‘Crazy Russian’ rakes in millions arranging hunts of endangered animals

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Referred to as the “crazy Russian”, George Ragozin, 45, makes more than one-and-a-half-million dollars a year arranging hunting tours so that his wealthy clients can hunt exotic animals including endangered species. Are you feeling sick yet?

According to the Daily Mail, his clients can kill elephants, rhinos and lions and enjoy room, food, wine and daily laundry services. A ten-day hunting package starts at $5,000 which includes hunting a  wild wildebeest. Different exotic animals cost more money. Say you’re in the mood to hunt a zebra – fork out $21,000. Feel like killing a lion for $34,000, and the charges keep increasing as the species in the world decreases.

Now to get into the expensive killings. Want to shoot a white rhino  or an elephant? For five days, that hunt will cost some cowardly, rich hunter $55,000. That’s still not the ultimate hunting experience however. Ragozin will sell a hunter a week-long hunt for black rhinoceros for $550,000 – critically endangered animals. What the heck says Ragozin, who is of the conscience or lack thereof who claims killing wild exotic animals is good for them and benefits the wild animal population.

Ironically, Ragozin was trained as a doctor, so one would think he valued life no matter what the species, but the “crazy Russian” is all about the money, lamenting he didn’t make much of an income while being a physician. He now lives in South Africa and claims his trips are booked up to 2020. He claims his safaris in Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Burkina Faso and Namibia  are all licensed and legal. Ragozin recently came into the spotlight after photos of his children – younger than teens were photographed on kills with him. Critics claimed he was encouraging children as young as eight-years-old, to hunt by charging them $5.00 a bullet to kill wild animals.

It is important to note the African elephant population has decreased more than 30% in the last ten years. A hundred years ago, the elephant population stood at ten million. Currently it is estimated to be only 400,000 left. According to the World Wildlife Organization, southern white rhinos in Africa are still alive in protected sanctuaries and are classified as near threatened. The western black rhino and the northern white rhinos have recently gone extinct. The only three remaining white rhinos are protected under 24/7 guard in Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya.

Explain to us how hunting benefits the world wildlife population? Ragozin is a member of the Professional Hunters Association of South Africa, the Safari Club International and the International Professional Hunters Association. He is also friends with Sergey Yastrzhembsky, a former spokesperson to Vladimir Putin.

(Photos of Ragozin and endangered animals via website and screenshots Daily Mail)

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Nearly 90 elephants killed at Botswana sanctuary for their tusks

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In a protected Botswana sanctuary, the bodies of 87 elephants, stripped of their tusks have been killed these past few weeks. According to the conservation group, Elephants Without Borders, five rare white rhinos were poached and killed in the same area.

“People did warn us of an impending poaching problem and we thought we were prepared for it,” stated Mike Chase, a spokesperson for the nonprofit organization.

According to the BBC,  Botswana is home to the largest elephant population in the world, however the population has declined by 30 percent in the last decade because of poaching. Most of the elephants live in legally protected areas. The dead animals were discovered near the Okavango Delta wildlife area – a popular tourist destination for viewing elephants and other endangered wildlife.

Tragically, the increase in poaching has occurred just one month after President Mokgweetsi Masisi took office in Botswana and disarmed the poaching units in May.

“… the government has decided to withdraw military weapons and equipment from the Department of Wildlife and National Parks.”

No explanation was ever given in an area where a shoot to kill policy against poachers prevailed. Now it’s become open season for poachers where the world’s largest elephant population still live, according to Dr. Chase.

(Photos via screenshots Elephants Without Borders and BBC News)

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Three poachers out to kill rhinos eaten by pride of hungry lions

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The scattered remains of three poachers sneaking into the Sibuya Game Reserve in Eastern Province, South Africa to slaughter rhinos were found on Tuesday  and assumed to have been eaten by a pride of hungry lions.

According to Newsweek, police made the grim discovery in the area of the lion camp. A head and bloodied body parts were recovered next to three pairs of empty shoes. A staff helicopter has been searching the area for more hunters, and it is not known if they are dead or alive.

“… They came heavily armed with hunting rifles and axes which we have recovered and enough food to last them for several days so we suspect they were after all of our rhino here,” stated the reserve’s owner Nick Fox. “They were clearly intent on killing rhinos and cutting off their horns. But the lions are our watchers and guardians and they picked the wrong pride and became a meal.”

The game reserve is one of the most popular vacation and wildlife viewing attractions in the Eastern Cape. The reserve is home to rhinos,  lions, elephants, buffalo and leopards. In 2016, the reserve was attacked by poachers who killed three rhinos and cut off their horns.

This time the animals won.

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Hunter shoots elephant in Zimbabwe fitted with radio collar

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A huge bull elephant was shot dead by a Russian trophy hunter in Zimbabwe, even though the animal had been wearing a radio collar universally known as a research tag and considered unethical to shoot. The elephant, known as a “big tusker” because of the size of his tusks, was killed last month outside the Gonarezhou National Park.

According to the African Geographic,  the elephant had been collared for research purposes and known by the entire hunting party which included a government ranger and two trackers, however all of the men stated they had not noticed the device until after the animal was killed.

The Frankfurt Zoological Society, who collared this and other elephants for research purposes, issued a statement about the disturbing incident:

“There is no law that protects a collared animal from being hunted in Zimbabwe, but there is general acceptance that the ethical position is that a hunter will avoid shooting an animal with a collar. The data from this bull has been captured and will help us with our ongoing efforts to find solutions, together with our local and international partners, to conservation questions in a world where the challenges to find space for wildlife and their habitats are becoming ever more complicated.”

One year ago, National Geographic reported a 50-year-old African elephant named Satao II had been found dead while feeding in the eastern region of Tsavo Trust in Kenya. The elephant was believed to have been poisoned by an arrow for his immense tusks; Satao II tusks weighed 112 and 111 pounds each. The two poachers were arrested and never allowed to sell the tusks for the illegal ivory markets.

There are only 25 of the “big tuskers” believed to be alive in all of Africa, and it is thought these animals could go extinct in our lifetime. Female elephants prefer mating with the older males, meaning the “tuskers” are needed for the preservation of the species. The highly socialized animals respect the senior members of the herds – these are the very animals who teach the younger elephants their social and survival skills.

What else is trophy hunting about besides greed?

Read about more big game hunting horror.

(Photo of hunter shot elephant in Zimbabwe via FB La voix des animaux)

 

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Despite Trump calling big game hunting ‘horror’ council promotes killing

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On Friday, a federal government council met for the first time to begin efforts to advise Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke on how to improve public awareness concerning the benefits of big game hunting here and abroad; addressing the controversial hunting of African elephants, rhinos and lions.

According to AbcNews,  the council originating in November and now referred to as the  International Wildlife Conservation Council, purpose is to provide recommendations and public awareness when it comes to animal preservation and the economic benefits of wealthy big game hunters traveling abroad to snag a trophy animal. What the council didn’t mention, however is the majority of the 16 council members have a connection to trophy hunting or groups that advocate for hunting as a way to support conservation.

The Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) recently announced that it will now consider permits for elephant hunt trophies from African nations on a “case by case basis” – reversing President Trump’s earlier promises to maintain a ban on the practice. Each case, either to grant or deny permits to import sport hunted animals, will be on a “case-by-case-basis.” The department stated it will consider all information first prior to issuing permits relating to risk assessments of species vulnerability. The service also announced it will withdraw a number of ESA findings dating back to 1995 relating to African elephant trophies, bontebok and lions from African nations.

According to the database for government advisory committees, six of the member are active “U.S, hunters actively engaged in international and/or domestic hunting conservation.” Other members have affiliations with pro hunting organizations such as the Safari Club International described as having 50,000 members and advocating:

 “hunters dedicated to protecting the freedom to hunt. SCI has more than 50,000 members and 180 local chapters.”

Other committee members have a connection to firearm manufactures or the National Rifle Association. Advocacy groups call the council biased which does not include anyone with scientific expertise in the conservation of  animals. In addition, Zinke is an avid hunter and continues to expand hunting and fishing opportunities on United States public lands. The recommendations are expected to include:

“recommending removal of barriers to the importation of barriers into the U.S. of legally hunted wildlife, resuming the legal trade of those items where appropriate and streamlining import permits.”

President Trump has previously spoken out against hunting, after photos of his eldest sons, Don Jr. and Eric, posing with trophies, provoked criticism. When a photo of Don Jr. holding a severed elephant tail went viral over social media, Trump addressed the issue on Twitter in March 2012.

“I’m not a hunter and don’t approve of killing animals. I strongly disagree with my sons who are hunters, but they acted legally and did what lots of hunters do,” Trump wrote.

In a statement on Thursday, President Trump has evidently done a complete about face; with Zinke stating the president is 100% in agreement. According to the New York Daily News,  council member, Steven Chancellor, a longtime Republican fundraiser, killed 500 animals including lions, leopards, elephants and two rhinos. In 2016, Chancellor filed for a federal permit to bring home skin, skull, teeth and claws from another male lion he intended to hunt in Zimbabwe. Chancellor also hosted a fundraiser for then candidate Trump and Mike Pence – pulling up to Chancellor’s mansion stood a pair of gilded lions.

“A review by the Associated Press found that the board is stacked with trophy hunters, including some members with direct ties to President Trump’s family, despite federal laws requiring that advisory committees be ‘fairly balanced.'”

And when one thinks it can’t get any worse, another appointee to the council is Chris Hudson, a lawyer and past president of the Dallas chapter of the Safari Club. Hudson attracted international attention in 2014 after filing a lawsuit for his client Corey Knowlton,  whose winning bid in a club of $350,000, allowed him to shoot an endangered black rhinoceros in Namibia. In 1995, there were only 2,410 black rhinos left in the world. Thanks to conservation projects, 2015 statistics extimate across Africa their current population has increased to between 5,042 and 5,458 individuals. Knowlton sued Delta Air Lines over its refusal to ship the carcass back to the United States.

Council member, Keith Mark had been hunting with Donald Trump Jr., prior to being appointed.

 Dr. Walter Palmer of Minnesota shot and killed a male lion wearing a radio collar named Cecil. Advocates claim the lion was lured out of the sanctuary area by food, shot with an arrow and suffered for eight to ten hours before he was killed and relieved of his suffering.

Lawsuits from advocacy groups demanding documents relating to the creation of the council have been filed this week.

Read previous coverage here.

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Trump administration reversing promise to ban elephant hunt trophies into US

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The Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) announced that it will now consider permits for elephant hunt trophies from African nations on a “case by case basis” – reversing President Trump’s earlier promises to maintain a ban on the practice.

On Thursday, the FWS issued a memorandum stating it is withdrawing the 2017 Endangered Species Act (ESA) findings for trophies of elephants from Zimbabwe and Zambia, “effective immediately.”

“The findings are no longer effective for making individual permit determinations for imports of sport-hunted African elephant trophies.”

Each case, either to grant or deny permits to import sport hunted animals, will be on a “case-by-case-basis.” The department stated it will consider all information first prior to issuing permits relating to risk assessments of species vulnerability. The service also announced it will withdraw a number of ESA findings dating back to 1995 relating to African elephant trophies, bontebok and lions from African nations.

The decision to withdraw the FWS findings followed a court decision in December from an Obama era ruling  that banned the importing of elephant hunting trophies from Zimbabwe. The D.C. Circuit Court ruled the Obama administration did not follow the correct procedures banning elephant trophy hunting. Following that ruling, however President Trump had decided to turn the order around stating:

“I didn’t want elephants killed and stuffed and have the tusks brought back into this country, and people can talk all they want about preservation and all of the things that they’re saying where money goes towards, well, money was going in that case, going to a government which was probably taking the money.OK?”

Despite what President Trump said, apparently he has changed his mind. An “International Wildlife Conservation Council” has now been established “to advise the Secretary of the Interior on the benefits that international recreational hunting has on foreign wildlife and habitat conservation.”

Hunters had criticized Trump’s decision to delay ending the ban and placed the blame on “hysterical anti-hunters and news media outlets. According to The Hill, wealthy hunters from the Safari Club launched into overdrive contending how much they appreciated Zimbabwe’s elephant protection program paving the way for rich hunters to kill elephants. Americans, the largest population of hunters, pay up to $20,000 for each permit.

It is interesting to note, however that the Interior Department Secretary Ryan Zinke is an avid hunter and trophy collector. There has been no legitimate proof supporting the claims that killing elephants is good for the species. One has to really wonder how much these trophy hunters will make on the profit selling the ivory tusks of the elephants they kill? The Humane Society of the United States contends many problems still remain with Zimbabwe’s elephant management plan, including corruption, lack of government support and poaching.

“Let’s be clear: elephants are on the list of threatened species; the global community has rallied to stem the ivory trade; and now, the U.S. government is giving American trophy hunters the green light to kill them,” wroteWayne Pacelle, former organization’s president and CEO stated in November, 2017.

Poaching elephants in Zimbabwe has resulted in a decrease in the elephant population. This is also the country where Cecil the Lion was illegally tracked, pierced with an arrow, suffered and then killed by an American hunter.

(Photo by Daniel McBride)

Read previous coverage on this report.

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Trump expresses doubt about overturning policy allowing elephant trophies in U.S.

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On Sunday evening, President Trump expressed more doubt about overturning the previous 2014 policy enacted by President Obama concerning big game and elephant trophies shot for sport to be imported into the United States.

Donald J. Trump ✔ @realDonaldTrump

Big-game trophy decision will be announced next week but will be very hard pressed to change my mind that this horror show in any way helps conservation of Elephants or any other animal.

Trump is apparently questioning whether this “horror show” would actually be of benefit to the conservation of any animal. The United States Fish and Wildlife argue that encouraging rich big game hunters to kill the endangered species, would help raise money for preservation programs. On the government website, applications were made available, and the announcement already had been posted; much to the outrage of animal rights advocates, environmental groups and even Republican lawmakers who support animal advocacy and protection. The website included a notice that permitting parts of elephants to be brought back to the United States from Zimbabwe and Zambia would raise money for the animals’ future conservation after their research. No convincing research results have ever been made available.
On Friday, Trump tweeted he would review the policy with avid hunter and Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke:
Donald J. Trump ✔ @realDonaldTrump

Put big game trophy decision on hold until such time as I review all conservation facts. Under study for years. Will update soon with Secretary Zinke. Thank you!

In smaller print, the policy also rolled back protections for African lions, releasing new guidelines that would allow hunters to bring back trophies from Africa.

And for those wondering how this 2014 rollback began, the Safari Club International and the National Rifle Association sued to block the ban. Last week, the deputy director of the FWS, Greg Sheehan made the announcement, during the organization sponsored African Wildlife Consultative Forum in Tanzia, which had been hosted by the Safari Club and Tanzania.   The Safari Club’s political action committees donated $24,500 to Trump’s presidential campaign and Zinke’s 2014 and 2016 congressional campaigns, according to Federal Election Commission data.

In response to  Trump’s suspension, the Safari Club sent out a “call to arms,” encouraging hunters to contact Trump and Zinke and “tell them how much you appreciate the efforts of the Fish & Wildlife Service to remove barriers to sustainable use conservation for African wildlife” with the group calling out “hysterical anti-hunters and news media outlets.”  The FWS continues to defend its position as “part of a robust United States conservation strategy that seeks to eliminate poaching and associated wildlife trafficking.”

Rep. Ed Royce (R-Calif.), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, also reached out to the President stating the current unrest in Zimbabwe lends no confidence in the government prudently directing any funding through appropriate channels. In addition, African elephants have been listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act since 1978. It remains to be seen how killing endangered species adds to their survival.

Read previous article here.

(Photo of elephant trophies Change.org)

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Elephant and lion trophies brought back to U.S. legal again says Trump

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In another reversal of an Obama policy, prohibiting the importation of endangered animals back to the United States, has been overturned by the Trump administration. The restrictions were put in place to discourage the hunting and poaching of animals that are on the threatened species and who have been targeted for their ivory. In 2015, the Fish and Wildlife Service suspended the import of trophy hunted elephants citing the lack of any statistics relevant to conservation efforts.

On Wednesday, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service announced that it will allow trophy hunters to legally bring back their killed wildlife, which now removes restrictions on permits. In a newly created arm of the Department of the Interior, the International Wildlife Conservation Council states it wants to bring:

“…economic benefits that result from U.S. citizens traveling to foreign nations to engage in hunting.”

The IWCC contends overturning the previous rules will benefit “human populations.” There is no supporting research to accompany this latest “conservation” platitude, yet the council states that hunting in Zimbabwe and Zambia will help their conservation efforts. In support of the latest policy is the National Rifle Association’s Institute for Legislative Action executive director, Chris Cox:

“This is a significant step forward in having hunting receive the recognition it deserves as a tool of sound wildlife management, which has been all but buried in the previous administration.”

ABCNews reports the government has not actually announced the policy change yet, but it was  announced at a wildlife forum in South Africa this week, according to Safari Club International, which filed a lawsuit to block the 2014 ban.

Donald Trump Jr. and his brother Eric Trump are big game hunters and have posted many photos of their hunting exploits, including posing with an elephant’s severed tail and a leopard drawing the ire of animal advocates and humane organizations worldwide. The brothers continue to take hunting trips although they have not been posting their photos. According to Buzz Feed, Trump Jr. ditched his Secret Service protection  in September to go hunting in the Canadian wilderness. He calls hunting “a great way to see the world,” and is pictured holding an elephant’s tail he had just severed.

And if you’re wondering where else all this is coming from, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, whose department includes the Fish and Wildlife Service, he speaks of remembering the days he went on family hunting trips and now wants more families to experience. After installing the arcade game called “Big Buck Hunter” in the department’s cafeteria, he had this to say:

“Some of my best memories are hunting and fishing with my dad and granddad, and then later teaching my own kids to hunt and fish. That’s something I want more families to experience.”

For most Americans, it is hard to forget the Minnesota dentist Walter Palmer who shot Cecil the Lion in Zimbabwe, sparking an outrage for killing one of the most beloved African lion that some say his hunting group lured away from the sanctuary with food just so the lion could be shot; that safari hunt for Cecil cost Palmer $50,000 and months of ridicule and criticism.

As for the elephants in Zimbabwe, their population continues to decline, and in the past hunters have always chosen to chase the healthiest and the largest elephants to garner a more impressive trophy.

Most Americans oppose big game hunting and say it should be illegal. In response to this latest government reversal, Wayne Pacelle, president of the Humane Society of the United States responded with the following, citing Zimbabwe politics:

“This jarring announcement comes on the same day that global news sources report that Mr. Mugabe, Zimbabwe’s aging dictator, is under house arrest following a military coup. This fact in and of itself highlights the absurdity and illegal nature of the FWS decision to find that Zimbabwe is capable of ensuring that elephant conservation and trophy hunting are properly managed. During the last two years, poachers in the country have poisoned several dozen elephants, including young calves.”

Pacelle continues:

“Government officials cash in by capturing elephant calves who are still dependent on their mothers and exporting them to China for use in zoos. Perhaps not surprisingly, a hunting outfitter advertised elephant hunts in Zimbabwe as soon as the SCI announcement was made public. It’s a venal and nefarious, pay-to-slay arrangement that Zimbabwe has set up with the trophy hunting industry.”

“Let’s be clear: elephants are on the list of threatened species; the global community has rallied to stem the ivory trade; and now, the U.S. government is giving American trophy hunters the green light to kill them.”

Read the previous article about Cecil the Lion.

(Photo courtesy of Dan McBride)

(Additional photo of Trump holding tail via Facebook)

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Rhino fights back: Turns tables and injures suspected poacher

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In what has been called a “reversal of fortune” one rhino fought back last week in the southwest African nation of Namibia. When animal poaching seems to be at its worst, local media reported one “appeared from nowhere” to turn the tables on a suspected poacher. This time it was rhino – “1” and poacher – “0.”

According to Sky News, the  incident occurred in Etosha National Park after poaching suspect Luteni Muharukua and his accomplices illegally entered the wildlife preserve intending to kill rhinos for their horns. Rhino horns are not made of bone; they are made of keratin, a protein also found in hair and fingernails; the horns will grow back if trimmed. Every year or two South African rhino farmers tranquilize their animals with darts and trim the horns, secure the valuable products in a vault and hope someday it will become legal again to sell. Poachers kill the rhinos and sever their horns off to sell on the black market for astronomical money.

Police Officer Simson Shilongo stated the rhino chased him, inflicting a serious injury to the man’s leg. Muharukua fled and hid in the nearby mountains and was arrested one day after the incident.

Within the last few weeks, 36 suspects between the ages of 22 and 40 have been arrested on rhino poaching charges.

The National Geographic reports South Africa is home to nearly 70 percent of the 29,500 rhinos left on Earth; a sizable decrease from several hundred thousand in Africa during the 1800s before human settlements grew. Of the rhinos five species remaining are: the white rhino, with some 20,400 remaining; the black, with 5,250; the greater one-horned; the Sumatran; and the Javan.  South Africa’s Private Rhino Owners Association owns 6,200 of the species, and they are used commercially for photographic safaris, legal hunting, horn production, and breeding.

On the black market in South Africa, the horn of the white rhino sells for up to $3,000 a pound, and in Asia it sells for many times over that price and used as status symbols and traditional medicines.

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Poachers brutally attack rhino orphanage

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On Monday, Thula Thula Rhino Orphanage (FTTRO), built to rescue baby rhinos and other animals, after their mothers were killed for their horns by poachers, was attacked by a group of men who broke into the protected property. The rescue, located in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, was subjected to an egregious attack on the staff including one woman who had been sexually assaulted and others savagely beaten. Then the attackers turned their cruelty to the baby rhinos – two were left dead after their horns were hacked off.thula Thula rhino

According to the Thula Thula Rhino Orphanage Facebook page, authorities have been on the move apprehending those suspected of the heinous deeds.

“Yesterday SAPS successfully intercepted and arrested two suspected rhino poachers in Ermelo. One .458 rifle and ammunition recovered. Suspects brought back to KZN as they are believed to have been involved in recent Thula Thula Rhino Orphanage incident. In a separate arrest, in a joint operation, Ezemvelo and SAPS Rhino 7 successfully arrested on suspected rhino poacher and seized a .375 rifle and ammunition.”

Swift action by law enforcement !!! We will keep everyone informed as we receive updates.”Thula thula rhino 4

Eighteen-month-old Rhino babies Impi and Gugu had their horns chopped off. Gugu was killed instantly, but Impi survived, only to have to be euthanized the next morning because of his injuries. The rhinos had been due to have their horns surgically removed next week to protect them from the ivory traders. Founder of the orphanage Karen Trendler spoke about the attack on Facebook:

“…Your worst fear is that one of the rhinos … is going to be shot. That worst nightmare was realized, and then on top of that to have your team brutally assaulted is just beyond comprehension.”

Allison Thomson, founder of Outraged South African Citizens Against Rhino Poaching, stated she felt utterly heartbroken and “totally gutted.”

“It is increasingly difficult for those who care and have been trying to fight the war against rhino poaching, to carry on under these circumstances. Conservationists, private rhino owners, rangers, anti-poaching staff and vets have all revealed the heartbreak and tears behind their struggle.”thula thula rhino 2

Tragically the calves had all suffered anxiety and undue separation when they were very young after losing their mothers. In the wild, calves stay very close to their moms for anywhere between two and four years.  The orphanage, managed by Lawrence Anthony Earth Organization began in 2001 with two baby rhinos named Thabo and Ntombi. The two were eventually released into the protected reserve and continue to live in natural habitats. Even their lives have been threatened, and keeping the animals safe, has been a vigilant job. In one poaching attempt, Thabo was shot in the leg. His recovery period took more than a year before he could be released.

The team wants to let animal advocates and supporters of the orphanage to know they are not giving up nor giving in to these terrible attacks. The latest Facebook post on the Thula Thula Rhino Orphanage page reflects their hope:

“Good morning to all our followers. It has been a relatively calm evening at the orphanage. The team is still understandably under a lot of stress, but are showing amazing resilience and unwavering dedication to seamlessly care for the remaining orphans. All the babies are doing well, including chubby little Charlie and our ever vigilant, Duma. We are humbled by all the messages of support as well as donations that have been streaming in from all over the world. Again, if we are slow to respond, please be patient… we will get there.

Our management team and security consultants have been working around the clock to discuss extra security measures and support authorities with the ongoing investigation. In the coming weeks we will keep all our followers informed of the situation.”

A fundraiser to help the baby rhinos can be found here.

Photos courtesy of Thula Thula Rhino Orphanage Facebook page.

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Check out the video of baby rhinos playing with their canine friend: