An Australian member of parliament who shot and killed an elephant on a hunting trip has said he also ate part of the animal because it is humanity's "right" to do so.
Robert Borsak, a state MP for the country's Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party, defended the consumption of the elephant during a speech he made before New South Wales parliament Tuesday against the "insidious growth of skewed animal rights ideology." Borsak was referencing an initiative by the country's Green Party to end "Australia's killing culture" against species like kangaroos, which are often deemed a pest and culled en masse.
Borsak, an avid hunter, spoke about a trip made a decade ago where he paid to shoot and kill the "rogue" animal in Zimbabwe. During the speech, fellow state MP Jeremy Buckingham interjected to ask if his colleague had eaten the animal. Borsak replied that he had, often in the form of a dried meat product called biltong.
Borsak said that aside from the meat he ate, the remaining byproducts went to local villagers.
"Elephant biltong is quite tasty and they are hunted on a sustainable yield program,” he told the Herald Sun. “The reality is that the hunting programs in conservation terms in Zimbabwe are so successful that there are far too many elephants."
In his interview with the outlet, the MP also criticized the Obama administration's decision last year to ban the import of all elephant products, which Borsak said has made the situation "even worse" and allowed poachers to move in.
Hunting aside, elephants have been having a rough time over the past decade. More than 30,000 are killed every year by poachers, and some scientists estimate the creatures could go extinct by 2020 if current trends continue.
This isn't the first time Borsak has referenced the hunt. He wrote an editorial in the Sydney Morning Herald last year defending the act, which he said brought in $2,550 per elephant to local villages and another $5,000 in salaries to employ people during the hunts.
Those numbers are a far cry from conservation groups' estimates of an elephant's value. A 2013 report found a single elephant can bring in up to $1.6 million in tourist revenue over its lifespan.
Zimbabwe has long come under fire for its controversial hunting program, which allows rich hunters to pay hefty fees to kill almost any type of big game. The country argues this money trickles back down to local communities and is used to protect animals, but studies have found that just 3 percent or so actually goes toward conservation.
Borsak's explanation echoes that of other infamous hunters, including dentist Walter Palmer and Texas cheerleader Kendall Jones, who have argued paid hunts encourage animal protection.
“I choose to hunt and gather my own meat because it is my right to do so. It is a clean, organic and sustainable way to live," he said. "I choose to cull feral and invasive animals because culling protects our native species and habitats, and I consider myself a responsible and ethical hunter and fisher.
“Animals do not have intrinsic human rights," he said. "Humans have a right to eat meat if they choose to do so. It is as simple as that."
The Huffington Post has reached out to Borsak for comment.