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| Trophy ... Sir David Scholey poses by lion's corpse after shooting it |
MILLIONAIRE banker Sir David Scholey poses by the bloody corpse of a lion after shooting it for fun on a "trophy-hunting" holiday.
Other souvenir snaps show the Tory party donor grinning as he stands in front of elephant tusks and antelope and buffalo skulls during a big game hunting trip to Zambia.
Angry animal welfare groups yesterday described Sir David's trips as "sadistic and selfish" — but he said he saw nothing wrong in paying huge sums to kill exotic beasts.
He added: "I have been hunting all over the world for many, many years and I have always hunted within the legal arrangements of the country concerned. I regard that as an entirely personal matter.
"All the animals I hunt are wild beasts. And I have felt threatened by them at times.
"The lion I killed certainly wasn't an endangered species where I was hunting it."
Sir David, 76, an ex-Bank of England director and BBC governor, added: "Obviously, if I felt there was anything wrong in it I wouldn't do it.
"The object is to dispatch the animal with a bullet it never hears. That's why it's important to be a very good shot before you even think about hunting. I continue to hunt big game, not as much as I used to but I do continue to do it."
The League Against Cruel Sports said: "It is enormously selfish to kill magnificent animals for sadistic pleasure. It beggars belief that someone in a position of authority could think it's acceptable.
Hunter ... Sir David Scholey
"If he is a Tory donor, they should seriously consider whether he is the sort of person they want associated with the modern party."
Pictures of Sir David with his quarry are posted on the websites of two leading African firms which organise shooting trips.
Safari Bwana charges punters £25,550 for a 24-day lion and leopard shooting trip to Mozambique.
Its hunts in Zambia, Botswana and Tanzania can exceed £62,000 per person because of international pressure to protect the animals.
The website of a second trophy hunting firm, Johan Calitz Safaris, shows Sir David in 2008 posing with the tusks and skulls.
The Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species places African lions just below those animals most at
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| Bone of contention ... Sir David scholey poses with tusks and skull |
But there are moves to upgrade them — giving almost total protection from hunters.
Sir David donated cash to Justice Minister Ken Clarke's failed attempt to become Tory leader in 2005. He has been a director of Vodafone, Sainsbury's and BT.
