Crusaders’ South African hunting trip draws flak
Five players, including All Blacks lock Sam Whitelock, criticised over animal ‘trophy’ photographs
Conservationists have criticised players from New Zealand’s Canterbury Crusaders Super 15 team for killing wildlife, including a zebra, while touring in South Africa, then posing in photographs with the carcasses.
South African conservation group The Landmark Foundation posted pictures on Facebook showing five Crusaders players with the animals, alongside the caption: “Here are the Crusaders rugby players killing wildlife for laughs on a recent visit to South Africa.”
The players include All Blacks lock Sam Whitelock and inside back Tom Taylor, who has blood smeared on his face in one shot as he holds a rifle in one hand and the horn of a dead blesbok antelope in the other.
This was not hunting for the pot, this was hunting for the joy of killing the animal
Foundation director Bool Smuts said the animals were most likely killed on a private game farm.
“This was not hunting for the pot, this was hunting for the joy of killing the animal,” he told the New Zealand Herald.
“We accept it was legal... the question we are asking is to what value is it for conservation and is it an ethical practice?”
Whitelock told New Zealand broadcaster TV3 that meat from the dead zebra was given to local farm workers for food.