Baboon killer resigns

A United States wildlife official has resigned after coming under fire for sharing photos of a family of baboons and other wild animals he killed on a hunting trip in Namibia. Blake Fischer, who is a member of the Idaho Fish and Game Commission, was asked to resign by Idaho governor Butch Otter.It was especially the image of him posing with a family of dead baboons that provoked a massive public outcry.Otter announced in a statement on Monday he had received Fischer's resignation letter, after he was asked to leave his post.“I have high expectations and standards for every appointee in state government,” said Otter. “Every member of my administration is expected to exercise good judgment. Fischer did not. Accordingly, I have accepted his resignation from the Idaho Fish and Game Commission.”According to reports the governor's office received 1 134 emails and more than 320 phone calls about Fischer. Only nine emails and two phone calls had not condemned Fischer's actions.While most people acknowledged that trophy hunts are legal in Namibia, they described Fischer's behaviour has unethical, revolting and disgusting. The controversy was sparked when Fischer emailed photos to more than 100 people in September, after he and his wife returned from their third hunting trip in Namibia. Included in the email were photos of Fischer and his wife posing with dead animals. These included a giraffe, a leopard, impala, sable antelope, waterbuck, kudu, warthog, oryx, eland and a family of baboons.“So I shot a whole family of baboons,” Fischer wrote below the photo in which he is seen posing and smiling with the bloody baboons.Fischer included at least 12 photographs in the email.Another comment by Fischer in the email read: “I shot a leopard. Super cool, super lucky. The leopard is one of the big five, as in one of the five animals in Africa that will kill you before you can kill it. Crazy cool animal. They are normally super nocturnal, so this was really unique (sic).”Fischer apologised for his behaviour in his resignation letter, which was released by the Idaho governor's office. “I recently made some poor judgements that resulted in sharing photos of a hunt in which I did not display an appropriate level of sportsmanship and respect for the animals I harvested. “While these actions were out of character for me, I fully accept responsibility and feel it is best for the citizens of Idaho and sportsmen and women that I resign my post. “I apologise to the hunters and anglers of Idaho who I was appointed to represent and I hope that my actions will not harm the integrity and ethic of the Idaho fish and game department moving forward,” Fischer wrote.He had previously insisted there was no reason for controversy because he did not do anything illegal. ELLANIE SMIT

Baboon killer resigns

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Namibian Sun 2025-12-31

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Baboon killer resigns

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Namibian Sun 2025-12-31

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