update
NBC has cancelled Under Wild Skies.
The show—hosted by NRA lobbyist Tony Makris—isn’t being canceled for that episode with the elephant shooting, exactly (though that didn’t help). Instead it’s because Makris compared his critics to Hitler earlier this week.
Hitler. How quaint.
earlier
Those folks at the NRA…they never stop in their quest to do right by the world.
Take a recent story that’s been appearing in the LA Times, Huffington Post, and elsewhere. An NRA playbook man by the name of Tony Makris was recently shown on an episode of NBC’s “Under Wild Skies”, shooting an African bull elephant. “Right between the eyes”, we’re told, and then delicately sipping glasses of champagne after.
Glasses of champagne. Nice touch, that.
All sorts of folks are upset at the shooting, and at NBC for airing this NRA paid for extravaganza. But hold on partners, don’t let emotion cloud your judgement about what’s happening. Let’s look at the science behind this act.
The NRA has long been the Champion and Protector for hunters. Without hunting, we’re told, there would be too many animals for the environment and they’ll starve to death. So Mr. Makris wasn’t indulging in a fit of machismo, just because he could. Mr. Makris was performing a public service, and helping all elephants by culling an excess member from an overabundance of African elephants.
What a guy.
To give you some idea of how quickly Earthlings are exterminating elephants in 1980 there were about 1.2 million African beasts. Last year the estimate was at most 400,000 remaining. Since 2002, the African forested elephant population has plummeted by 76 percent. In Tanzania alone the population estimate in 2008 was about 165,000 — today there are fewer than 23,000 elephants left.
War Against African Elephants Rages On
In a highlighted reel from this week’s episode, Makris travels to Botswana and hunts an elephant, shooting this innocent and magnificent creature several times in the face before the animal dies, groaning as the host watches and laughs and makes small talk about other animals he wants to kill.
Yup, that Mr. Makris, what a guy. And thank the NRA for bringing him to us.