An animal rights group is challenging Vancouver Canucks forward David Booth to see what it feels like to be hunted in the wilderness.
Peter Hamilton, director of the B.C.-based advocacy group Lifeforce, took umbrage with a picture Booth tweeted last week of the left winger posing next to a freshly-killed mountain goat.
He responded with a dare.
“We’re challenging David Booth to put himself in the position of a hunted wildlife,” Hamilton told CTV News. “He would be subjected to the same plight that wildlife are, in hopes that he will reflect upon the suffering and pain of innocent animals.”
A draft version of the “Booth Hunt” plan indicates the Canuck would be sent into the wild unarmed, alone and without rations.
A team of hunters with dogs and high-tech equipment would then attempt to track and capture him within an agreed-upon time limit. Naturally, Booth would not be harmed by his chasers.
“He would rely on any of his woodsman skills, as do the wildlife who are forced to rely on their abilities while being ruthlessly pursued,” the draft plan reads.
Hamilton described trophy hunting as “barbaric,” and said it’s a practice that must be stopped.
“A trophy is an inanimate object. These are sentient beings,” he said. “One has to question anyone’s motive in getting any kind of pleasure out of killing an animal in this manner.”
The director acknowledged that issuing such a challenge to a professional athlete may be a long shot, but said he’s hopeful that Booth will defend his highly-publicized hobby.
“Hopefully he will discuss it with us. He seems to be a big promoter of killing wildlife, so hopefully he will stand up and try to defend it.”
Have your say: Would you like to see David Booth accept this challenge?
