Those who hunt for sport tend to be chastised and berated by people all around the world.
Case in point: the tale of American dentist Walter Palmer killing Cecil, a lion living in Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park, is a story that sparked worldwide outrage.
Unfortunately, a similar incident has occurred again – this time with a man named Mike Jines, a Georgia-based businessman who gained notoriety after sharing an image of himself posing with two baby elephants who he murdered with a gun during a hunt.
The photo is particularly disturbing as it shows Jines’ expression of glee, as though still high from his “prized” sport.
This incident happened back in October but it wasn’t until January this year that Jines decided to share it with the world through social media.
He was obviously very proud of his hunt and was surprised to be met with backlash from people furious that he had brutally killed two innocent, adorable babies just for fun in such a sickening manner.
That’s when Jines changed his tune and began to tell the story behind the photo.
He gave an excuse, saying that the elephants actually charged at him as though to hurt him, and his decision to shoot them was based entirely on self-defense.
He also insists that the elephants were fully grown and not juvenile – something that doesn’t quite add up based on the images alone.
Unfortunately for him, that story doesn’t hold any water at all – and millions of people are calling him out on the lie.
Pictured with Jines in the horrifying photos is Max “Buzz” Delezenne, a well-known professional hunter who Jines was traveling with through Zimbabwe.
The pair were reportedly going trophy hunting, something that Jines vehemently denies.
On top of that, people all around the world have decided to boycott TopGen Energy, which is the company that Jines is a partner in.
Many have shared their opinions and angrily responded, and many more have shared the picture on their own pages to encourage their friends and followers to tell Mike Jines exactly what they thought of his cruelty.
Many people felt heartbroken by the picture, especially to see the passed away animals lying at Jines’ feet.
This is even more concerning given the declining number of elephants in the continent of Africa, to begin with.
Others have stated that Jines must not have a soul and is completely empty inside if he gets joy out of hunting animals purely for sport and fun.
Many gripe that he likes does so in order to boost his self-esteem so he feels “more like a man”.
Jines has been called evil, pathetic, and cruel – and he’s still defending himself and insisting it was all self-defense.
But how could it be, when he and a known hunter brought guns meant to kill large game into elephant territory?
It doesn’t seem like the public will be forgiving him anytime soon.
