Louis Theroux journeys to the centre of the controversial South African hunting industry. It's big business, attracting thousands of holiday hunters annually. Keeping wild animals fenced in on farms has made it cheaper and easier to hunt than ever before, but Louis discovers that this industry, instead of endangering species, has actually increased animal numbers.
Staying at a safari hunting lodge, Louis hears that each kill has a price. The potential shopping list is endless, ranging from $250 for a porcupine to $100,000 for a rhino. It's a hunter's paradise.
This is a very popular tourist attraction - particularly among Americans. Louis meets such visitors and tries to understand their motivation to kill for pleasure, joining them as they go hunting.
He meets novice hunter Ann-Marie, who originally only came to accompany her husband but gets caught up in the excitement and decides she wants to try to hunt an animal herself. She tells Louis that, apparently, your first kill is a total rush - although she would worry about killing a zebra as it's too much like a horse.
Two of the local landowners, Piet Venter and Piet Warren, breed animals for hunting and have a perhaps surprising sensitivity towards the animals they've raised. They take particular care to try to ensure any animal is killed swiftly so they suffer minimal trauma. Former vet Lolly Fourie, who allows hunting on his land, explains how he no longer hunts as he gets no pleasure from it nowadays.
Hearing their arguments in favour of the industry, Louis arranges to go on a hunt of his own. Unsure if he really can pull the trigger, as he looks at a wart-hog down the arrow of a crossbow he faces his beliefs head on and must make the decision...
seems like a lot of you fools don't really understand what this programme is but decided to jump to your own pathetic conclusions anyway. Louis Theroux is one of the country's best journalists and this programme isn't about him going around killing animals -- it's an expose that raises awareness about people who pay to kill animals for nothing more than trophies. Throughout the programme Louis challenges those who do and continuosly questions there morals and ethics. To call Louis a murderer is foolish and ill-informed and to insult the BBC as well is pathetic. Watch the programme, I can't understand why you would assume something purely from it's title.
April 8th - 5:44amVirginia Abreu de Paula said...
Mr. Louis Theroux is a killer. He invades the habitat of other beings, only to kill them. It seems, you think that only because the animals are not humans, it's okay to hunt them. It's NOT. Animals suffer just like us. Therefore, there is no difference between Mr. Louis Theroux and other murderers. I am disappointed with BBC for giving it four stars. This is not to be accepted and BBC should apoligize for promoting cruelty. This guy should be in prison. That's where he belongs.
April 8th - 4:59amBRENDA said...
THIS IS ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTING AND I TOO HOPE HE IS EATEN BY A LION! I GUESS WALKING UP TO AN ANIMAL AN KILLING IT MAKES SOME FEEL LIKE A "MAN"!! LMAO
April 8th - 2:34amJami said...
Oh please! This is nothing but glorified canned hunting! Shame on them and anyone else who feels it is somehow justified to shoot at amazing wildlife enclosed in fences, no matter how large! What is the matter with people?! This is how far we've come by the year 2008?! Disgusting. And shame on you BBC for buying it!
April 8th - 1:08amMichele Pickover said...
Although this programme revealed the trophy hunters for the bloodthirsty, unfeeling idiots they are and a South African "game industry" who turn sentient beings into commodities and who will kill any animal (possibly even people if they thought they could get away with it)for money, ubfortunately Louis Theroux failed to unmask the true nature of this evil industry. For example:colonial and exploitative notions of conquest and control of "dark Africa" that are embedded in trophy hunting; the dehumanisation of the workers who have no choice but to work in this industry; the very real link between slaughtering healthy animals and a critique of killing animals as food; an interrogation of farming wild animals - these farms are not ecologically viable as they are unnatural and have no ntural predators; trophy hunting is not only cruel but it is impacting negatively on biodversity and on gene pools; historically trophy hunting wiped out populations and led to extinctions - nothing has changed and there are certainly more humane, sustainable and more ecologically sound ways to save animals from extinction. Finally, not to question implicit statements within the programme that Africans are merely destructive and incapable of preserving nature and animals, it is an insult to Africans and perpetuates racism.
April 8th - 0:58amSwanie said...
NOTE to self: NEVER watch BBC again!
April 8th - 0:15amShannon M. said...
Trophy hunters AND the breeders of these poor animals without a chance of escape are the lowest scum of the earth. They don't even make the bogus claim of conservation, they are proud of their bloodlust. They are psychopaths and should be locked up. I think I like Denise's idea better!
April 7th - 9:24pmLinda said...
This is barbaric and inhumane. A news network should be embarassed and ashamed to broadcast this kind of behavior. This is not a sport. Get some dignity and humanity. You can support better stories than this.
April 7th - 5:11pmAlison Bramley said...
A disgusting programme. These people have no idea what they are doing to the environment by hunting. And standing in a hut and shooting a defenceless animal close range is NOT a trophy or a sport. It is complete cowardice. 'Hunters' deserve to be killed and mounted on the wall themselves. One quote was, 'you will eat the meat, but you won't kill the animal'. Shooting an animal close range to mount on your wall is not killing for survival or feeding. It is truly disgusting and makes me ashamed to be human.
April 6th - 11:12pmDenise Bennett said...
I've given up watching BBC because of its political pro government bias. This is the finally straw. I hope this man gets eaten by a lion. He is a hideous sub humnan.
April 3rd - 12:07amAnni Hogan said...
Totally hideous. What on earth is going on with the BBC?????? Everytime i turn the TV on some animal is being killed. Ever thought of evolving???????
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