A potentially unknown new idea for a British holiday maker is a hunting holiday, most common in South Africa.  Usually you would book a package holiday including flight, food, accommodation and the main bit… the guarantee of killing an animal of your choice. I used to believe that endangered species were being cared for and protected in recent years, but evidence of these hunting holidays has left me in a state of confusion.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t work for born free and I am not an animal rights activist. My name is Hannah and I am not even a vegetarian. (I once new a vegetarian and quite frankly found her quite annoying.) My understanding goes out the window, is that the thought of killing an animal can not be anything more than an unpleasant ordeal. Nobody takes pleasure from it, and for farmers they just carry out act so many times they just become immune. So for someone to want to kill an endangered animal, an animal that already is weak in a sense, for not only pleasure, but for power makes me feel quite angry.

South African hunting holidays is a flourishing trade bringing that attracts thousands of people each year, to kill wild animals on private farms. Tourists mainly come from America as in many states its illegal to shoot, so they fly to South Africa.

So you’re ready and camouflaged, starting your day, only to find out you have limited shooting practice and then you are off to make your first kill. If I booked myself a driving lesson it doesn’t mean that I am prepared to drive. I could kill someone – God knows it took me two years before I passed!

So accidents when shooting the animal must happen, I have obviously found no evidence whilst researching but they must. Taking part in such a dangerous pastime, I am sure that accidents must occur (although I haven’t found any evidence to back up my feelings). But If someone had learnt for just half a day how to shoot, does not mean they would be able carry out the task successfully. With wild animals, many keepers never know 100% when the animal has died, there is no on sight Vet to check. If shot incorrectly and the animal runs off, and can bleed to death for hours or even days. Shooting a struggling animal is difficult and proffesionals often misses its mark again, and again.

In England we hunt particular animals such as rabbit, duck and partridge. However we kill the animals to eat them, it is very different to kill just to for pleasure. The pleasure is in the death of animal. Surely that’s a bit sick isn’t it?  Game hunting is clearly a sport for those participate, that is like fox hunting or dog wresting.

The most disturbing concept when researching South African Hunting holiday is the word “trophy” reappearing. After the animal has died the holidaymaker then has the option to have their photo taken with the corpse in different positions that make the man look proud, and in control of the animal. The photos are really disgusting.  The animals bodies are not used any further unless to have there head cut off and to be stuck on someone’s living room wall.  They don’t even use the corpse for meat, surely if they were desperate for income that doesn’t make sense as they could sell the meat? Also what is wrong with breeding and selling there animals for meat to the local communities and villages?  Hunting game parks exist to feed a killer’s addiction. If I was married to a man who liked hunting, I would be seriously be worried about his childhood! 

South African hunting isn’t cheap. The price to shoot is very expensive and you can expect to pay $35,000 for a male lion and between $50,000 and $100,000 for a rhino. And if you go the right time of year, you lucky people may even qualify for a discount. It’s such a horrible idea thinking life has these poor animals’ lives have a price. You can go to various South African hunting websites and browse through their online catalogues taking your time looking at photos and prices. The amount of money it costs the purchase the death of animal, is a lot. So your either your quite well off and like to spend your money on a killing spree or you’re just an everyday person with an everyday wage (which during my research was 75% of the killing population), it must take a hell of lot saving to afford to go on these holidays. These people probably have a lower quality of life because they keep saving up to go to South Africa, and its not only once, many of the killers get addicted and go again and again.

To me the idea of the South African game parks is a bit like a zoo but you get kill the animals. The animals are wild but not truly wild, in the sense that the game park owner owns them, there is proof of ownership in an office somewhere. It seems odd to me, as a pet owner, to raise an animal making sure they are healthy, have plenty of food and water, to only let them be shot by a stranger.

But hold on, are we treating animals in humanely? It should be remembered that animals have the ability to get scared and nervous. Having a gun go off everyday whether it’s you being aimed at you or not must make your existence terrifying. Just because we have the ability to kill something weaker than us, doesn’t mean that we should, as humans, we don’t need to do it.

In the past, South Africa chopped down all of their vegetation in order to eat it. It was desperate times, but nothing was left for the future. South Africa in the past had chopped everything down to eat it, and was left with nothing for the future.  Due to the slave trade, government problems and tropical diseases South Africa is among the world’s poorest and most underdeveloped countries.  Even though it is rich in natural resources. Although it has lots of natural resources.

Many people who set up these parks believe the whole experience is actually helping the animal species. By getting the money paid into the farmer’s fund, more animals can be bought, therefore more animals are bred, and therefore are adding to the conservation of South Africa. It helps many people in the country, not only increasing their incomes but adding to the culture and identity of the country. They do it for the love of Africa and the love of the animals. I am British resident and maybe I will truly never understand, maybe it is because I am used to a comfortable life in England. Maybe I don’t understand the idea of a necessity?

A proportion of the wild animals that are hunted would maybe originally be sent to the slaughter house for their meat. Being shot in many cases for the animals is a better way to go. Being eaten by other animals is not pleasant and can be long and painful. Ways of killing animals in slaughter houses can be electric stunning aimed to paralyse the animal before the throat is cut. However mistakes are made with voltage which can cause an animal to be paralyzed without losing sensibility. Also there is the ritual slaughter, where animals are fully alive and awake when their arteries are cut, causing immediate death but some animals can remain conscious as they bleed for up to a minute.

In South Africa other game parks are available where you shoot an animal of your choice however they are shot with a tranquiliser to which they wake up after fine and uninjured. This is a much more humane way of shooting however surprisingly to me, are much less popular with holiday makers.

 If South Africa regains power and money will it stop this kind of trade? Are they really just doing it as a necessity? I can understand, with some reluctance, why some farmers may think that it’s a good and successful idea to help the conservation of South Africa but I can’t help but get away from the fact money is made from killing. I have very little respect for the hunters as they are little more than killers and I don’t know why they want to kill an animal for fun. The only conclusion that I can reach is that they must have impotence problems and are trying to feel big in some way.

Through out my research I wanted to find a reason for hunting holidays to be acceptable, maybe I found it with the conservation of South Africa idea. However I still felt at the end of the day money is made from the killing of animals and even after death the animals are still humiliated.

Colebrook and Parchment houses have been deemed unfit for several years, due to old piping systems and asbestos insulation.

Winchester University plan to demolish the buildings before summer. The replacement building will house three-hundred en-suite bedrooms and facilities for disabled students.

The new complex is scheduled to be completed by September two-thousand-and-nine.

Hope everyone is enjoying today’s lovely weather. Like I mentioned before I write for the fashion department for alfieonline.org. My 2 most recent features are up there today, so take a look for some must have fashion news!! Here is the link to the fashion section http://www.alfieonline.org/index.php/category/fashion/ for my articles click on the black handbag and chunky ring. Enjoy!

Hannah

And finally…

Winchester University students are having fun in the sun.

The city is saying no to April showers, as temperatures are predicted to reach a 15 celsius high this week.

By tens the students are using the West Downs campus field to lounge, play sport, and even have barbie-ques in the sun.

First year student Jenifer Cook, is enjoying our weather. PLAY AUDIO

Security Wardens advise students to inform them  before lighting a barbie-que,to prevent foul play.

Winchester is set to continue its sunny summer weather through out this week.

So if their is a game of frisbee going, remember to invite me!

Catered students at the University of Winchester have recently started to complain about the service they receive from the ‘Terrace Bar’ during the weekend.  Problems first started to arise at the beginning of the second semester when the weekend food area struggled to cope with the large amounts of catered students.  On other occasions students claimed to have gone hungry after finding the canteen closed earlier than it advertised. 

One catered student from the St. Elizabeth Halls said, “I went to the Terrace Bar on Saturday a few weeks ago to find it closed due to ‘Winton’.  The Student Union was empty and showed no signs of the need for the canteen to be closed.  Catered students were not informed of the canteens early closure, and because of this we went hungry as there is nowhere else we can go for food at this time.”  They went on to say, “If I do not spent all the money on my catering card then I lose it, I find it appalling that I cannot in any way be reimbursed with the money I lost from when the canteen has been closed.”

Other students also complained about the canteen being unprepared for the amount of catered students they were serving and as a result running out of most foods on the menu.  Another catered student said, “I am a vegetarian, and for a few weeks running now have been very unimpressed by the Terrace Bar’s lack of food suitable for my diet as they have run out.”  I tired to speak to some of the Terrace Bar staff, but they were unable to comment on why these problems had occurred and told me that all they could offer students that had missed out on food through the catering system was a free meal. 

 Finally after much speculation and hard work, Alfie Winchesters’ new student newspaper, finally arrived in mid February. It’s Winchester’s first online student news website, written by the students for the students.  However it faces being stopped due to lack of sponsorship needed to keep the site going. 

The newspaper started when older students got together as they felt it would be excellent experience and also a brilliant asset for the university. So far Alfie has little sponsorship, editors have managed to get a few freebies off the printers for leaflets etc. but that was it. Talk from the newspapers editors allegedly say there is going to be discussion with the university and local businesses about sponsorship. So far Alfie’s future doesn’t look optimistic. 

There a many students involved as there are departments in News, Sport, Fashion, Music, and Finance. Each reporter went through a gruelling interview process to work for the newspaper, and many applicants were rejected. Caroline Hendry is the fashion editor. She stated her reasons on why she got involved with the newspaper. “My perfect job would be to write for a women’s magazine and I think working for the newspaper teaches the importance of deadlines and organisation.” 

In the start there were a few issues to do with communication between editors and designing the web site. Now the website is up and running, the hard work has really paid off and general student feedback is excellent. So lets home some sponsorship soon arrives. 

This week I trying to sort out work experience or volunteer work for myself in the fashion industry, I am trying my best. I managed to grab a few free magazines in London at the weekend from top fashion areas such as Carnaby street. Fashion was very much “the thing”  with many events following the late London fashion week.

Take care everyone,

Hannah   

I really enjoyed last semester modules, this semester I feel it’s a bit different, but give it a few weeks I am sure I will be alright. So the first lesson of “People and Politics”, kind of went over my head. Because I know nothing about politics, and I spent my time writing stuff down and not listening. So now I am going to take the days notes with me, and just annotate “Hannah’s language” over the top. I was actually surprised for someone who knows nothing about politics I knew a few bits and bobs. So I have decided to screw my head on and concentrate.

Hannah