What irked Butland enough to trash The Hunting Report in a memo to the entire membership of PHASA is my inadvertent use of the term captive lion instead of captive-bred lion. In all candor, I have never heard of this distinction before, and no slur was intended. After all, the lions that are raised to be shot by hunters in South Africa are literally captive animals, as are kudu raised to be shot on game farms. Both are kept inside enclosures they cannot escape from. Hence, they are captive.
In a sharply worded note that Butland sent the membership of PHASA, he says the term was interpreted in South Africa as a intentional slur on South Africa that let us down badly. As such, it reinforces his view that The Hunting Report has not given South Africa fair treatment over the years.
Here at The Hunting Report, I have never had any difficulty apologizing for mistakes and issuing retractions. However, in this case, I have no intention of doing so. My view is Butland and some members of PHASA are attempting to shoot the messenger here, instead of dealing with what they view as a problem they have allowed to develop in their midst. If PHASA is deeply embarrassed by captive-bred (or simply captive) lion hunting,........(continued)
