Trophy hunting is known as selective hunting of wild animals for human recreation. Trophy hunting is not a new trend and has been around for quite some time. Now I am not a hunter, but I do respect those who hunt. They hunt to provide for their family and help with controlling certain animal populations. However, I do not agree with the hunting of endangered species. Especially when you are putting said species at risk for extinction.
Recently, I stumbled upon a picture of a young girl with a dead giraffe that she herself killed.
If anyone knows me, they know how much I love giraffes so saying that I was disgusted by that image would be an understatement. I soon found myself on a full fledge search to find out why this was occurring. What I found was that to kill these exotic animals, prices vary.
According to www.africansky.com, the 2017 rate to kill a giraffe in South Africa is $3,450. Some animals can even cost $38,000 or more. With this in mind, trophy hunters are obviously wealthy people. Yet, I am blown away with how much money people are willing to spend on bragging rights. The little girl’s reasoning behind killing the animal was to “benefit conservation” – which seems to be the mantra often heard from trophy hunters. I beg to differ when some of these species are falling onto the endangered species list at rapid rates. Once they’re extinct, you cannot bring them back. Can you then proudly announce to others that you took part in the extinction of a species? I think not.
Most of the trophy hunting takes place in Africa and is known for generating significant amounts of revenue from their wildlife. The concern voiced by hunters is that if trophy hunting were to be banned, the African economies would crumble. That is not the case. There are other ways to boost economy without pushing those endangered over the edge to extinction. Alternative routes can include: ecotourism. Ecotourism is defined as tourism directed toward exotic, often threatened, natural environments, especially to support conservation efforts and observe wildlife. According to USA Today, they found that ecotourism helps “stimulate a desire to protect the natural environment through the creation of national parks, wildlife preserves and marine parks. Funding for conservation work is generated by tourists through sources such as park entrance fees, camping fees, local taxes and safari tours.” Ecotourism can also help with the struggle to protect the ecosystems of developing countries through creating alternative options of employment. Employment closely monitors and limits the damage caused by overkilling animals. “Historically, mass tourism has helped to support corrupt and undemocratic regimes, but with ecotourism, money goes directly into local communities, rather than government coffers.” Clearly, there are other ways to generate revenue that benefits the right communities.
The reason why I am speaking out about this is because someone needs to give these animals a voice. I don’t know about you collegiettes, but I want to be able to show my kids and generations beyond me that these exotic animals are still alive. With that being said, there are petitions created to help put this type of hunting to a halt. So collegiettes, I challenge you to create your own uproar and sign the petition. Let’s keep these majestic animals alive for the years to come.
Petition: HERE
For more information, check out these links:
http://www.idausa.org/campaigns/wild-free2/habitats-campaign/anti-hunting/hunters/trophy-hunting/
Image Credit: Twitter Post, Article Image