Jimmy John's Sandwich Owner is a Big Game Hunter: Facts

Story:

Founder of Jimmy John’s Sandwich is a big game hunter.

Other Versions

Jimmy John’s Owner Hunts Endangered Animals For Sport

Picture Suggesting Jimmy John's Sandwich Owner is a Big Game Hunter — Jimmy John’s Sandwich Owner is a Big Game Hunter

Analysis:

Few pictures circulating online since years claim to show that the owner of Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwiches is a Big Game Hunter, allegedly showing Jimmy John Liautaud with hunted dead Bear, Elephants, Rhinoceros and a Leopard. Yes, the pictures are genuine; the hunting allegations are facts.

Jimmy John’s Hunting History

Back in 2011 Smile Politely, an alt weekly based in Champaign, Illinois (which is where Jimmy John’s is headquartered), published some hunting photos of Jimmy John Liautaud saying he is a big game hunter. Moreover, The Hunting Report, a magazine which records big-game hunting expeditions also mentions Jimmy John’s hunting exploits in South Africa and Mongolia, in the years 2004 and 2000 respectively. According to the records, Jimmy John Liautaud has hunted for elephant, zebra, leopard, lynx, rhinoceros, and other animals.

Again in 2015 an entrepreneur Jonah Lupton has tweeted some controversial pictures showing Jimmy John smiling with hunted animals. He also went on to beg everyone never to eat at his Sandwich restaurants. Some photographs with water marks of Johan Calitz Safaris are allegedly taken during a 2010 safari in Africa (see pictures in Image Gallery). Note, Business Insider website businessinsider.in reported the same story and that Jimmy John’s has not responded to their request for comment.

These pics are the scumbag owner of @jimmyjohns killing beautiful animals. I beg everyone to never eat there again pic.twitter.com/OsBLC6H2Iv

— Jonah Lupton (@JonahLupton) August 2, 2015

Hunting Not Illegal

After the hunting pictures surfaced online, many people in fact criticized Jimmy John and it also sparked calls for a boycott of the sandwich chain. However, the hunting photographs do not show anything illegal, because big game hunting is legal in many parts of the world including Africa. While animal rights advocates argue that it is not ethical to kill animals and that big game hunting is a blood sport for some, hunters and most conservationists say that it helps raise funds for maintaining wildlife and its habitat.