The Pros And Cons Of Big Game Hunting

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.

One reason it should be illegal is big game hunting lowers animal populations. An example that shows this is the, “area with the most hunting showed the biggest population declines over the past 25 years,“ ("Studies Show There Are Many Sides in the African Lion-hunting Debate”). This shows that when animals are hunted largely in an

The money can go to conservation clubs. There are even multiple clubs who rely completely on funds from hunts. It could also help the local economy because of tourism and money from the hunts. However, “only 3 percent of the money spent by trophy hunters winds up in the hands of local people” ("Studies Show There Are Many Sides in the African Lion-hunting Debate”) If only three percent of the money goes back to the community, then it is not making a large impact on the community. Some also claim that big game hunting draws in money from tourism by the hunters. However, “It made up only 1.2 percent of all tourism money in South Africa and 2.3 percent in Tanzania.” ("Studies Show There Are Many Sides in the African Lion-hunting Debate”) People are claiming that hunters are dragging in money for tourism, but most of the tourism income does not come from hunters. Instead, it comes from people on safaris who truly cherish these animals and do not want to see them go