Is this the worst branding ever? GoDaddy boss filmed shooting elephant before hungry villagers wearing company logo hack into the carcass



This is the shocking video of GoDaddy CEO Bob Parsons shooting an elephant in Zimbabwe.



In the disturbing holiday movie, internet entrepreneur Mr Parsons is seen shooting a bull elephant before having his picture taken as he perches on the carcass with a rifle in one hand and a smile on his face.

The video then cuts to the next day as hungry villagers wearing orange GoDaddy hats hack away at the dead elephant while a raucous rock soundtrack plays in the background.



Filmed: Bob Parsons smiles proudly over the corpse of the dead bull elephant

Poor taste: Villagers are seen the next day hacking into the corpse wearing the company logo

The shooting happened on March 8, and according to the video was meant as a gesture to help farmers who were having their crops destroyed by the marauding elephants.

As tense music plays in the background, scrolling text reads: 'For the second year in a row I spent ten days hunting problem elephant in Zimbabwe. 'Of everything I do this is the most rewarding.' At first the team of hunters, which includes Mr Parsons demonstrate the damage caused by the elephants.

As night falls the hunters wait for the bull elephants to return to the crops. Rustling can then be heard in the undergrowth, and Mr Parsons then fires his rifle.

A gun is then fired, which the film attributes to Mr Parsons. The next day villagers are captured hacking into the carcass and carrying off the meat. Several are wearing orange GoDaddy baseball caps. According to the Zimbabwean Embassy, it is not illegal to hunt big game such as elephants in the country. The parks service and government agencies sell licences to hunt in non-protected areas, with prices starting at $20,000 for a 12 day trip.

The video has sparked angry exchanges between Mr Parsons and website change.org. Petitioners on the site have rubbished Mr Parson's suggestion that non-lethal alternatives could be used to fend off destructive elephants such as beehives on poles or chili-infused string fences. Justified: Mr parsons said he shot the elephant because it was eating the villagers crops

Fatal shot: Mr Parsons is captured firing at the elephant, but the video is proving just as lethal for his business - as clients flock to his competitors

In response, Mr Parsons wrote on his blog that the petitioners: 'Have no idea what they're talking about'.



He wrote: 'The people there [Zimbabwe] have very little.

'Should the folks at Change.org go to Zimbabwe with their bee hives and chili pepper lines, my guess is they'll return with a tusk in their ass and some very p****d off villages and farmers in their wake.'

Speaking to MailOnline, Mr parsons said he didn't expect the level of exposure the video had received, as he had been on hunts before.

He said: 'I didn't think anything of it.

'I don't think the exposure is a negative thing and as a matter of fact I have received as many letters of support as I have negative letters.

Milking It: Mr Parsons poses with villagers, while his competition cashes in on the backlash

'This resonates with the average American...when you get this type of publicity business goes up.'

Mr Parsons explained how he 'just grabbed' the branded hats before heading to Zimbabwe.

'The poverty is difficult for us to understand...you saw the way they tore into that animal on the video.

'If I wanted to advertise GoDaddy I would have used one of our gorgeous GoDaddy models, not starving villagers in Africa.'



Animal rights group PETA condemned the shooting as 'very very wrong'.

Ashley Gonzalez , a spokesman for the group, said : 'There are much better ways to handle wild life conflicts that are far more effective.

'This is a heartless act, and when you see the villagers with branded caps and hear the rock track in the background this takes on an exploitative nature more like a corporate branding scheme.

'Shooting the elephants does not solve the route cause of the problem, more elephants will just come and attack the crops again.'

