GoDaddy or NoDaddy? It’s about more than the elephant.

Does GoDaddy CEO Bob Parsons have any believable excuses for shooting an elephant in a village in Zibabwe, Africa a few weeks ago?

If he does, the public ain’t buyin’ it. Neither am I.

In early March, Parsons killed an elephant and later posted the video footage on his website. Outrage was swift and explosive as the news went viral, leading to widespread condemnation and prompting some of GoDaddy’s biggest customers to switch to other web hosts (I am currently a GoDaddy customer but am in the process of switching the Big Green Purse domain to a different host).

Parsons told ABC News he shot the “problem” elephant at the request of local villagers who were trying to prevent the animal from crushing their crops. Parsons also claimed that the elephant, which he shot in the middle of the night, provided needed food for the hundreds of people who showed up in the morning to butcher it.  The way he talked, he implied that he has killed elephants and other big wildlife in previous years as a favor he bestows on demand.

Here’s my problem with his rationale:

 

First, who is Parsons to decide that he should shoot elephants (or any wild animal) just because villagers want them gone? Yes, elephants can destroy crops; the reality is, they’re encroaching on more human settlements as their own territory gets squeezed into smaller and smaller tracts. But is killing them the answer? Parsons claims his company hosts half the websites in the U.S., which if true, makes him a very wealthy man. Surely, if he has the money to fly to Africa and go hunting, he has the money to fund wildlife managers who can work with villagers to both keep elephants alive and protect vulnerable crops.

Second, if Parsons is so concerned about helping to provide food for a hungry village, why not donate funds to dig wells to irrigate crop land, or support efforts to educate villagers in ways to increase self-sufficiency? The money he spent on his killing trip could probably have bought hundreds of bags of seed, fertilizer, agricultural tools, and training to help feed the people Parsons uses to justify his hunting.

Third, Parsons claimed he shot a problem “bull” elephant – a male that would not have a big impact on the entire herd. Not so. “”The ‘bull’ that GoDaddy CEO, Mr. Bob Parsons, brags about appears to be a young female,” Joyce Poole, an elephant researcher and conservationist who has studied the animals for over 30 years, told Discovery.com.  “Was Mr. Parsons so ignorant that he was not able to sex the elephant he killed, or was his claim that the elephant was a bull just one more example of his macho arrogance and misjudgment?”

“The fact that he put out his video for the whole world to see shows both,” she added.

Fourththe GoDaddy CEO is planning on doing this again next year!

Said People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA):

“It has been well established that elephants are capable of experiencing emotions, including joy, anger, grief, and sympathy. They play with each other and can reason and use tools; they have exceptional memories and form enduring bonds with other elephants. They work together and comfort and protect each other. Elephant offspring stay with their mothers for many years—males for up to 15 years and females for their entire lives. Killing a single elephant can devastate a family, and their mourning ritual over the death of a family member rivals any that we humans have developed.

Parsons is hiding behind the lame claim that killing elephants helps farmers in Africa whose crops are damaged by the animals. In fact, there are ample effective and nonlethal methods to deter elephants from crops, including using chili-infused string and beehives on poles to create low-cost “fences.” Instead of coming up with flimsy excuses for killing these highly intelligent and social animals, Parsons should use his wealth to fund humane solutions to human/elephant conflicts.”

All that aside, I hate the way Parsons uses boobs and babes to market GoDaddy. I wish race car celebrity and “GoDaddy Girl” Danica Patrick would give the guy the finger and find someone else’s car to drive.

You can send a message to Bob Parsons on PETA’s website.

If you currently use godaddy.com to host your site and want to move it, here are some alternatives:

  • Register.com
  • GreenGeeks
  • Venovix Through the end of April, Venovix is offering offering GoDaddy users free domain migrations for donating $2 per domain migration to the International Elephant Foundation. In addition, GoDaddy users who switch their web hosting to Venovix will receive their first six months of hosting (a $60 value) free with a one-year commitment. Venovix is also donating 20% of all hosting revenues generated from its NoDaddy promotion to the International Elephant Foundation.

See More Related:

Share with Friends

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Pinterest

Go Green. Save Money. Guaranteed!

Save $5,070 with our FREE Go Green Save Money Guide

About Diane

Diane MacEachern is a mother of two kids, best-selling author and award-winning entrepreneur with a Master of Science degree in Natural Resources and the Environment. She founded Big Green Purse because she is passionate about sharing her experience and expertise with anyone who wants to live green and save money doing it.

7 thoughts on “GoDaddy or NoDaddy? It’s about more than the elephant.”

  1. Wow, this is shocking. I use Go Daddy and recommend his company to clients. I do not want to support this and will have to find another web host. Elephants are beautiful, harmless animals.

  2. Very interesting article. Just so you know, you can always host with Computer Intelligence Associates, Inc.
    We offer great business class web hosting!

  3. There are also a number of ‘green’ web hosting services that work to lower their carbon footprint.

  4. I am currently with Go Daddy and have been struggling with this issue since the video came out. He’s a pig-and I want out. I’m just not looking forward to migrating to another site. Your post has prompted me to get moving on this.

  5. Billigste Webhotell

    I use bluehost, that’s a very good and cheap company. I recommend it to anyone._Ray

Comments are closed.

Welcome

Hi! I’m passionate about helping you protect yourself and your family and save money doing it. I believe we can use the power of our purse or pocketbook to change the world.

Here’s how it all started.

Shop Green

Instant Pot Smart Bluetooth

Reusable Cotton Face Mask w/Filters

Big Green Purse Approved!

Most Popular Posts

Subscribe to Our Free Newsletter for More Money-Saving Green Living Tips

Why My Purse is Green

This website uses cookies

We use cookies to make sure that you have the best possible experience on Big Green Purse. Cookies help you find what you’re looking for, help us show you additional content we think you might be interested in, and also help us optimize our site’s performance. Sound helpful?

Go Green. Save Money. Guaranteed!

Save $5,070 THIS YEAR With Our FREE Go Green, Save Money Guide