I had never heard about this until spending time at a game lodge in Botswana, talking to a guest who had recently visited South Africa for a "canned hunting" trip. I was so completely disgusted by his story so I started asking guides around southern Africa about it only to discover that it was seriously big business. So-called hunting lodges often buy old lions previously held in captivity and then "hunters" get a chance to kill the old animals. If a hunter is a bad shot, no problem. The guides will drug the targeted animal so it's easy enough for even someone like Dick Cheney to hit. It all adds up to big bucks from macho cowards who aren't satisfied with shooting with a camera.
Rich huntsmen are willing to pay up to £625,000 [$1,088,506] a time to shoot and stuff animals bred commercially for their sport as part of the so-called "canned hunting" trade.
Figures reveal that 164 trophy licences have been granted to British hunters since 1999 allowing them to bring big game mementoes home. However, it is estimated that as many as a thousand UK citizens a year travel abroad in search of quarry after having booked a canned hunting safari over the internet.
Six years ago trophy hunting in South Africa was worth about £14m [$24m] a year. By last year that figure reached nearly £80m[$139m]. Zimbabwe is also vigorously promoting itself as a canned hunting destination and other African nations are also developing it.
