A graphic video showing National Rifle Association honcho Wayne LaPierre indulging in a botched-up elephant kill in Botswana has surfaced, leaving many disgusted. The video, shot eight years ago, was part of the NRA sponsored television series, 'Under Wild Skies.'
The video, which was never aired anticipating a public backlash, was accessed by The New Yorker and The Trace. The incident dates back to 2013 when the LaPierre and his wife Susan LaPierre travelled to Okavango Delta, Botswana, to hunt down African Bush elephants.
LaPierre Fails to Take Down the Elephant
The nearly 10-minute footage begins with LaPierre accompanied with few others and professional guide walking down a track in the area. The group stops after an elephant is spotted standing behind a tree by a guide.
Despite being repeatedly instructed to wait before firing the shot, LaPierre fires making the elephant drop. "Did we get him?" LaPierre asks the guide, who initially responds with a yes.
However, upon nearing the mammal it is seen breathing and wreathing in pain as it lays motionless on the ground. The guide then asks the NRA chief, who is standing at a short distance from the wounded animal, to take another shot.
"I'm going to show you where to shoot," the guide says. "Listen, hold your rifle—I'm going to tell you when. Just hold it up," the guide tells LaPierre, as he adds, "I'm going to point for you where to shoot. Just waiting for these guys."
The guide then points the exact spot where LaPierre is required to shoot the wounded animal. However, LaPierre fails multiple times after which the guide asks Tony Makris, a longtime adviser of LaPierre to take the final shot.
Markis kills the animal with a single shot as everyone turns to LaPierre congratulating him for the kill. "You dropped him like no tomorrow," Markis is heard telling the NRA chief.
Susan LaPierre Chops Off Elephant's Tail
The other part of the video shows Susan, accompanied by her husband and guides, taking a shot at an elephant standing in the jungle. Unlike her husband, who failed to take the correct aim to kill the elephant, Susan does so in a single shot.
"That was amazing," Susan says after the animal's death is confirmed by the guide. "Wow. My heart is racing. I feel great. That was awesome. Awesome. Awesome. Awesome."
As she closely inspects the dead animal by moving her hands over it, Susan is heard saying, "Aww, he's still there. Look at his eyes. Beautiful animal. You're a good old guy. A real good old guy."
Commenting on how wrinkly and old the elephant looks, she says that a "podiatrist would love working on him."
Susan then proceeds to chop off the dead animal's tail. "Oh, it's like a fish almost, with the center cartilage," she says as she goes on to cut the tail with the knife. In a later shot Susan is seen holding the chopped tail in one hand and a bloodied knife in another.
"Victory! That's my elephant tail. Way cool. Here in Botswana, in the Okavango Delta, with 'Under Wild Skies'" she says before laughing off.
The Trace reported that in order to avoid the negative publicity, the body parts from both elephants were shipped to the U.S. in a hidden manner.
The outlet claimed that the animals' front feet were turned into stools for the couple's home.
