Nice kitty,
particularly if mounted. (Source: www.52safari.com website)
Much as wealthy Westerners have done for many decades, rich Mainland Chinese guys have been increasingly turning to trophy hunting to burn off a few extra testosterones and have something cool to show for it. And outfits such as 52safari International Hunting Club (run by an American based in Beijing) have been satisfying those whims while providing many of the creature comforts that well-heeled Chinese desire. Let’s face it, many of these Asian businessmen’s idea of” roughing it in the wild” is stepping into a par-five sand trap on a misty day. So luxury matters.
A ten-day black bear-hunting trip to Canada costs approximately US$ 12,500. Features of such a get-up-close-to-nature-and-kill-it expedition can include the following:
• Hunting permits for anything from rabbit to antelope to lion
• A luxury coach to get around
• A DVD documenting the client’s exploits
• A Chinese chef to cook any edible game that is killed. Given that a truly red-blooded Chinese patriot’s appetite doesn’t exclude very much, the chef is presumably kept quite busy
• Provisions for a non-hunting wife, girlfriend or mistress, for half-price
• Add-on features such as a bear skin rug (unclear how freshly killed the bear is…), for another $5,500.
There have been known to be polar bear hunts for US$80,000. But these have stirred controversy, even in environmentally-apathetic China. So let’s pray that wealthy Chinese don’t acquire the same taste for polar bear fir products as they have for snakeskin handbags.
