Killing for Conservation Recently, “poaching” has come under a harsh light. With the killing of Cecil the lion in July, animal rights activists have been fighting for an end to big-game hunting. Walter Palmer, a dentist from Minnesota, has come under fire for the illegal baiting and shooting of Cecil. Although illegally done, what Palmer did wasn’t technically poaching. To poach is to “trespass, especially on another’s game preserve, in order to steal animals or to hunt” (“poach”). Palmer was practicing a common sport called “trophy hunting.” Trophy hunting is the killing of animals for a “trophy” such as a horn or a head. Although brutally killing endangered animals as a pleasure activity sounds horrific, it’s not as bad as it may seem. Trophy
African safaris are hard to find in countries with minimal scenic routes and low wildlife densities. However, trophy hunting generates revenues whether the country is visually appealing or not. This opens up a range of jobs for residents who are forced to find ways other than tourism to earn a living. Trophy hunting can be found not only in countries where tourism is lacking, but also in countries experiencing political instability. For example, in Zimbabwe, where political instability was the cause in a drop of 75% of the tourism industry, the trophy hunting industry only dropped 12% of revenues. The low drop of revenues leads to the assumption that political instability is a small hurdle for trophy hunters, who can generate money in a country that has lost most of its ecotourism business (“Potential”). Conservation efforts by trophy hunters have been proven to be positive. The lion harvest in Tanzania decreased by 50% between 1996 and 2008, and the areas with the biggest trophy hunting industry produced the biggest declines. In 1977, hunting was banned in Kenya. Rather than increase the endangered herds as originally hoped, wildlife populations outside of parks have nose-dived, declining by at least 60% (“Potential”). Thus, the lack of hunting has actually negatively affected wildlife populations, proving that trophy hunting is essential to conserving endangered big-game (Packer et
When a Minnesota dentist killed a prized African lion named "Cecil" he received an onslaught of criticism and reignited the debate concerning big game hunting. Is big game hunting wrong? Should big game hunting continue? Big game hunting has been a very controversial topic for some time and these types of questions are being asked daily. There are a lot of people for it and a lot of people against it. This issue causes a lot of extreme behaviors and ideas by both sides. Those who oppose it believe it to be morally wrong, unfair to the animals and damaging to the environment. Those individuals for it believe that it is the citizens' rights and a way to be involved in the environment. Hunting is the law and shall not be infringed upon. In defense of the hunters' I believe that there are five main issues of concern.
Most sources spoke about the reason for trophy hunting is mostly towards conservation. In the article, Sustainable use and incentive-driven conservation: realigning human and conservation interests, by Nigel Leader-Williams and Jon M. Hutton, stated, “As a result, successful conservation is forced to rely heavily on the incentives generated by use and, for a whole raft of reasons often including a lack of accessibility, infrastructure and charismatic species, by extractive use in particular (Leader-Williams, 2000).” But what you don’t notice is that killing endangered species to “conserve” is not the only way to conserve. According to the article, Hunting – the murderous business, “Wildlife management, population control and wildlife conservation are euphemisms for killing – hunting, trapping and fishing for fun. A percentage of the wild animal population is specifically mandated to be killed. Hunters want us to believe that killing animals equals population control equals conservation, when in fact hunting causes overpopulation of deer, the hunters’ preferred victim species, destroys animal families, and leads to ecological disruption as well as skewed population dynamics.” This
Since the European colonization of eastern Africa, big game hunting, also know as "trophy hunting", has been a very controversial topic. During the early days of trophy hunting, dwindling numbers of some of the world’s most unique and prized wildlife was not a problem like it is today. When a trophy hunting dentist from Minnesota paid $55,000 to kill a prized African lion, he unintentionally reignited the heated debate concerning big game hunting. Wildlife conservationists and hunters debate the impact of hunting on the economy and the environment. Legal hunting can be controlled without government intervention, and the expensive sport of trophy hunting could generate a large sum of money to support conservation efforts.
Some may say that the main purpose of this activity is to have fun with family or friends, others affirm that it helps to keep a balance between species or even that it helps to keep a good economy but what about the animals? Did any of them deserve to die so that humans are no longer bored? Were they a hazard to human life? I don’t think so. So in this essay I’m going to present why Animal trophy hunting should be prohibited and removed from our lives.
Trophy hunting is the unnecessary slaughter of animals universally enjoyed by sportsmen around the world. The roots of trophy hunting can be traced back as early as the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad when Buffalo Bill unjustly killed 4000 buffalo in the span of 18 months. Inversely, meat hunting is the killing of animals in order to use the meat to feed a family. During the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad, the Native Americans used this tactic in order for their communities to strive. Trophy hunting should be outlawed because it is a waste of valuable resources, it can cause extinction of certain species, and it can cause the gene pool of the animal to change drastically.
Hunters often reveal that being in nature provides time to clear the mind. In the woods, there is no rush, no schedule, and no deadlines; nature moves at its own pace. This interaction provides a deep spiritual connection with the land, the wildlife, and our planet. Hunting has been around since the beginning of time and has been in many people 's lives for generations, these are some reasons why people all across America continue to hunt. Hunting has many benefits such as reducing deer related car accidents, controlling deer densities in heavily human populated areas, creates jobs, and feeding and supporting families. Thus, deer hunting is necessary for several reasons.
Trophy hunting, or the activity in which people hunt wild animals, has also gained tremendous recognition over the years. Hunting animals usually has a very strong negative connotation; however, when hunting is done right, it brings numerous economic benefits.
Therefore, it affects their ecosystem, and the animals’ families. Overall, the evidence proves trophy hunting hurts the environment, specifically conservation. Therefore, the hunters’ idea that trophy hunting actually helps conservation by killing predators to maintain balance, is merely false.
In July of 2015, national treasure of Zimbabwe, Cecil the Lion was maliciously killed by dentist Walter Palmer. The hunt caused an uproar from many animal activists. The media covered the hunt and the aftermath for many weeks. This heartless act has many questioning why big game hunting is legal. Multiple African countries allow big game hunting, but it is harming the ecosystem. Many innocent, endangered animals are killed. Big game hunting should be banned because it lowers populations, causes further problems, and animal populations are already dropping.
Years ago, killing animals for food was part of the average man’s everyday life. While, now a days, hunting is questioned by many across the world because it is commonly viewed as a recreational activity. Many residents have a problem with the dangers that come with hunting. Not to mention, as time goes on, society seems to feel differently about animals and how they should be treated. One of the biggest debates is the harvest of white tailed deer. All over the United States, white tailed deer thrive because of the few predators that feast upon them and the large forests and habitats that these deer can flourish in. However, as buildings and subdivisions pop up left and right decreasing the white tailed deer natural habitat, the debate grows stronger. The heart of the debate is centered around ethical issues, human and deer conflicts, safety, and the benefits hunting has on the economy.
B. There are many national forests in Alabama as well as farming fields for deer to
Humans have been hunting practically since the beginning of time. Take a moment to look back at our country’s founding fathers and Native Americans. People in that era hunted as a means of survival. We all possess the skills of stalking prey. It’s in our blood. Hunting is automatically instilled in us being at the top of the food chain. Although looking back into history, one can also find that some hunting has diminished animal populations practically to the verge of extinction. However these facts have not gone unnoticed. If hunting is well regulated, whether it be for sport or recreational involvement, and there are no major affects to the species, if anything it may help bring back species from the edge of extinction. “Several wildlife managers view recreational hunting as the principal basis for protection of wildlife.”(Lebel)
This article goes into detail as why people who hunt think of it as more than a sport. This to me is the best article that goes into why hunting is such a big part of the word we live in today and why we need to preserve it. A “Sport hunter” far from just a sport. A “Sport Hunter” can go the Theodore Roosevelt These people who “Sport Hunt” are their to make sure animals are on the earth and continue to strive. “What I’m interested in is making my hunting comprehensible to others. And in a world like ours, where discussions of hunting are already full of pitfalls and confusions, “sport” and “recreation” only get in the way.”(Cerulli 2011) This quote to me explains to me why people are so frustrated and believe that people who hunt have the wrong intentions. Their whole life they have seen social media say hunting 's killing the earth and animals are going extent because of hunter. I believe many people are to close minded with hunting, and do not explore the reasons why people hunt and what it means to the people that
Poaching is only one of the leading causes for animals being on the endangered species, so with all these poachers we need to protect the animals more closely. Animals that are close to extinction need to be placed into a zoo or sanctuary so they can flourish. People need to do this for the animals, they may not like it but it helps get their numbers up.
For every wildlife animal legally hunted another is killed illegally; this is called poaching. People who commit the type of crime such as that of hunting illegally are known as poachers. The worst part about this crime is that it is committed where no one can see or know what is happening. The motive of poachers can vary from wanting a trophy or pointlessly killing animals to harvesting a profit from ivories, horns, or antlers. If this environmental problem of poaching continues, then many species will either become endangered or extinct.