Some animal rights activists and animal lovers are outraged at GoDaddy.com CEO Bob Parsons after he posted online a video of himself hunting and killing an elephant, MyFoxPhoenix.com reports.
Elephant Hunt Controversy Surrounds GoDaddy.com CEO: MyFoxPHOENIX.com
The “vacation video” shows Parsons in Zimbabwe criticizing the “damage” elephants cause to farmers’ crops, a common complaint in the region.
“Unless elephants are stopped entire crop may be lost,” reads a video caption. “When crops are lost subsistence farmers risk starvation.”
As the hunters wait for elephants to arrive, night falls and a spotlight is shone on an approaching bull elephant. Parsons fires first, killing the elephant. Villagers arrive in chaotic masses the next morning to eat the elephant meat.
On his personal blog, Parsons says that he hunts “problem elephants” because it’s “so helpful for the local residents.” He also explains that he only hunts in regulated areas and that in these areas there is no concern about elephants becoming extinct, according to MyFoxPhoenix.com.
But Twitter is abuzz with people criticizing Parsons’ actions — some saying they wonder whether the successful businessman was actually helping villagers, and others threatening to take their business elsewhere.
Parsons, whose Scottsdale, Ariz.-based company provides domain and Web hosting services, told MyFoxPhoneix.com Tuesday that he “kind of figured that this might happen.”
