US Internet Executive Under Fire For Killing An Elephant In Zimbabwe
Following the posting of a video showing Bob Parsons shooting a “problem”
elephant, animal rights activists quickly launched a campaign to boycott his
Web domain name-hosting business, GoDaddy.com
Sandra Nyaira | Washington 01 April 2011
Competing US domain name providers were offering promotions encouraging
potential customers to leave GoDaddy.com
The chief executive of a US Internet company has come under fire by animal
rights activists for shooting an elephant while on holiday recently in
Zimbabwe.
Activists launched a campaign to boycott GoDaddy.com, a Web domain name
hosting firm, after CEO Bob Parsons posted a video of himself shooting what
he described as a ”problem elephant.”
The video went viral as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
denounced the Web executive, describing him as “the scummiest CEO on earth.”
Some objected in particular to the segment of the video clip in which
villagers wearing GoDaddy.com baseball hats butchered the elephant for meat.
Parsons has said that he stands by his actions, arguing that such hunts feed
starving villagers. “These people have literally nothing and when an
elephant is killed it’s a big event for them, they are going to be able to
eat some protein,” Parsons wrote on his video blog. “This is no different
than you or I eating beef.”
Competing US domain name providers were offering promotions encouraging
potential customers to leave GoDaddy.com. Domain provider NameCheap offered
to donate a dollar to Save the Elephants for every domain name switched from
GoDaddy.com
PETA spokeswoman Ashley Gonzalez told VOA’s Sandra Nyaira that Parsons
should use his money to empower villagers and provide protected areas for
elephants.
Program Coordinator Sally Wynn of the Zambezi Society said human-elephant
conflicts are a real problem in Zimbabwe as the two species live in close
proximity. Wynn said the Zimbabwean government authorizes hunting safaris in
certain areas.