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.
Wildlife conservationists are constantly working to supervise the rivers, forest, and other natural resources of Africa in order to preserve and protect them through prudent management. In Kenya, laws against trophy hunting has assisted these conservationists in maintaining wildlife populations. However, park rangers face a huge battle against the illegal poaching of these rare trophy animals, such as lions and elephants. In Asia, the demand for ivory continues to surge, despite the long-time ban on its international trade. The demand is so high that the Tanzanian government has developed plans to construct a commercial highway through the Serengeti in order to more efficiently trade goods with Asia (“The Need for Serengeti Watch”). However, the highway will also provide a faster route to the coast for ivory smugglers. The controversy surrounding the highway and its positive or negative effects on the economy, Tanzania as a whole, and the Serengeti is countless. Despite the debate over its benefits and...
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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.
If trophy hunters really care about conservation then why do they pay massive sums to shoot rare animals? Although trophy or as some would call it “sports” hunting, is great for entertainment, however, it is not meant to be a fun activity as trophy hunters say the use of wildlife resources is to conserve, but trophy hunting should not still be a leisure activity when endangered animals are targets. The reason why is because endangered animals are becoming more extinct less than a blink of an eye, all just for the financial income. According to the article, Can Trophy Hunting Actually Help Conservation? – Ameena Schelling, “Approximately nine out of every ten hunters said they’d be willing to hunt in places that were poor for wildlife
There’s another catch to trophy hunting: it is extremely expensive. Permits for trophy hunting usually cost thousands of dollars, which leads to the idea that killing animals can actually help conservation. This concept might seem ridiculous at first, but trophy-hunting permits bring in a plethora of money. For instance, the so-called “ten-day ‘elephant package’ could cost… 36,000 [dollars]” (learnenglish). Even if you merely wish to watch the hunt, you are obliged to pay 3,800 dollars (abcnews). The prices are strikingly high, meaning that so is the revenue. South Africa alone brings in more than 744 million dollars every single year, making it its “most profitable form of commercial land use” (learnenglish). This enormous amount of money can not only be used to aid the many third world countries in Africa, but also with conservation. Many argue that by killing wild game during hunting, it causes some species to go extinct. However, strong economic incentive has motivated landowners to expand their territories, reintroduce species, and take care of the animals in general, which would indicate the opposite: more animals are safe. One might even conclude that the world is saving animals, by killing
The drive to colonize the continent of Africa in the 19th centuries brought the European imperial powers against difficulties which had never been encountered before. One such difficulty is that of the local wildlife in Africa, such as lions or other big game animals. In The Man-Eaters of Tsavo, by Colonel John Patterson, a railway bridge project in East Africa is terrorized by a pair of man-eating lions. This completely true story shows the great difficulty in colonizing Africa by demonstrating the somewhat harsh environment of Africa.
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.
“Why Sport Hunting Is Cruel and Unnecessary” asserts “natural predators help maintain this balance by killing only the sickest and weakest individuals.” This is the key concept of natural selection that has proven effective throughout history; however, the introduction of invasive and nonnative species can cause an imbalance in population. Opponents would suggest banning hunting in order to allow populations to return to their natural number, but this ban has been proven ineffective in African counties. “How Hunting Helps Wildlife” outlines the detrimental effects a hunting ban can have on wildlife’s population. At one point in time Kenya banned hunting but reinstated hunting as 70 percent had been poached. The laws and regulations in place allowed the populations to be renewed, rising to their original numbers. While banning hunting may sound promising, it has the opposite effect of what is
"In Britain the goal is to kill the fox. Because there is no rabies in
It is early in the morning; the majestic Elk bugles in the distance. The sun is kissing the tops of the peaks with the most beautiful gold, and painting the clouds rose red. The men and women who enjoy the outdoors whether it is hunting or just hiking help make these types of moments possible. Hunting and the ecosystem is tied closely to conservation of land and animals. The articles of “Hunting and the ecosystem” written by the South Dakota Game Fish and Parks Department (SDGFP), and “Facts and statistics on wildlife conservation” written by Roger Holmes, director of the Fish and Wildlife, touch on how hunting is important in the environment to keep a good balance in the ecosystem. They also point out how hunters do more than any other organization for wildlife and environment. Our country was created by outdoors men who hunted and they passed their knowledge of the outdoors to their kids. Hunting has worked its way down from the generation and we should learn to “pass it on” Hunting is great for the environment and wildlife and should be preserved for the ages to come.
A social outrage has broken recently amid the scandal surrounding Cecil the Lion’s death. Cecil was illegally hunted and killed by the American dentist Walter Palmer. Since then, it has caused the world to change their minds on the effects of trophy hunting. Succeeding the death of the renowned lion, a recent poll in America displays that, on a three to one margin, the respondents said they would rather be tourists in a country that prohibits trophy hunting, instead of one that does not. The debate is rising as more hunters proudly present their ‘trophy’ on social media.
Did you know that 100 African elephants are killed each day? According to, At Issue hunting is the practice of pursuing and killing live animals for food, recreation or trade. The Pro View is that hunting is an important component of managing wildlife populations. The Con View is hunting opponents argue that more hunting regulations are needed to prevent animals from going in to extinction (Sirs Data Base). This paper will examine the Pro, Con and my viewpoint on should trophy hunting be banned.
Fox hunting is a very controversial subject, and for many years people have campaigned against it. Fox hunting is classed as a blood sport, which involves hounds chasing a fox, in order to kill it. There are also people following the fox on horses. Many of these people carry guns, in case the fox manages to escape with injuries. This way, the fox is put out of its misery and suffers little pain. Apart from being a sport that is enjoyed by many people, fox hunting is also a tradition and provides many people with employment as the animals need to be looked after, and the participants of the sport need accommodation.
When new and old hunters enter an area they are hunting the hunters are being judged by other people who do or do not hunt. New and old hunters that are disrespectful and have no care for others cause the good and respectful hunters to have a label that all hunters are the same. The label that has been put on hunters wipe out what the good hunters do and why those hunters hunt. Ethical hunting is commonly practiced throughout the world without many people knowing they are being an ethical hunter.
The current ban on fox hunting has been very controversial, and there have been many arguments, both for and against hunting. Fox hunting is typically viewed as a traditional British activity, but actual fox hunting that uses hounds takes place all over the world. Historically wherever the British have gone building their empires, they have taken the sport of fox hunting43 with them. In addition, plenty of other countries have their own fox hunting traditions. In France, Italy and Ireland they are thriving fox hunts.
Elephants are an endangered species and they should not be killed for their ivory or they will become extinct. In the article The Poaching Problem the author writes” elephant populations have declined to dangerously low levels.” At the rate that poachers are killing these innocent animal the entire species of elephants will be extinct in the year 2030! That is only twenty five years, I know that does not seem like a long time but it is going to go by fast and every one will regret killing all those poor innocent gentle creatures. In case study 483 they author writes “ During the 1970s and 1980s elephant poaching had included about 1.3 million elephants killed for their tusks.” It is hard to distinguish between legal and illegal ivory so it is sold easily.
The number of elephants and Rhinos in the world has dwindled significantly in the past few years. The reason for this population decrease is the Ivory trade. The Ivory trade is the selling and obtaining of the Ivory tusks and horns from elephants and rhinos. The Ivory trade pushed the populations of wild elephants and rhinos to almost extinction, so the Ivory trade was banned internationally on January 18th, 1990 (Ted). The international ban spurred stockpiling and exposed poaching. Daniel Stiles, a member of the IUCN/SSC African Elephant Specialist Group, proposed in his article, Can Elephants Survive a Continued Ivory Ban, to legalize the Ivory trade again to help stop the poaching on theses endangered animals (Stiles). Stiles’ proposition to reinstate the Ivory trade would not help the elephant and rhino populations rebound; it would also not stop the poaching that is making these populations dip to an all-time low (Stiles).