To hunt or not to hunt? That is the question (and a very difficult one indeed…)! The topic is extremely controversial and may be associated with another concern: is hunting good or bad?
If you take both ends of the spectrum, animal rights activists (“anti-hunters”) will tell you it’s a total shame. On the other hand, for a number of reasons, hunters will claim that it should be allowed.
Both sides have their (sometimes very pertinent) arguments, so the idea here is not to point fingers at anyone, but rather to look at both sides of the debate and highlight some of the things that need to be further clarified.
When hunting is a must
* To eat/to survive.
While this argument is no longer as convincing as it used to be (today most of us go to the supermarket to buy food), some people (local tribes or farmers…) still rely on hunting practices to survive. In his case, hunting is more than legitimate: it is a necessity for his own good!
* Impact on the environment and birth control.
In other cases, the proliferation of animal species has become such that it has reached its carrying capacity. To counteract this phenomenon, the animal population can be contained through sterilization, relocation, or killing. Unfortunately, in most situations, hunting is by far the least expensive and most effective way to address the problem.
Let me give you a practical example to illustrate this. For my 20th birthday, I was lucky enough to visit one of Botswana’s most impressive game reserves – Chobe. Chobe National Park is famous for having the highest concentration of elephants in Africa! I wonder how many are they? More than 50,000! Yes, you heard me right: 50,000 pachyderms roaming this beautiful Eden! 🙂
While this statistic is encouraging for the general African elephant population, the story locally is somewhat different. And boy, did I find out for myself! Most of the trees in the area had either been uprooted by animals or no longer looked anything like “real” healthy trees. “Lunar”, that’s what the landscape almost felt like!
Needless to say, the pressure from the elephants, in this case, is having drastic effects on the local ecosystem and the surrounding area!
* Competition with humans and resources..
In general, hunting can be used for pest control, for animals seen as a nuisance (vermin hunting), or to maintain a proper balance in nature. The latter is especially relevant for farmers, who are increasingly in demand by wild animals that invade their properties, cause damage or ruin their crops!
When hunting becomes a sport
* Trophy hunting is becoming extremely popular, especially in the West.
* Hunting is viewed by many hobbyists as a “fun” activity.
* Killing the “biggest”, “most dangerous” and “rarest” animal species is part of the competition.
* The heads or skins of the animals are seen as a sign of “skill”, and the hunters smile “bravely” at the camera with their “well deserved” prize.
hunting ethics
From the hunter’s perspective, hunting is good because:
– Contribute to wildlife in taxes.
– Generates income for local communities.
– It is part of human nature. Animals do not have rights as we see them, and therefore can be killed.
However, from the point of view of animal activists, hunting is unethical:
– Animals never asked to be part of the “competition”.
– It can be “fun” to hunt, but not to be hunted. 😉
Canned Hunting: When Hunting Crosses the Border Line!
A canned game, or canned game, refers to a hunting practice in which the hunter is almost certain to get his trophy since the animals are confined to a small area (such as fenced enclosures). According to Wikipedia, it is a “hunt of animals that have been raised on game ranches and farms until they are mature enough to be slaughtered for trophy collection.”
It’s big business, and some wealthy tourists are willing to pay huge amounts of money to kill a lion ($25,000 per cat or more…) or bring down a rhino with a bow and arrow.
In South Africa alone, more than 1,000 lions are killed each year in the canned game business. While there have been recent attempts (by the Ministry of Environmental Affairs) to ban this outrageous activity, the business is still in business.
The following video illustrates the situation quite well. Viewer discretion is advised!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IkokknpCJ0