Call for Idaho F&G commissioner’s removal!
Seriously Butch Otter? After all of the blood you have on your hands? “Governor Otter was briefed and has seen the pictures,” said Jon Hanian, the governor’s spokesman. “He has expressed concern about them and we’re looking into the situation.”
BOISE, Idaho (CBS 2) — An Idaho Fish and Game commissioner who emailed photos of himself posing with a family of baboons he shot and killed during a recent hunting trip in Africa has led to a group of former commissioners asking for his resignation.
According to emails and photos obtained by CBS 2 News through Gov. Butch Otter’s office, commissioner Blake Fischer emailed several pictures of his kills to numerous people highlighting his hunting trip.
The pictures received swift backlash.
He begins the email saying he and his wife had just returned from a two-week hunting trip to Namibia.
“First day she wanted to watch me, and ‘get a feel’ of Africa,” Fischer said in the email obtained through the governor’s office. “So I shot a whole family of baboons.
In addition to the baboon picture, Fischer emailed photos of other animals that he and his wife hunted and killed while in Namibia including a giraffe, leopard, impala, antelope and waterbuck.
“I shot a Leopard,” he wrote. “Super cool, super lucky. The Leopard is one of the big 5, as in one of the 5 animals in Africa that will kill you before you can kill it. Crazy cool animal. They are normally super nocturnal, so this was really unique.”
The photos have garnered the attention of Gov. Butch Otter.
“Governor Otter was briefed and has seen the pictures,” said Jon Hanian, the governor’s spokesman. “He has expressed concern about them and we’re looking into the situation.”
The story was first reported by the Idaho Statesman.
Former commissioner Fred Trevey, in an email obtained through the governor’s office, said Fischer sent the photos to about 125 people.
“My reaction to the photo and accompanying text of you smiling and holding a ‘family’ of primates you killed, dismays and disappoints me,” Trevey said. “I have a difficult time understanding how a person privileged to be an Idaho Fish and Game Commissioner can view such an action as sportsmanlike and an example to others.”
Trevey says that although the hunt may have been legal, “legal does not make it right.”
“Your poor judgement has unnecessarily put the institution’s credibility, and hunting in general, at risk in a blink of an eye,” he said. “My belief is you should take responsibility and resign, sooner rather than later.”
The Idaho Department of Fish and Game told CBS 2 News that its commissioners are not employees of the department and therefore it has no comment.
Calls and emails to Fischer seeking comment have not been returned though he told the Statesman, “I didn’t do anything illegal.”
Two commissioners have declined comment to CBS 2 News, saying all media inquiries for the commissioners need to go through the governor’s office.
Steve Alder, executive director for Idaho For Wildlife, a pro-hunting group, said the hunts were despicable and that you shouldn’t exploit animals and stories like this fuel anti-hunting efforts.
“What bothers me is he’s got the family there and a little baby baboon sitting there with blood all over it, kind of like in the mother’s arms,” Alder said. “You just don’t do this. It’s just not something. We don’t want to put out to the public and many of us wouldn’t even do this in the first place.”
Source: Idaho F&G commissioner gets backlash, calls to resign after hunting trip in Africa
Comments
This is disgusting, he killed a whole family and is sitting there like the POS he is, grinning like a fool
You and your entire state are a piece of s..t if you don’t fire F.ckhead Fischer. Or possibly you don’t have the nerve…..
This is beyond disgusting. I feel that these Game and Fish Commissions are just a waste of the taxpayers money and a majority of them need to be revaluated and possibly shut down completely. The Game and Fish Commissions are suppose to be protecting our wildlife but yet you have a Commissioner who goes to Africa and shoots and kills a family of Baboons. What kind of sick idiot especially someone with a Game and Fish Commission can do this. Regardless if this photo was accidently leaked or not is irrelevant here. How can we feel that a Game and Fish Commissioner who will kill a family of Baboons rightfully do the work to protect our own wildlife in the US. Along with Donny Martorello he needs to be forced to resign or be fired as well as Butch Otter. Donny M. is only about killing Wolves for Welfare Ranchers. He does not stand up to these Ranchers and he does not keep our wildlife at his best interest. Butch Otter does not either. This hunt of killing Baboons and killing Giraffes is very disturbing that anyone at our Game and Fish Commissions accept this type of abuse on our wildlife to be okay. It is not okay and it is time that Butch Otter be fired and move along.
Sorry not Butch Otter got my names wrong on here Blake Fischer.