Furious Response After US Businessman Poses With Two Baby Elephants He Hunted

As an animal lover, there’s one thing that gets me more mad than most anything else, and that is trophy hunting. The idea of killing a beautiful animal, just to pose with its corpse for a photograph, is disgusting and baffling to me.

Judging by social media reaction to this story, I think most people around the world feel the same way.

A businessman from Georgia has been photographed standing beside two apparently very young elephants, holding a gun. He has been named as TopGen Energy partner Mike Jines, who reportedly shot and killed the elephants while in Zimbabwe, Africa. The alleged hunt took place in October 2018, but the photos have only just come to the attention of the public.

Which dysfunctional individuals killed this baby? #MikeJines of #TopGenEnergy that's who, with the assistance of #MaxDelezenne and #BuzzCharlton, of #CharltonMcCallumHuntingSafaris The #Karma train will be along eventually. In the meantime #BanTrophyHunts pic.twitter.com/eyZm2Se77S

— Amanda_Martin (@Amanda_Martin_) February 1, 2019

It has been alleged that Jines went trophy hunting, accompanied by professional hunter Max Delezenne.

According to Pet Rescue Report, Jines defends his actions, and reportedly gave the following account before the photographs went viral:

“The hunt started with a bang . . . literally. Less than thirty minutes into the first morning of the first day we experienced a double elephant cow charge.

This was obviously a first for me but it turns out it was a first for Buzz as well. We saw a group of cows from the road and decided to follow them to see if a tuskless was in the group. We caught them quickly and identified a tuskless…

We positioned ourselves to get a good look at the tuskless and concluded that since it was just Day 1 we would pass. An instant later she came in an all out charge. Buzz and I both fired two shots a piece and she went down. Then from behind us a large one-tusked cow charged at full speed. We each fired one shot and she crashed to the ground with her hind legs out behind her…”

He's seriously "Blaming" the poor baby elephant – Claims he HAD TO KILL him – and then poses SMILING for these photos with it's warm dead body. Can you imagine EVER doing business with #TopGenEnergy? Digusting. Massive liability.

— Tracy Bobbitt (@HollywoodMom) February 6, 2019

The upsetting photographs have since gone viral, with many people expressing absolute horror and disdain for the man’s actions. Perhaps understandably, some have called for a boycott of TopGen Energy in response.

One person tweeted: “Boycott #TopGenEnergy. Mike Jines is a barbarian. Killing a baby Elephant for fun? How is this fun? Cruel and Heinous! An innocent, intelligent, and beautiful creature’s life was taken for NO REASON!”

I have to say, I’m n full agreement here.

Jines has claimed he killed the elephants in self-defense, and that the elephants had charged at him. He has also stated the animals were two adult elephants, not babies.

As reported by CBS, Jines has claimed the elephants ‘were shot in self-defense, in an unprovoked charge and both elephants were fully mature cows, not juveniles’.

Jines – who says he has received threats as a result of the backlash – has stated the events which occurred have been misrepresented. It would seem that most people simply don’t buy his version of events.

The post Furious Response After US Businessman Poses With Two Baby Elephants He Hunted appeared first on Go Social.