A British pensioner has travelled the world to kill hundreds of animals for ‘fun’ and ‘prizes’. The Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting exposed ex-businessman Malcolm King’s excessive slaughtering of animals – including of endangered species – on 17 March.
As the campaign reveals, King has won numerous awards for his killing from Safari Club International (SCI). But the only accolade the British public appears willing to give him is as the country’s biggest scumbag.
Murder ‘Oscars’
According to the Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting, King has:
killed hundreds of animals in 5 continents, and is considered to be among the world’s ‘elite’ in the global trophy hunting industry.
SCI is a large hunting advocacy organisation that literally makes a killing out of the practice:
The campaign’s investigation found that SCI has given King 36 top awards. To merit these prizes, the pensioner would have had to kill a combined total of 528 animals. However, some of his kills may have counted towards more than one award. So the actual number of animals dead at King’s hand may be fewer. But African ‘Big Game’, wild cats and bears are certainly among them, as are gazelles, deer and sheep.
In a press release, the campaign’s founder, Eduardo Gonçalves, said:
Malcolm King has travelled to every corner of the globe to shoot animals for amusement… Very few hunters anywhere have amassed so many of the industry’s obscene ‘Oscars’. Malcolm King is Britain’s ‘Walter Palmer’. The difference is he’s shot more animals than the killer of Cecil the Lion.
People will be shocked to learn that CITES [the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species] – the global convention meant to protect wildlife – permits trophy hunters to kill lions, elephants and rhinos for ‘fun’.
Zero not hero
King’s actions did indeed shock a number of people. In particular, they found SCI’s awards for such behaviour appalling:
https://twitter.com/mattyj10ando/status/1107207063573270528
The wanker won 36 awards for hiding behind a tree and shooting an unsuspecting animal 500 yards away? What a fucking hero!
— KTMusic (@KeithTheodosiou) March 17, 2019
@SafariClubIntl this is horrible! #BanTrophyHunting #AnimalCruelty 💔 why is this fun? Sicko!
— Lisa (@LisaHunkler) March 17, 2019
Many also suggested that King’s actions reveal a lot about his character:
Don't confuse a hero with a zero. To kill an animal because he can, or for bragging rights, diminishes a man's worth to less than zero. That person is worth less than what you shake out of a baby's diaper.
— Roseanne Walsh (@RoseanneIam) March 17, 2019
It's horrific that a retired businessman like Malcolm King can't find a more creative use for his time than taking pleasure in killing wild animals.
— Peter Egan (@PeterEgan6) March 17, 2019
I suspect the headline would sum this individual up better if it had said;
'Retired, sadistic British Wan*er who brings shame on the UK for being one of the World's most prolific murderers of innocent life'#endtrophyhunting #trophyhunting— Paul Duncan (@PaulDuncan67) March 17, 2019
A proud killer
Since the campaign made King’s exploits public, the 74-year-old has tried to defend his actions. King, who now reportedly lives in Jersey, denies that he’s a ‘trophy hunter’. Rather, he prefers to be called a ‘huntsman’ and claims he’s now retired. He also said of hunting that “there is nothing wrong if done ethically and legally”.
As the British public’s reactions show, however, King and SCI are in the minority on this issue. Most people believe it’s terribly wrong to kill wild animals – including endangered species – for ‘sport’. But the UK government is dragging its heels over taking any action against it. As Gonçalves explains:
The UK government is a laggard when it comes to protecting vulnerable wildlife… France, Holland and Australia have all banned lion trophies. Our government has done a u-turn on promises to do the same.
The “biological annihilation” of wildlife over the past few decades has triggered the world’s sixth mass extinction event. Yet the powers that be still allow trophy hunting, which Gonçalves says is doing “untold damage” to endangered species.
For the future of life on earth, this has to end. Naming and shaming the reckless individuals and organisations involved in the sick ‘sport’ will help us get there. Keep them coming.
Featured image via YouTube – The Humane Society of the United States
