US official under fire for Nam hunting photos

A United States wildlife official is being pressured to resign after sharing photographs of a hunting trip in Namibia in which at least 14 wild animals were killed.Outrage over the photos has spread like wildfire across social media, with Blake Fischer especially coming under fire for boasting about killing a family of baboons. In one photo, Fischer can be seen smiling with four dead baboons in front of him. He killed the animals with a bow and arrow.There has been an ever-louder clamouring for Fischer, who is an Idaho Fish and Game Commission member, to resign from his position. While most have acknowledged that hunts are legal in Namibia, people have described his behaviour has unethical, revolting and disgusting. The controversy was initially reported by the Idaho Statesman and began with an email Fischer sent to colleagues in September. The email was reportedly sent to more than 100 people and detailed his trip to Namibia with his wife. Included in the email were photos of Fisher and his wife posing with animals they shot and killed. These include 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 the email he sent.He included at least 12 photographs in the email, each containing a caption explaining how they hunted animals.According to idahonews.com one of the comments in Fischer's email reads: “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).”Outraged people on social media shared the photos, including incendiary and highly critical comments against Fischer. People have also shared the baboon photo on social media, with calls for his resignation.However, Fischer has insisted there is no reason for controversy because he did not do anything illegal.Fischer said he received a list of species in Namibia he could hunt. He was required to pay a trophy fee for certain animals.“I didn't do anything illegal. I didn't do anything unethical. I didn't do anything immoral,” Fischer said to US media. “I look at the way Idaho's fish and game statute says we're supposed to manage all animals for Idaho, and any surplus of animals we have we manage through hunting, fishing and trapping. Africa does the same thing.”He further said that baboons are free. “I get it - they're a weird animal. It's a primate, not a deer.”The Fischer's antics have been compared to the controversial killing of Cecil the lion by an American hunter, an incident that received global attention.Tourism minister Pohamba Shifeta has previously urged trophy hunters not to post photos of their kills on social media, as this can create controversy. Even though these photos were originally shared in an email, they have now been widely shared on social media. Shifeta recently announced a ban on posting hunting trophies on social media. He said photos of trophy-hunted animals are being used by pressure groups “as an excuse to call for a hunting ban”.“They are very critical and they say the hunters are not ethical.”ELLANIE SMIT

US official under fire for Nam hunting photos

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Namibian Sun 2025-12-31

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US official under fire for Nam hunting photos

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Namibian Sun 2025-12-31

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