Are There Benefits To Trophy Hunting?
We've certainly heard about the ugly side of hunting, what do the advocates for this sport have to say.
An attractive blonde girl, beaming - lip gloss intact - is crouched over the carcass of the most regal, and endangered animal in Africa. It's not surprising that many people haven't exactly warmed to those who have been posting their photos with: 'hash-tag trophy hunting' plastered all over them. However reluctantly, it's always best to look into the alternate side to the story: the argument for trophy hunting safari.
With minimal effort into research, it's easy to scan the pages of safari websites: many of which state their ethnical information as clearly as possible. What regurgitates often are phrases such as: 'funding long term conservation efforts' which is the main reason for hunting endangered species.
One website for an organisation run in Uganda printed on their homepage 'Crocodile, Hippos and Leopards can only be hunted when they are identified as problem Animals by Uganda Wildlife Authority.' Perhaps we should be more trusting of those who protect our wildlife, especially if they are following officials?
Craig Boddington, a US journalist, has been on numerous trophy hunts in Africa, along with his two daughters. In an interview he stated: 'The revenues are really, really important for funding the anti-poaching efforts and maintaining the viability of the species.' One big question protesters have been trying to have answered is: what is the difference between poaching and trophy hunting?
Physically the difference is that one is illegal and one is perfectly legal, as long as it is applied within hunting laws. Still, the question often asked is the contrast of morality between the two.
Jones has faced many unpleasantries as a result of her hobby. After posting images of herself with endangered animals she had hunted, she was faced with death threats and hate campaigns against her. That then brings the whole dilemma to a roundabout situation - hunting and believing it's for the greater good of conservation versus wishing death on someone.
Another argument is to bring nature into the equation. Lions for example, hunt other game and kill for meat. When game is hunted in Africa by people, the meat is often used to feed locals. The predator and prey become a chain in which humans are just another link.
It's practically impossible to know for sure whether hunting is actually benefiting the conservation; in each different country and every organisation. While it seems cruel to be harming other creatures - especially when they need our protection from extinction - it does well to also remember that we are carnivores ourselves, and it is in our instinct to hunt for meat.