Sep 9, 2022 1 min read

Sunday’s article featuring the ongoing African hunting expeditions of Howard Ashbrook (“Ashbrook completes African hunting grand slam”) portrayed him as a brave hero. Instead, he is a person who has spent much of his life contributing to the extinction of endangered species.

Mr. Ashbrook and his family are not hunting for food, just for enjoyment. While he may see his hobby as an amusement, his actions are brutal and needlessly cruel. He is in an unbalanced competition and employs a team of local guides to make this even more lopsided. He mentioned his tactic of killing animals when they are forced to seek water from shallow ponds, making them more vulnerable. He also prefers a .375-caliber bullet when hunting the Big Five … indicating that the kills are more likely with the rapid expansion bullets. It is repulsive to see a person hoisting a dead leopard on his shoulders for the sole sake of “getting his adrenalin rush.”

He could instead continue his competitive shooting endeavors or provide a real service by hunting pythons in Florida.

Rana Grossman Tonti

McMurray