Go Daddy CEO Bob Parsons is under attack from the usual suspects for posting a video of his elephant hunt on his blog. You can see that video at the bottom of this post. Bloggers and social media hacks are urging website owners to move their domains from Go Daddy to other website hosts. It seems most of these folks would rather see humans die than elephants. They want to make decisions for people thousands of miles away. “Sorry, we like elephants. You guys will have to go without food this year.”

Parsons was on a crop damage hunt. The elephants were decimating the fields a village depends on for sustenance. The protection of crops is vital for any farmer. It’s even more important for farming communities in Africa where starvation is one failed growing season away. For more evidence of the real need for food all you need to do is watch the video. There are easily 250 people attempting to get a piece of meat. There are no concerns of whether or not it is ethical to eat the elephant. They are hungry and there is food available. Why someone in New York, Toronto, London, or anywhere else thinks they should decide whether or not these people eat is beyond comprehension. Whole Foods isn’t right around the corner in Zimbabwe.

Most of those calling for boycotts have no connection to their food. They think hamburger comes from Styrofoam. They have never been within twenty feet of a living, breathing cow. Most vegans are blissfully unaware of what it takes to put beans on their plate. Farms, even organic ones, have animal control plans in place. That means shooting deer, pigs, raccoons, and anything else that might want to take a bite out of your romaine before it goes to market. Cheeseburger connoisseurs are hunters by proxy. Lettuce lovers are not exempt.

Mr. Parsons’ hunt and many others like it do more than protect crops. These hunts bring millions to the economy. They provide salaries for guides and hospitality workers. Most importantly to the uneducated masses rallying for Parsons’ head, these hunts provide funds for protection against poaching and habitat preservation. In the United States, the Sierra Club has come to realize sportsmen are not the enemy. Hunters and anglers provide the vast majority of funding for habitat protection and restoration. Licensed hunters like Mr. Parsons are not driving elephants to the brink of extinction. Poachers and uncontrolled revenge killings do far more damage. Without the money hunters like Bob Parsons bring to Africa, poaching would go unchecked and habitat destruction would accelerate. Without hunters elephants and lions would quickly be wiped off the map. Ironic… but true.

The biggest question I pose to Parson’s detractors is why are they doing business with Go Daddy in the first place? Surely from their moral high ground they would take issue with Go Daddy’s over the top advertising campaign. Go Daddy has used objectifying women as it’s primary selling point for years. The ads usually feature a scantily clad young woman prancing across the screen as men struggle to control themselves. The young woman then prepares to open her shirt as the commercial comes to a close and a voice tells you to visit Godaddy.com to “see what happens next.”

The detractors usually say these women are well compensated for what they are doing. They are. However, my children are not compensated. They are inundated by a message telling them if a woman wants to make money, she should sell herself as a sex symbol. If she wants to get a man’s attention, she should open her shirt. Why weren’t they outraged by Go Daddy’s chauvinism? Why did they sign up for web hosting with a company that has no respect for women? Is it because the value the life of animal over the lives of humans?