of domains with GoDaddy and from the outrage it is apparent ALOT OF PEOPLE thankfully do not feel like the ceo of a company with thousands of employees and millions of customers should be fighting a battle over shooting an elephant. The guys is a thug. (What sane 60 year old guy wears a $50,000 gaudy earing anyway.)
What about the total disrespect of his customers and employees. He is a CEO with thousands of employees and millions of customers, he has some responsibility to both.
I have seen several polls now showing about 80% saying they are against the CEO of Go Daddy shooting and videotaping the hunt (these were on news sites and not animal rights sites).
It would stand that at least 50 percent of his employees are against it and can not speak out at all (for fear of being hunted down by a Marine hit squad).
“The customer is always right” and it is apparent that instead of saying “hey I will take some of the reaction under advisement” he is instead fighting tooth and nail to disregard any opinion but his own on such a controversial subject.
Why take on such a controversial subject when you know it is going to offend many of your customers and employees putting many in a really bad decision.
Why? Because egomaniacs must always do highly controversial things so they are constantly put into a position of “assumed authority.”
He should spend another $50,000 and his great motivation to help this elephant who has been abused for years in the circus and lives a miserable life:
Video of Anne the elephant being beaten…
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/305092
A hidden camera has recorded footage of circus workers in the UK kicking a 57-year-old elephant, and striking her with a metal pitchfork.
Animal Defenders International (ADI) released footage from behind the scenes at the winter quarters of Bobby Roberts Super Circus, (in Polebrook, Northamptonshire) showing Anne, an Asian elephant, being repeatedly struck while tethered to the floor by a short chain. During a three-and-a-half week period 48 strikes were recorded.
Buy this Elephant Bob since you have such a kind heart.
“Modoc: The True Story of the Greatest Elephant That Ever Lived”
This is one of the greatest books I have ever read. I read this book in about 2 days…Its simply an incredible story with a dozen twists and turns over the course of the elephants life. They say 1 in 10,000 elephants is more special than other elephants…Modoc is one..If you read it let me know what you think:
[email protected]
The simply astonishing, exhilarating story–complete with high adventure, betrayal, and resurrection–of Modoc, elephant extraordinaire, told by Helfer (The Beauty of the Beasts, 1990). They were born on the same day, a hundred years back, in a Black Forest village: Bram Gunterstein, son of a circus animal trainer, and Modoc, an Indian elephant headed for big-top life with the Wunderzircus, a provincial troupe. Their love for each other develops early, when Bram is just a toddler and Modoc a youthful one-ton package, and Bram’s father on his deathbed councils Bram to watch after Modoc. That he does, and the tribulations and pleasures they share defy the imagination: The circus is sold out from under Bram to the sinister Mr. North; Bram stows away on the vessel transporting Modoc, leaving behind the girl of his dreams; discovered, Bram wins over the captain, but the ship sinks during a hurricane; Modoc and Bram float to the shores of India, where Bram learns further tools of the trade at the maharaja’s elephantarium; there he lives in a teak-built compound, tends to Modoc, and is honored to have an audience with the sacred white elephant; he woos and wins a woman from the village but is warned that North is on his trail. He strikes out with Modoc to the teak plantations of Burma, is captured by rebels, loses his wife, confronts North, journeys to the US and fashions a spectacular show for Modoc, wins back his earlier love, only to have the elephant sold out from under him again. Helfer (an animal trainer by trade) happens across Modoc and buys him in the 1970s, then Bram appears yet again. The story is told with a heart-tugging warmth that, granted, at times slips into Disney mode, but that feels credible: There is, amazingly enough, a truthful tang to the picaresque proceedings. One glorious pachyderm and one cracking story. (b&w photos, not seen)
This is one of the greatest books I have ever read. I read this book in about 2 days…Its simply an incredible story with a dozen twists and turns…
Allen,
I live in a family of hunters, used to be one myself.
Yes lots of people like to hunt but it takes a special class of brutality to shoot an elephant.
Most “hunters” draw the line at raping Africa of elephants.
Is this issue that he killed an elephant, or that he looks like a complete jerk doing it?
It is fascinating how emotional this gets people.
200,000 deer killed by hunters last year in NY State alone…and none of us really care.
One elephant and the world goes nuts…..
Ah well, Godaddy Sucks anyway. What Bob did was wrong, Peta at the end is just a client like me and like others.
Advertisement are made to attract people and one of the trick is “talk about it good or talk about it bad, the important is talking about it” so, as many of us will stop buying from Godaddy, many others will start buying from, so at the end Bob Parson will say “Who care, I will continue with my sh*t and people will love me more”.
Dammit……GoDaddy was my favoite registrar for many reasons.
Why did it have to be run by macho know-it-all that supports a sickening dictator.
Controversy gets attention. Its not like anyone would exploit controversy to promote their brand. Wait, I see what you did here…
Many more besides PETA are boycotting this coward’s company. What a slimeball.
Pete mentions that he has also killed a leopard? https://secure.peta.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=3643
And seems he has removed the video
http://www.video.me/ViewVideo.aspx?vid=501
What does the Good Daddy have to speak about the leopard hunt. Was the leopard a man-eater and the villagers asked him for help ?
When I first heard about this it bothered me but after looking into it I really don’t see the problem with it. Contrary to the opinion of some, the Elephant is not endangered and in fact several countries of Southern Africa have been forced to institute culling operations to keep their numbers in balance. If its not endangered and his money helps the locals and its approved why does it have to be that big of a deal.
All this talk is bullsht about Parsons:
He’s rich.
He can do 20 different things for the ‘starving villagers” besides kill elephants… (and this isn’t going away anytime soon).
Bob Parsons can give money to charities that will:
1) Build fences to keep the elephants out
2) Buy the villagers untold amounts of goats, pigs, chickens, cattle, sheep
3) Invest in solar products to bring energy to the villages to improve their lives
4) Give to elephant wildlife groups to relocate the elephants and save them…
In other words, Bob does what Bob wants as his nature dictates… and Bob is a thoughtless, misogynistic pig. If shooting a beloved animal of MILLIONS of people worldwide to “get publicity” is his game, then put in any term you want to describe his lack of soul.
Then keep registering your domains at Godaddy. They’re neat. When you’re rich and successful, you can pull off the dastardly deeds and still pull in the suckers who just wan their pockets filled.
Do you eat beef? Millions of Hindus worship them and its illegal to hurt them there yet we sloughter them on assembly lines here. Different places have different views on all animals. If helping the locals with one of their problems in a means that is regulated and allowed who are you to judge? Who cares if he is rich? He made himself rich and if that allows him to do something thats legal and he enjoys then why shouldn’t he do it. Estimates are there are up to 43 million hunters in America today and lots of them post there pictures of dead animals up somewhere.
@Jason
Hunting is fine. I love to hunt. I own guns. I am a liberal I think a lot of liberals support gun ownership and hunting. We believe you can’t be “equal” to any man if you don’t own a gun, unless dying is okay with you as you throw a plate at a burglar trying to protect your family.
However, hunters are smart too. They know you DON’T SHOOT ELEPHANTS. And if you’re rich, you are judged by what you give back. Going into a village, getting a boner by killing an elephant in the dark, and letting starving villagers eat the elephant while you gloat in your “self importance” because you “fed” them at the same time you got your jollies from killing a beloved animal, then you’re just a douchebag.
This isn’t a debate about which religions sects eat or don’t eat certain meats, this is about chest puffing, crotch faux-puffing, and bad taste. There are so many ways to give to help the needy, and posing by a dead elephant you shot in the dark using flashlights and a high powered rifle, well, that’s just pathetic.
@ Soul of An Elephant
“I am a liberal I think a lot of liberals support gun ownership and hunting.”
Um, I thought it was conservatives who like to hunt. That’s why Republicans are in bed with the NRA.
Aren’t you chest puffing on here? Isn’t that what you are doing? People posting on here to sound smart and important and tell about themselves. You don’t care about his views so why should anyone care about the ones you post.
@Jason: Once again let me state the blazingly obvious. Deer and cows are not endangered. Regardless of cultural customs, it’s humane to cull the herd.
And just because elephants are in Zimbabwe are classified under restricted ivory export doesn’t mean they’re not endangered.
Parsons killed a young female elephant and did this as a publicity stunt. Not to help villagers. There are much better ways to help the villagers and he knew that perfectly well.
Appendix I endangered species but in Zimbabwe it is listed as Appendix II. Zimbabwe has had some success in managing its elephant population, to the point where the animals are accused of being agricultural pests. The country exports some elephants and elephant parts legally, using the money for wildlife programs and local improvement
Also I don’t understand how this isn’t about religion. Hindus love cows. So if its about their religion it doesn’t count? Before you judge some else for what they are able to do because they have money look in a mirror. I would bet there is something you do on a smaller scale that is similar to what he did.
@Andrew
““I am a liberal I think a lot of liberals support gun ownership and hunting.”””””
“Um, I thought it was conservatives who like to hunt. That’s why Republicans are in bed with the NRA.”
Why would you think that only conservatives like to hunt? I don’t know anybody who buys into black and white descriptions of conservative or liberal platforms. Most of my friends are liberals, and have guns. The few conservatives I know do not. As far as the NRA, people across all political parties are members, and their main focus is on keeping the govt out of our gun closets.
Look at the liberal “leftist rebels” anywhere in the world, and you can disagree or agree with their politics, but I’ll guarantee you they are armed to some degree. Those “liberal” treehuggers are mainly against guns that are used for crime and starting wars, and useless killing of rare beloved animals, but they’ll use one to kill a bear charging at them in the forest while they’re hunting for mushrooms! (better hope it’s not taped and promoted as a marketing gimmick!).
@ Soul of An Elephant –
I was merely confused because the stereotype is conservatives being gun lovers, not liberals.
That said, I’ve met plenty of union members who were members of the NRA 🙂
Last one I will post. I found it under the search “what does elephant taste like.”
Elephant hunting is legal and it’s saving the great herds from poachers. Elephants, being extremely large animals with like sized appetites eat a tremendous amount of food. In a herd they can and do massive amounts of destruction to their habitat as they roam. They even knock down trees to eat the tender leaves at the tops of trees. Imagine what a large herd would do to your village corn or wheat field, if they leave your village standing, that is. You can now understand why natives poach. For meat, for ivory, and to kill the beasts that have just destroyed their annual harvest.
Currently in Africa, eco-tourism, hunting style, is what is saving the elephants. Elephant hunters pay big, big, fees for the privelege of risking his life against an elephant. He is required also to donate the meat to local villagers. In return for not clear cutting the forests and planting crops, part of the money goes towards the villagers, so that they can buy food. The rest goes to the government, who hires guards to protect the elephants against poachers and manage the herd’s size and health.
So clearly, here is another case where sport hunters, specifically trophy hunters, have saved their quarry from possible extinction. This is a win-win situation for the herds.
@Jason: Plus, an added benefit is that ecotourism financially supports Robert Mugabe’s regime.
Which implicitly supports his policies that follow the Cecil Rhodes doctrine, those where the best farmland was allocated to rich white landowners. While the poor villagers languished with communal property thereby creating endangerment to the habitat of elephants.
Glad you spent the time to think this issue through. It’s certainly a noble and worthwhile effort.
Its a good thing you don’t look into the items you buy like gas it would probably really upset you that you support some pretty bad people. Same with probably quite a bit of your clothing is produced with forced child labour in India and China. Maybe the fish you ate last week that you bought at walmart was caught by the slave ships over in Asia. That money goes right in their pocket and no good comes from it. At least some of the money does go to protecting and managing the elephants in that area. If you look at the numbers there it works. Hey but I’m sure you know whats best and not the people over there. In case you were interested elephant tastes like gamey Elk or Caribou not chicken.
https://domainnamewire.com/2011/04/08/bob-parsons-threatens-copyright-infringement-over-elephant-hunting-videos/
It is definitely so that when such men to shoot animals, they have nothing in his pants. Internally and small-minded and primitive. To compensate for this, a weak to believe. And then with a rifle, so cowardly. The animal has no chance. But to fight fair, because these lack the courage to Piss.
Most of these comments are right on, but some of you … I don’t get it …. BOB has the money to study this problem. If he truly wanted to help these people, he could have hired hundreds of people to study and solve the issue … but he didn’t do that. It would not have included scenes of him shooting and shouting … it would have been a truly honorable thing to HELP these people.
Bob exploited them, and that elephant.
I moved ALL of my business away from Godaddy, I told them why and when the Godaddy rep told me there is always another side to the story, I told him that the elephant cannot tell her side. That’s all that matters to me. There is one dead elephant at the hands of a crazy rich s.o.b.
My business is going elsewhere and you Bob, are why. I moved 423 names. Not a ton of money, but a nice message for ole’ bob.
Cole Taylor
I will continue to give them my business. Personally, I would love to go to Africa and shoot an elephant.
@Fearon
The best is when you can book a family package and kill a whole family of elephants, kids and all.
After all, you have to kill the kids too and the elephant’s mate or they will just sit around the dead elephant crying and mourning for two or more weeks (this is a true fact).
So, my advise is to get the family package and kill ’em all for about $50,000.
Best part of it is it brings out your hidden inner macho man, that is, the glorious triumph of man having conquered beast by gun! Also, let’s not forget the baby elephants taste yummy.
So off you go to prove to yourself you are a “real man”! 🙂
All this talk about young elephants is making me hungry. They are probably so tender when cooked properly. Thank you for posting your creative and important message.
@ozcanj
They key is, while they cry over their dead parents, to slit the throats and drain all the blood of the babies very quickly after killing them, so that the adrenaline does not get circulated in the body and taint the meat. Otherwise it will have a strong iron taste.
It’s the only way to eat an very intelligent animal with an astounding memory.
As a side note, did you know cows cry also when lined up at slaughterhouses? They actually know they are going to die. 🙂
When I worked in Australia on a cattle farm I had to bleed a cow. It was a lot of hard work. After we had slit his throat I had to hold its tail up and pump the blood out for half an hour. Works well though. It didn’t cry but the meat was wonderful.
I also make an awesome beef tenderloin. Cook it in the smoker. We are made to eat meat so if we are going to eat it we should at least do the animal honour by cooking it properly