Okay, NO BULL!

[sooZen]

I am pretty disturbed this morning as the first thing I read on the news is that the CEO of GoDaddy, Bob Parsons shot an elephant in Zimbabwe. Now, as many of you that know me KNOW, I am first and foremost an advocate for creatures that inhabit this planet. Shrinking habitat is the main reason for the extinction and the endangering of animals on this planet. Bob's defense is that he was doing the starving villagers a favor as their crops are what keeps them alive. When you see the faces of the children in that village you certainly have to sympathize with them.

Now, honestly, I came from a family of hunters (I have spoken of this in other journal entries) and have no problem with deer hunting or elk hunting or duck hunting or any hunting that does not involve a threatened species but an elephant? If you are the least in the know, you know that elephants are truly amazing creatures, family oriented, long memories and histories, ability to communicate in complex languages, and one of the most threatened creatures as far as habitat in the world.

But, knowing all this and after reading as much as I could about what happened, the situation, it is incumbent upon me to speak up in some small way about what happened in Zimbabwe. Bob certainly believes he did the right thing in saving those villagers crops which were raided nightly, despite the villages best efforts in scaring the large creatures away using methods sanctioned by the wildlife authorities and PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.) The situation is certainly complex as I said but the bottom line is that the reason the elephants were raiding this particular village is the villagers had encroached upon lands that originally were the elephants range and home. Why? Because they are poor, uneducated and starving and whatever it takes to feed your children, you will do. I would do if my children were starving, I would do anything it took to feed my family, and wouldn't you?

After saying this and knowing this, I have to say - Elephants are a threatened species and where they can and cannot exist is shrinking fast. Humans are not a threatened species, they are the threatening species and endanger the life forms on this planet including themselves if they (we, me, us) don't get our populations under control, educate the masses and deal with poverty in emerging countries. That is the truth according to many big headed and minded scientists.

Our religions are partly to blame, yes indeed for they hold that all life is sacred as long as it is human and that all other life forms on this planet is for our use and abuse. But buddy, how long can that last? Can you make a polar bear, a harp seal, a tiger, or an elephant? No, of course, no body can and every thing on this planet is connected, we are all connected and what happens to the elephants will surely happen to us eventually. I have no problem with anyone believing in who or what they want to, go for it! But I do have a problem with such ignorance that eliminates all other lives and beings on this planet for the sake of a mass of people that have no idea of the connectedness of every living creature and how their existence is tied to our very existence.

I eat birds and fish and if you eat meat, go ahead eat it but be aware of what and who you are eating and how it got to the store and onto your table. Be aware of what you do and the consequences of your actions.

And what difference will one bull elephant make. He is not the leader of the elephant clan as that is a matriarchal society but he was someone's son, someone's father, someone's beloved and don't think elephants don't know when someone in the tribe dies, they most certainly do. One of Bob's justifications was that it was a bull elephant and not a cow. And, truthfully the death of this elephant by the CEO of one of the powerful corporations in this country may not be in vain. This bull who was slaughtered and gratefully and greedily eaten by villagers sporting GoDaddy caps and tees may be a bell ringer. It certainly got me to thinking this morning.

I cannot now in all good consciousness support GoDaddy anymore and for me that is HUGE. GoDaddy is a sponsor of Dale Junior's race team, they are on the hood of Danica Patrick's car, the hood of Mark Martin's car. I am a big Nascar fan and love those drivers but I must do what I think is the morally right thing and let my feelings and support go to boycotting GoDaddy, Bob Parsons, CEO and the teams that have GoDaddy on the cars. Not a big thing, just a tiny voice but every voice becomes a trickle, a stream, a river, an ocean until it is a cacophony of voices.

A letter will be written letting my feelings be known of my disapproval. I have huge sympathies with those villagers. But my heart belongs to the elephants and their shrinking world. People are everywhere and if we don't get ourselves under control we will go the way of that one bull elephant.

PLEASE NOTE, this video is graphic and is actually Bob Parson's video of the event. Be forewarned. I have seen it many times and the masses of villagers swarming over the kill just says that where that one bull went, many are sure to follow. Consider that the money that Parsons spent on this expedition could have fed those villagers for much longer than one elephant. He was and is justifying his wanting a bull elephant trophy. If he wants to save Zimbabwe and the people, he should put his money where his gun is...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_C36ZhACuE