Idaho commissioner shot family of baboons, giraffe, and leopard, and bragged about it in emails

In a bid to highlight how hunting “derails conservation efforts by simply devaluing the lives of the hunted animals,” AmoMama covered this story about an Idaho commissioner who went hunting in Africa.

On September 17, Commissioner Blake Fischer sent an email to more than 100 people sharing photos of his hunting expedition in Africa. The images showed him posing with many wild animals that he’d killed.

Blake Fischer is a fish and game commissioner in Idaho who visited Africa with his wife this year. Back in the states, the commissioner sent an email with images of his hunting trip.

The emails and photos were shared with the media by Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter's office. Former commissioner Fred Trevey said Fischer sent the photos to about 125 people.

For more on this story go to our Twitter account @amomama_usa. The pictures showed Fischer posing with a family of baboons that he had shot and killed in Africa.

The images led to a group of former commissioners, including Trevey, to ask for Fischer’s resignation. His email stated that he and his wife had just returned from a two-week hunting trip to Namibia.

He went on to say:

"First day she wanted to watch me, and 'get a feel' of Africa. So I shot a whole family of baboons. I think she got the idea quick"

Fischer also emailed photos of other animals that he and his wife had hunted and killed while in Namibia.

These included a giraffe, leopard, impala, antelope, and waterbuck. He bragged further in his emails saying:

"I shot a Leopard. Super cool, super lucky. The Leopard is one of the big 5, as in one of the 5 animals in Africa that will kill you before you can kill it. Crazy cool animal. They are normally super nocturnal, so this was really unique."

Otter heard about the matter and his spokesman, Jon Hanian, said:

"Governor Otter was briefed and has seen the pictures. He has expressed concern about them and we’re looking into the situation.”

Fischer resigned on Monday at the governor’s request. Otter had this to say:

“I have high expectations and standards for every appointee in state government. Every member of my administration is expected to exercise good judgment. Commissioner Fischer did not.”

A study in March 2016 in the journal Biology Letters, revealed that contemporary trophy hunting was used by men “to send signals about their fitness to rivals and potential mates.” Even those who killed animals for food “targeted animals that were more challenging for them to catch, simply to let others know that they could afford to take that risk.”

Killing large and dangerous animals as a "sport" started thousands of years ago. Records from the Assyrian empire that were from about 4,000 years ago to around 600 B.C., described kings that boasted of killing elephants, ibex, ostriches, wild bulls, and lions.