Wildebeests have a distinctive look that matches their distinctive name. They have inwardly curving horns atop their heads and long faces that seem to offer a quizzical expression. Their dark-brown fur glistens in the setting sun.
But on Barry York's 2,500-acre spread in South Africa you will find rare wildebeests, which are also called gnus, that are gold-colored.
York hasn't gotten lucky. He expends serious money and effort to produce wildebeests with a rich hue.
It's all about attracting free-spending vacationers. But the tourist-friendly ranches that are York's customers aren't luring people who simply want to admire the wildlife. "Well-heeled marksmen pay nearly $50,000 to take a shot at a golden gnu -- more than 100 times what they pay to shoot a common gnu," writes Bloomberg Business.
Welcome to the weird world of trophy-hunting theme parks, where rifle-wielding millionaires love the idea of shooting freak animals.
The Bloomberg piece is eye-opening. Writer Kevin Crowley points out that breeders are creating animals that are rare in the wild: the gold wildebeests, as well as white lions, copper-colored springboks (African gazelles) and black impalas (the African antelope). All so hunters can fill these unusual animals with holes.
"We breed them because they're different," York admits. "There'll always be a premium paid for highly-adapted, unique, rare animals."
In short, it's "Blade Runner" for wild game. "More human than human" was the motto of Tyrell Corp., the movie's company of the future that created beautiful human "replicants" that often ended up being hunted down. So it goes for these real-life engineered animals.
One conservationist Crowley interviewed calls the animals "Frankenstein freaks of nature. This has nothing to do with conservation and everything to do with profit." The Bloomberg story is well worth reading.
Fake adventure for the super-wealthy has become big business in recent years. South Africa is a leader in the industry.
The Lion Park in Gauteng province, the region's top tourist attraction and a Trip Advisor "Certificate of Excellence" winner, has bred lions specifically to supply prey for well-heeled human hunters, Africa Geographic wrote in December.
Activist Chris Mercer said that "tourists would never visit lion-breeding facilities (like The Lion Park) if they were told upfront that the cubs that were petted today were destined to be sold for canned hunting."
The Lion Park, which guarantees "Super Close Up Views" of lions, has said it's stopped selling animals to hunting outfits. There have been reports that zoos in Germany and other countries have sold lions to South African hunting parks.
Supporters of trophy-hunting parks says that breeding animals "to be killed serves to protect animals in the wild."
-- Douglas Perry