Governor replaces Commissioner Fish and Game who hunted a family of baboons in Africa | Government and Politics of Idaho

"Among the challenges facing wildlife management in Idaho, I always put a special focus on the value of farmland to wildlife and open spaces in Idaho," Murphy said in the statement. . "Hunting, fishing, trapping and other wildlife-related recreation are key elements of life in Idaho. I am delighted to join the department as Commissioner for the Southwest Region and look forward to hearing and addressing the important issues and needs for the Idahoans. "

Murphy will serve the remainder of the term for the position vacated by Blake Fischer, which ends June 30, 2022. His appointment is subject to a routine confirmation vote by the Senate of the State of Idaho during its next legislative session, which will begin in January.

According to the Fish and Game press release, "Fischer has been asked to resign as a result of a series of inappropriate photographs and legends that have largely circulated after a hunting trip to Africa." In the photo, the curator of the time posed next to a family of baboons with a recurve bow. He and his wife also pursued giraffe, leopard, impala, black antelope, waterbuck, kudu, warthog, gemsbok (oryx) and eland during the trip.

Fischer defended the hunt as legal, but former fish and game commissioners called his actions "outrageous," and Otter called for Fischer's resignation shortly after the photos were released. At the time, Otter had stated that Fischer's actions "tarnished" Idaho's reputation.

The Fish and Game Commission is composed of seven commissioners who "oversee the Department of Fish and Game; establish regulations and other necessary controls on fishing, hunting, trapping and wildlife management in accordance with the state's wildlife protection policy; approve the budgets of the departments to submit them to the legislature; hold public hearings and make decisions about wildlife management in the state. "