Overview: Rhinoceroses are on the brink of extinction. While hunting them in Africa may seem like a distant issue to many in Poland, the record for the highest number of rhino trophies imported from South Africa belongs to Polish hunters. Even more disturbing, the valuable horns often disappear and are replaced by fakes. This strange pattern caught the attention of Polish investigative journalists who uncovered shocking truths. The film was shot in Poland, the Czech Republic, and South Africa. The film is executive produced by Jarosław Jabrzyk; written and directed by Ewa Galic, and downloaded to Max on Friday, June 16.
Expectations: I don’t have time to watch everything and anything, so Max documentaries often fall by the wayside. But not this one. The subject matter of BLOODY TROPHY bothers me. Yes, I am one of those who believes the animal that is homo sapiens is the steward for all the other animals and flora we have on this globe, so the notion of butchering to the brink of extinction gets my ire up. I am interested in what the Polish journalists have discovered in following this particular animal trade route. I’m prepared to face the fact that it will be a no-win situation for my views on the matter. Oddly enough, there is a trailer on Max, but it is not available anywhere else on the internet, or at least I could not find it.
Gut Reaction: Here is the problem in one sentence – Rhino horns are worth $30,000 to $60,000 per pound. Yeah, an absurd amount of money for a piece of keratin linked to old folk remedies, isn’t it? I appreciated this 1-hour documentary because it addresses the problem from a unique angle. It does not look at the issue like most films of this type. It does not show confounded & saddened conservationists or activists walking up on bloody carcasses sans horns that poachers gleaned. We do not see world-renowned big-game hunters on the hunt. We see Polish hunters who are willing to shell out big dollars, just for the honor of saying they bagged a big rhino. Yes, they got the mounts for their homes, but for most of them, the horns were fakes made of Styrofoam. These hunters were used by the conniving sorts who brokered the deals and made a profit off of these eager sportsmen. The real prizes were on the black market. Several hunts were even staged, meaning that someone with a clean and proper passport and credentials was photographed with the kill, but they actually never fired a rifle on-site.
What makes it equally interesting is that these crimes were tracked, not by any governmental agency or activist groups, but by Polish investigative journalists. They asked the right questions, followed the trails, and exposed the racket.
Conclusion: This was just smart work about a cause that bothers me. I knew there were always poachers about, but cracking a real deep, dark market operation seemed satisfying. But, of course, there is always more work to be done. If you care about the global concern for wildlife conservation, then BLOODY TROPHY will be a quick, concise delve into the issue.
