I don’t know about you but a week-long hunting trip alongside Donald Trump Jr. is far from what I would call a dream getaway.
How does seven days whunting Sitka black-tailed deer alongside the US president’s son and a guide in Alaska sound? Bidding for this yacht-based expedition stands at $10,000.
Safari Club International (SCI) is offering the excursion to hunters attending its four-day annual trophy hunting convention in Reno, Nevada. The trip has been described as ‘hunter’s heaven’, with 870 companies taking part.
PA ImagesThe week away with Trump Jr. isn’t all that’s being auctioned off at the event. Other prizes include a 14-day trip to Namibia, an all-inclusive hunting package to Zimbabwe to shoot buffalo, giraffe and wildebeest, and a 10-day crocodile hunting expedition in South Africa.
Organisers are expecting a large profit from the auction, with estimates reaching as high as $5 million. SCI says all proceeds from the event will go towards its ‘hunter advocacy and wildlife conservation efforts’.
The convention kicks off on Wednesday, February 5, with Donald Jr. – a keen trophy hunter – set to give a keynote speach to the thousands that flock in from all over the world.
The event’s description of the headline prize reads:
This year we will be featuring Donald Trump Jr, a man who needs no introduction, and whose passion for the outdoors makes him the number one ambassador for our way of life. Don Jr shares this heritage with his son and believes in handing down these lessons to young hunters. Don Jr and his son will be hosting this year’s hunt along with Keegan [the guide] in Alaska.
As well as titillating offers for hunting-lovers, The Beach Boys are also expected to perform – however, the band’s co-founder is asking people to boycott their gig.
Brian Wilson tweeted that, while there is nothing he can do to stop the concert from going ahead, he’s urging people to sign a petition against the band instead. The version of The Beach Boys playing the gig does not include Wilson or co-founder Al Jardine, and is instead fronted by Wilson’s cousin and former bandmate Mike Love.
His post read:
‘This organisation supports trophy hunting, which both Al and I are emphatically opposed to. There’s nothing we can do personally to stop the show, so please join us in signing the petition..’
The petition goes as far as calling on people to ‘stop buying or downloading all Beach Boys music, going to Beach Boys concerts, and purchasing any Beach Boys merchandise’.
While the SCI event has garnered repeated criticism, it continues to fire back, arguing that hunting contributes to conservation efforts – even adding that Trump Jr. is an ‘accomplished conservationist’.
Wow.
SOURCE: UNILAD