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
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
B. There are many national forests in Alabama as well as farming fields for deer to
Hunters across the world are in range of an opportunity to hunt a trophy animal.
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.
Lindsey, P. A., R. Alexander, L. G. Frank, A. Mathieson, and S. S. Romanach. "Potential of Trophy Hunting to Create Incentives for Wildlife Conservation in Africa Where
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.
The funds provided by trophy hunting provide an economic incentive for governments and local community members to support wildlife conservation. There are 23 African countries that allow trophy hunting within their borders, generating 201 million US dollars a year in Sub-Saharan Africa alone. In order to accommodate the 18,500 international hunting clients, Sub-Saharan Africa has 1.4 million square kilometers of land have been set aside for trophy hunting. The largest trophy hunting industry is within South Africa, which generates $100 million US dollars a year and is still growing. In addition to providing a smaller income than trophy hunting, tourism often induces the increased use of fossil fuels. When tourists visit they often desire comfortable living conditions and expect conditions similar to their own home, this requires fuel for vehicles, light sources, air conditioning and heating, and other
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.
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)
...nd a way for one to connect with nature in this modern world. Hunting has a positive impact on the wildlife and economy helping sustain animal populations while maintaining clean forests and rivers. It also helps the economy by generating revenue through hunting tags and permits.
"The International." Continued Poaching Will Result in the Degradation of Fragile Ecosystems —. Web. 16 Mar. 2014. .
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.
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.
As result of killing an existing animal, there is a reduction in the breeding numbers and thus the reproduction rate. Economically, in areas across southern Africa, wildlife tourism plays an important role in national and local economies and a reduction in the numbers of wildlife because of poaching affects job losses, financial cutbacks, and the economy in overall. Health wise, though not widely discussed, an occurrence of various zoonotic diseases such as SARS and Ebola, which are directly linked to animal poaching. Socially, apart from the mentioned effects that are all linked to a perspective of social dimension, the impacts of poaching are difficult to measure, and their implications frequently depends on a person’s own sense of morality and