He claimed the elephants were killed in self-defense after the photographs aroused widespread outcry. His arrogant attitude next to the dead animals, though, suggests otherwise.
Warning: This article contains frightening descriptions and photographs.
He may be a wealthy businessman, but he is now most known for standing brutally over the motionless bodies of two newborn elephants after killing them. According to ACHNews, American businessman Mike Jines received a lot of reaction after he and his hunting buddy, Max “Buzz” Delezenne, towered over a dead elephant with weapons in their hands.
According to Metro, the two elephants were youngsters that were slaughtered in Zimbabwe by Jines and a buddy. The images depict the elephants’ bodies after they were shot to the ground, as Delezenne stood with a wide smile on his face and Jines had a proud expression on his face.
According to reports, no official word on whether the elephants were indeed kids was available, and Jines began receiving threats once the photographs went viral. The wealthy billionaire is a partner in a firm named TopGen Energy, and the social media campaign pushed consumers to quit utilizing the company’s services.
Jines later claimed that his account of the events was different from what was being disseminated after witnessing how his photos were being hammered.
“The search got off to a fast start… literally. A double elephant cow charge occurred less than thirty minutes into the first morning of the first day. This was definitely a first for me, but it also happened to be a first for Buzz. We noticed a herd of cows from the road and decided to follow them to check whether there was a tuskless cow among them “According to CBS46, Jines made a post on a forum.
“We swiftly apprehended them and discovered that one of them lacked tusks. We positioned ourselves to have a good view of the tuskless and decided to pass because it was just Day 1. She charged in full force an instant later. Buzz and I each fired two rounds, and she was knocked out. A huge one-tusked cow charged at full speed from behind us.”
He continued by saying, “She smashed to the ground with her hind legs out in front of her, displaying the speed and determination with which she charged. Buzz and I were in the center of the two cows, which were less than forty feet away. We had positioned ourselves on some open area, so when the charges arrived, we had fantastic visibility. On Day 1, there was much more enthusiasm than we had anticipated.”
Jines said in an email to CBS46 that the two elephants were shot in a recognized safari area in Zimbabwe and that the hunt was conducted in line with both American and Zimbabwean rules and regulations.
“The two elephants in the images were shot in self-defense, in an unprovoked charge, and both elephants were fully grown cows, not youngsters,” Jines explained.
“While I understand that hunting may be divisive and that opinions on the subject can differ significantly, I’m sure you can understand what it’s like to cope with the hostility, especially when the underlying facts in this case is incorrect,” he continued.
People, however, continued to believe that no animal should be hunted for a trophy kill.
Sharon Walters, a social media user, pointed out that he “didn’t have to pose” with the animals.
According to Independent, a social media user named Molly Brown remarked, “My heart is devastated and my body feels ill from viewing these photographs,” while another said, “That’s one of the saddest shots I’ve ever seen.”
“Mike Jines must resign. Elephants have deep relationships to their families. He kidnapped a family’s children… Trying to be a big guy by shooting at baby creatures with a powerful weapon? What a gentleman!” Didgy Sencer wrote this.
“He was apprehended and is currently attempting to flee… Jines, good luck with that. Remember that God despises cowards “read a petition urging individuals to contact Jines’ firm through email.
According to ACHNews, Jines was a frantic hunter who was “extensively” hunted in regions of Africa, according to Houston’s Safari Club. With the exception of the rhino, he was believed to have killed a number of animals from the continent’s Big Seven (Elephant, Lion, Leopard, Black Rhino, Buffalo, Wild Dog, and Cheetah, according to Shadows of Africa). Jines’ hunting mania, however, is reserved for elephants.
Mike Jines was said to have declared when the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) authorities barred imports of killed elephants: “Without a major show of protest by hunters, the USFWS would only be encouraged to continue down the road of chipping away at the rights of sport hunters.”