National Rifle Association lobbyist Tony Makris loves killing big game, and in a recent episode of "Under Wild Skies," he shoots down one of the biggest: a bull elephant.
The show, sponsored by the NRA, has aired on various networks in the past, but NBC Sports Network is now facing backlash for carrying newer episodes of the program.
In the video above, Makris, wearing the brown safari hat, can be seen tracking the elephant, taking aim and shooting it twice. The large animal trumpets, and Makris and his guide retreat to reload.
"Somebody got a little cheeky there," he says, chuckling after the elephant stormed in their direction. Makris then raises his rifle up again and shoots it "between the eyes."
In the next scene, he and his guide stand next to the dead elephant and talk about how they snuck right into its "bedroom" to kill it. The next clip shows the group sipping from champagne glasses, as the guide talks about the "special" act of bringing the elephant's ivory back to camp.
As The Australian reports, the elephant hunt is completely legal, despite being controversial:
Controlled big game hunting still goes on in Africa and many reserves are set up by governments, who use money paid by rich safari hunters to fund broader conservation efforts. Elephant numbers in Botswana, however, have declined so greatly that a ban on hunting has been legislated. That ban won't come into force until next year.
NBC Sports has since faced backlash on Twitter over their decision to air video of the safari, legal or not. A petition launched this week calls for the network to cancel the show. Another campaign at Causes.com has gotten around 5,000 signatures.
Makris, a legislative and PR strategist for the NRA, has quite the trophy case of controversial animals. A screenshot on the "Under Wild Skies" website shows him posing next two dead male lions. According to other show titles, he has also hunted rhinos, leopards and other elephants for the program.
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