Bloody Hobby: 9 Famous Trophy Hunters Who Kill for Fun

Despite the fact that people no longer need to hunt to survive, shooting wild animals still thrives in the world. Most hunters chase trophies - exotic animals - lions, elephants, bears and others to show off their strength and skill. A bloody hobby is not cheap, so mostly rich people go on safaris and trips to distant countries with a gun. Thousands of animals die from their hands every year, which are on the verge of extinction.

Animal rights advocates constantly raise the topic of killing lions, elephants, tigers and other rare wild animals for the purpose of entertainment. To satisfy their ego, trophy hunters are willing to shell out huge sums. They go to Africa, North America and Asia in pursuit of the next prey.

Here are the most bloodthirsty hunters, who have a total of thousands of lives on their account.

A hunter boasted that he shot 13,000 pigeons in four days during a trip to Argentina. He preferred to keep silent about the number of other trophies. Rob Weir said he used 1,500 rounds of ammunition a day on the hunt. The businessman admitted that he had been traveling to South Africa for the last 7-8 years, killing numerous animals there.

Thomson is responsible for the deaths of at least 5,000 elephants. He started killing animals as a teenager, working as a ranger in the park, and then turned into a trophy hunter. The man boasted that he had shot more animals on the hunt than anyone else on the planet. Thomson enjoyed killing animals and claimed to have killed 32 elephants in 15 minutes.

The Spaniard started hunting from the age of 13. The man has never been ashamed to talk about his bloody "achievements". Sanchez-Arino considered shooting 54 rabbits in one morning to be his personal record. In 2002, he even published his own book called "Elephants, Ivory and Hunters". It was he who was recognized as the most "productive" trophy hunter. Tony killed 2,093 buffaloes, 1,317 elephants, 340 lions, 167 leopards and 127 black rhinos.

Surprisingly, Sanchez-Arino urged other hunters to stop killing elephants. In his book, he wrote that they can disappear as a species in our time, so we urgently need to change something.

A wealthy businessman is considered one of the most successful trophy hunters in the world. In 2019, he even received the "Grand Slam: Cats" award from the International Safari Club. It is given for killing four animals from a list that includes lions, leopards, jaguars and other wild cats. He has several other similar awards. However, King does not consider himself a trophy hunter. He claims that he is just a hunter, and sees nothing immoral and illegal in this.

In 2015, Walter Palmer caused outrage among the world community by reporting that he shot 13-year-old lioness Cecile in Zimbabwe. A dentist from Minnesota paid guides 32,000 pounds (about 3.2 million rubles) to help lure a big cat in the Huenge National Park. The hunter wanted to shoot her with an arrow. Palmer wounded the unfortunate animal, and it spent more than ten hours in terrible agony until it died at his feet.

The world community reacted angrily to the brutal murder of a lioness. Real protests were organized near Palmer's dental office and calls were made to punish the hunter according to the laws of Zimbabwe. However, no official charges were brought against the American, because he had a legal hunting permit. The only sanction that affected him was that he was no longer allowed to come to Zimbabwe as a hunter, but only as a tourist.

The dentist offered vague apologies, but they were not sincere at all. In the same year, photos of Palmer with a dead black bear, which he illegally shot in Wisconsin in 2006, were discovered. The trophy hunter had to pay a fine of 3,000 pounds (about 295,000 rubles) and received a year of suspended sentence.

Last year, Palmer was again at the center of a scandal. This time he paid 80,000 pounds (about 7.9 million rubles) for hunting Altai mountain sheep in Mongolia. This species of the largest sheep in the world is under threat of extinction. It seems that the trophy hunter is not going to stop in his bloody hobby.

Another member of the International Safari Club confirmed the killing of 482 animals between 1980 and 2008. Among his trophies are 13 leopards, 11 blue wildebeest and 10 giant antelopes. In addition, he shot five cougars with a pistol. The wealthy businessman and Republican sponsor also killed fifty lions and proudly showed photos from hunting at his home in Indiana.

Smith came under a barrage of public condemnation by shooting a 12-year-old lion Mopane during a trip to Zimbabwe. He boasted of photos with dead animals on social networks and proudly told how he taught his 11-year-old son to kill an elk. The hunter also admitted that he took the life of a polar bear in northern Canada.

Carl Knight owns a business in South Africa. His company helps to organize hunting for lions, leopards and elephants for a lot of money. The Briton even tried to lure customers during the pandemic. He stated that there are still a lot of animals, most of which are at risk of extinction. To take a slain elephant home with them, trophy hunters pay Knight 10,000 pounds (about 981,000 rubles), and for a lion — 20,000 (about 2 million rubles).

It seems creepy, but kids are showing off their hunting trophies after the opening of the teen season in Texas.  Children and teenagers from six to 16 years old pose near animals killed during hunting.