Exploring the Ethics of Modern Day Hunting

1696 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Essay on the morality of hunting

I grew up in southern Louisiana, exposed to generations-long traditions of trapping, shrimping, hunting, and fishing. These traditions are deeply intertwined in the area’s cultural and economic identities. As a child, I pondered the ethics and necessity of hunting, but not in those terms––Was it really fair to the animals? Didn’t they have a right to live, just like people? I named house-spiders and objected to killing them; I pampered my dog Elvira; and I named squirrels, snakes, birds, and even wasps. I believed, and still do, that animals are living, feeling creatures that deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. I am also a hunter. Although irrefutably a “blood sport,” hunting is ethical and necessary even in modern times because it provides proper management and conservation of wildlife, is more humane than industrial farming, and harms fewer animals than a widely adopted vegan diet would.
It is a common notion that hunting isn’t fair to animals, that they have right to be free from human intervention. However, hunters lead conservation efforts in the United States. They do more to help preserve wildlife habitats, which is essential to wildlife welfare, than any other group. Indeed, habitat destruction poses a greater risk to wildlife today than hunting and conservation helps promote animal welfare. On the surface, these claims may seem counterintuitive. Hunters in the United States, however, fund wildlife conservation more than any other sources combined. According to the National Shooting Sports Foundation, “Hunters contribute over $1.6 billion annually to conservation. Hunters are without peer when it comes to funding the perpetuation and conservation of wildlife natural habitats” (“Hunting” 6). Without these f...

... middle of paper ...

...Least Harm Principle May Require that Humans Consume a Diet
Containing Large Herbivores, Not a Vegan Diet.” Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics 16 (2003): 387-394. Web. 01 Nov. 2013. .
“Deer vs. Durango.” snopes.com Web. 05 Nov. 2013. Photograph.
.
“Hunting in America: An Economic Force for Conservation.” National Shooting Sports
Foundation Research. NSSF, Jan 2013. Web. 27 Sept 2013. .
Regan, Tom. “The Case for Animal Rights.” In Defense of Animals. Ed. Peter Singer. New York:
Basil, 1985. 13-26. The Animal Rights Library. Web. 28 Sept. 2013. .

Show More
Related

  • Anti-Hunters Vs Anti Hunters Essay

    1670 Words  | 4 Pages

    Anti-hunters are opposed to the explicit acts of hunters in Africa because of the environmental degradation it can lead to. What I want to be of focus, though, is that controversy over the act of hunting is not solely in line with hunting endangered African mammals. The results of all kinds of hunts and the drives hunters have to pursue these hunts differ because of the uniqueness of the goods the hunters seek in their adventures. What non-hunters and anti-hunters easily overlook is the anthropocentric values that the hunter seeks to fulfill and achieve, and how it expresses an interaction with nature.

    Read More

  • Big Game Hunting Should be Allowed

    2020 Words  | 5 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Big Game Hunting Should Be Allowed

    1994 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Vegetarianism and Meat Eating in Food Culture

    1924 Words  | 4 Pages

    Christopher McCandless, a young American who was found dead in summer of 1992 in wild land in Alaska, wrote in his diary about his moral struggle regarding killing a moose for survival. According to Jon Krakauer’s Into the Wild, Chris had to abandon most of the meat since he lacked the knowledge of how to dismantle and preserve it (166-168). Not only did he have a moral dilemma to kill a moose, but also had a deep regret that a life he had taken was wasted because of his own fault. He then started recognizing what he ate as a precious gift from the nature and called it “Holy Food” (Krakauer 168). Exploring relationships between human beings and other animals arouses many difficult questions: Which animals are humans allowed to eat and which ones are not? To which extent can humans govern other animals? For what purposes and on which principles can we kill other animals? Above all, what does it mean for humans to eat other animals? The answer may lie in its context. Since meat-eating has been included and remained in almost every food culture in the world throughout history and is more likely to increase in the future due to the mass production of meat, there is a very small chance for vegetarianism to become a mainstream food choice and it will remain that way.

    Read More

  • Hunting Helps the Environment

    913 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On Deer Hunting

    1590 Words  | 4 Pages

    Hunting is a very expensive sport to get into. From guns, to tree stands, to even hunting clothes, hunting can be costly. On average, hunters spend $1896.00 per year on hunting (LaBarbera 1). Equipment and expenditures alone in 2001 grossed $24,708,970,000 (for all types of hunting) and $10,673,990,535 of that was of deer hunting (LaBarbera 2). These expenditures then “ripple” through the economy generating three times more impact for the U.S. economy. For many communities, hunting dollars keep them afloat. This money made can also be pumped back into funding wildlife and conservation foundations. In good times and bad, hunters set their sights on spending more time in the fields and forests. Even when economic recession and uncertainty over homeland security have the nation and the economy recoiling, hunters continue to aim their leisure time and money toward shooting sports activities. For example, since 1991, when the nation was mired in a similar recession and war, retail sales have grown nearly 17% (adjusted for inflation). Many just do not realize the positive impacts generated by hunters. A recent report released by the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation highlights that Americans spend more on hunting equipment and dogs than they do for ski equipment. If that’s not enough, the $2.4 billion in federal income tax revenue generated by hunters

    Read More

  • Trophy Hunting Persuasive Essay

    1740 Words  | 4 Pages

    A social outrage has broken recently amid the scandal of 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 ascending as more hunters proudly present their ‘trophy’ on social media. Many nature conservatives and animal protection agencies are raising awareness because of the fact that Cecil died in a meaningless and violent manner.The problem is not only in America, but around the globe. Trophy hunting should be illegal in the world because it is merely killing animals without a meaningful purpose, and it produces harmful effects to the environment.

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay: The Need For Deer Hunting

    2063 Words  | 5 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • hunting

    760 Words  | 2 Pages

    Hunting has been a necessity for life since the start of time. Hunting was needed to feed family’s day in and day out. But in the twenty first century, Americans have evolved so hunting is not really as big of an obligation as it was in previous generations. Americans have learned to contain specific animals, such as cows, pigs and chickens, farmers then raise them and harvest them for their meat. But in some rural areas of the United States, it is a completely different aspect. Individuals who live in areas such as Alaska, Montana, and The Dakotas don’t have a local grocery store to buy their T-bone steak or ground beef. These individuals have to hunt for their meat in order to survive. Each hunter may have their own individual techniques; they may hunt for specific big or small game animals and use basic or more complex techniques. All of their different techniques come back to the basic techniques used for hunting. But all of the separate hunters have the same common goal, and that is to survive.

    Read More

  • Peter Singer, And Tom Regan, Peter Singer And Aldo Leopold

    1133 Words  | 3 Pages

    As an advocate of animal rights, Tom Regan presents us with the idea that animals deserve to be treated with equal respect to humans. Commonly, we view our household pets and select exotic animals in different regard as oppose to the animals we perceive as merely a food source which, is a notion that animal rights activists

    Read More

  • Addressing Premature Birth

    1657 Words  | 4 Pages

    Morrison, Nick. "Animal Rights and Wrongs." Northern Echo, 24 Feb. 2001: n. pag. elibrary. Web. 12 Nov. 2013.

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay-It's Time To Bear Hunting

    661 Words  | 2 Pages

    As I write this on the first day of gun hunting season it comes into perspective what a huge pastime hunting has become and may I emphasize the word “pastime”. Hunting might have been an important aspect to the lives of prehistoric humans, but today many people hunt for the thrill of it. Did you know hunting kills millions of animals every year, many whom are just wounded and die prolonged, painful deaths? There are slaughter houses and farms that raise animals to kill specifically for these reasons. They are trained in how to properly butcher animals without causing them much pain, something hunters do often. Although hunting may seem like a fun hobby to some, it is a very unnecessary activity that needs to be put to an end.

    Read More

  • Argument for Stopping Animal Abuse

    2126 Words  | 5 Pages

    Tom Regan, “The Case for Animal Rights,” in In Defense of Animals, ed. Peter Singer (Oxford:

    Read More

  • Animal Research and Testing, Is it Ethical?

    2169 Words  | 5 Pages

    A. A. “The Case Against Animal Rights.” Animal Rights Opposing Viewpoints. Ed. Janelle Rohr. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1989.

    Read More

  • Hunting Research Paper

    1175 Words  | 3 Pages

    Cecil the lion was a beloved and iconic figure in Africa, but when he was illegally killed by a big game hunter, it flared up the argument of whether or not hunting is help or hurts conservation efforts, but because hunting is beneficiary to the environment it needs to stay legal. However, even with hunting’s positive effects, there are people that do not support hunting because it kills animals. Hunting helps keep the population of animals in control, removes predatory animals that are attacking villagers and livestock, and gives money earned from hunters and the permits required and uses it for conservation efforts.

    Read More

More about Exploring the Ethics of Modern Day Hunting

Open Document