Tonight is the 50th Super Bowl...kinda a big deal. When I saw this article earlier this week, I decided that writing about big game hunting on the week of the Super Bowl was a perfect fit.
Do you remember Cecil, the lion?
The world's largest trophy hunting organization is auctioning hundreds of permits to hunt at least 600 animals in 32 different countries. Some supporters say that this auction will raise millions of dollars that can be used for conservation. What do you think?
Below is the article explaining about the controversial auction:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/02/160206-American-trophy-hunting-wildlife-conservation/
This second article is about actual trophy hunting industry:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/02/160202-safari-club-international-auction-dallas-safari-club-big-game-hunts/
Read one of the two articles and write a scholarly article explaining your stance on the practice of trophy hunting. Start your paragraph with your stance. Then provide at least three concrete pieces of evidence. More is better here. Finally, in your conclusion I would like you to suggest what should be done in the future.
I believe the amount of licenses that are distributed by Safari Club International should be lowered. My main reason for this belief is that if there are less licenses, the demand will be higher, leading to the licenses being sold for a much higher price. This change would result in similar or greater amounts of money going into the wildlife preservation fund and less hunters legally hunting game. Another change that would be beneficial in my eyes would to take the money being earned that “ doesn’t pump up local economies as much as hunters argue” and use it on paying a police force of sorts to patrol highly hunted areas searching for illegal hunters (National Geographic’s SIU). Putting a tax on owning controversial taxidermied game, such as elephants, could also discourage individuals from owning mass quantities of them. I think that if more farms where big game is bred and let into a fenced area to be hunted would have a positive effect on the environment, leading less hunters to hunt in the wild.
ReplyDeleteNeil,
DeleteThis is awesome. I love the idea of supply and demand. Perhaps you should put this comment on the National Geographic site. Wouldn't it be cool if they contacted you about it?
This was a great post Neil. I really liked all your points that you made.
DeleteI agree that the amount of licenses should be lowered because they're too many hunters
DeleteIn the first article they talked about what trophy hunters hunted and how endangered these animals were. I strongly believe that trophy hunting should be illegal. I don't understand what makes people want to do this. All it can do for us is set an example of killing animals for fun. The more and more people do this, the more and more extinct animals there are. I don't think hunting is bad because we hunt for food, but when people kill animals and keep them as a trophy it shows disrespect. While there are organizations that try and try to keep animals safe, there are other people that make their jobs impossible. These trophy hunters are taking the lives of animals and making it a game. I try to look at this from a different perspective and imagine what it would be like for someone to do that to us and it's terrible. I believe all animals deserve respect. In the future, I believe we should have trophy hunting banned. We need to protect the animals living on our planet because they all help us in some way. Even if we can't see it, every organism on Earth is important in some way.
ReplyDeleteGabby,
DeleteWhat do you think about the deep sea fishing expeditions that people often take when they go on vacation to the Carribean?
I disagree with you because the killing is not just for fun. It can be for giving meat to local villages or protecting them from the tyrannical animals. It also plays a vital role in managing ecosystems. If there was no one to balance out the number of Gemsbok, they could potentially destroy parts of Africa.
DeleteAlthough making hunting illegal would lead to the preservation of wildlife, it's part of some peoples' lives and us, as non-hunters, have to accept that. A more fair way to end this hunting could be to restrict hunting ability. Not many places rely on hunting for food either, most people eat food from farms that contain animals born to be killed.
DeleteMy take on trophy hunting; I think it should be banned worldwide. The animals being murdered, are becoming endangered rather quickly. I find it outrageous that people are actually paying money to kill a living organism. National Geographic states that “last year, the trophy hunting organization brought in $2.7 million from the auction of 317 hunts.” I mean how crazy is that?! People buying permits can hunt at least 600 animals in 32 countries. Last year, the Dallas Safari Club auctioned off a permit to shoot a black rhino for conservation money. There are fewer than 2,500 black rhinos left living on Earth. Nearly 90% of their population was killed off during the 1970s in Eastern Africa. African Elephants have to have a soldier protecting them from being killed for their precious ivory tusks. The madness of trophy hunting needs to settle down, because at the rate we’re killing animals, they’ll be extinct before we can imagine.
ReplyDeleteKatie,
DeleteDid you see on the map what country was one of the leading areas of trophy hunting? Canada! What do you think about that? What if they are hunting bears and elk?
After reading ”Hard Numbers Reveal Scale of America’s Trophy-Hunting Habit”, I think trophy hunting is bad and should be stopped. I think this because animals should not be killed for the pleasure of humans. Like stated in the article “ Many also argue that destroying wildlife for pleasure is unethical.” I agree with this statement. It is wrong to just kill things for the pleasure of it. Those animals had a life too and it is wrong to just kill it. Also I think trophy hunting should be stopped because many of the animals being hunted are endangered. For example lions in Africa were recently put on the endangered species list. So killing the animals so you can hang them on your wall is not exactly helping the fact that they are endangered. Also with the elephants in Africa. The article stated “...found that there was no clear evidence that trophy hunting money was actually benefiting elephants by supporting conservation efforts”. So killing them to sell them should be stopped because the money they are getting from selling them is not even helping so by trophy hunting elephants we are just killing them off faster. In Africa the the southern Africa leopards are threatened animals and the rest of the lions are endangered. The biggest threat to them going completely extinct is trophy hunting and illegal trade. So there are many reasons i think trophy hunting needs to be stopped. In the future I think trophy hunting should be illegal. Yes, just because you make something illegal does not mean people will stop but at least the amount of animals being killed will be reduced. Also I don’t think hunting needs to be illegal just trophy hunting because people do not need to kill animals to just hang their heads in their homes that is just wrong.
ReplyDeleteTaylor,
DeleteI totally agree about just making something illegal doesn't mean that it will completely stop people from doing it. Look at what happened during Prohibition. Great point!
Yes Taylor, I agree, I mentioned that point in my comment as well.
DeleteI read the first article that demonstrated the vast number of people that take part in America's trophy hunting habit, and I disagree with this habit because it is dangerous to all animals and should not be done with no purpose due to many endangered species being killed for no reason. A trade policy specialist stated" What we hope the report accomplishes is that we shed light on the scale of the rate we play in killing some of the world's vulnerable and endangered species". This claim statement shows that people are killing endangered species and a myriad of animals for no reason but to win a trophy that will have now benefit in their surroundings because so many animals as losing their lives to trophy hunting. Local sport hunters say" their activities support conservation by boosting local economies and providing incentives for the preservation of land and wildlife for high-paying hunters." If people are killing and hunting animals, then how would this provide preservation incentives for wildlife? "Many also argue that destroying wildlife for pleasure is unethical." All of the people that are trophy hunters should not be allowed to kill animals and endangered species for pleasure and not having any purpose, but to just won a trophy. In order to save the many species that are becoming endangered, I think that this habit should be banned across the glove because so many animals are dying for no apparent reason, making the number of animals in our world decrease to a very low number becaus a myriad are being killed along with many endangerd species across the globe.
ReplyDeleteI agree. Killing these amazing animals has no purpose and only hurts the environment. Also, it should be banned across the globe for hunting for sport, you make a great point.
DeleteI agree with you Grace, animals shouldn't have to die because people want trophies. These trophy hunters have no reason to be killing the animals especially if they are endangered. Its bad for the animals and unethical for humans.
DeleteI agree with you, animals should not be killed just for the glory of having a trophy, they are living beings too.
DeleteI think that people should not be able to hunt endangered animals, and I also think that every animal that is hunted you have to have a permit for. There should be a number of permits given out. In Maine, they only give out a specific number of moose permits that's how it should be for most animals. Big game hunting's rules are not very clear and thy need to be fixed up. This may prevent a lot of poaching , and keep more animals safe. Permits are also being auctioned off for some endangered animals, and if they are endangered people should not be able to hunt for them. This auction raises money, but they can be hurting animals. I think this big game hunting needs to have rules, and they need to think of animals first before the hunting of people. Permits need to be given out, and only for animals that are not endangered.
ReplyDeleteI agree with how you said they should put a limit on the amount of permits that are given. I think it would really help this situation.
DeleteI believe that legal trophy hunting should stay legal. Poaching is often associated with trophy hunting in africa, even though it happens everywhere, like in illinois. Poaching is very different than legal hunting because poaching is illegal and it is not controlled, leaving mass devastation. Hunting, on the other hand, is a controlled and fair. It is a good way to balance the ecosystem and keep it in check. Without hunting species would overpopulate and destroy areas. However I do not believe in the hunting of endangered animals because that wouldn't be controlling, that would be extermination.
ReplyDeleteHunting has been a major part of both sides of my family for a very long time. On the chart of “Top 10 species of animals imported as trophies to the U.S.” I noticed I have three of those hanging in my house, and my total combined family has many more. My Grandpa used to travel to South Africa to hunt with my uncle. They would hunt in local villages who were being terrorized by the wildlife. Then they would donate the meat to the village but keep the hides.
In the future, poaching should be taken more seriously and put less blame on the people who do it legally.
I agree it is good if it is legal and it is bad if poaching is involved. Although I believe that, I think if an animal is endangered or suffering fro hunting they should not be hunted.
DeleteI think trophy hunting should be regulated. I do not believe that it is terrible, but if we have animals go extinct over a fiberglass torphy, then what’s the point? There are thousands of homes, and bars with trophy fish hanging on the walls, mine being one of them. I actually think its funny how by issuing permits to kill animals, they are raising money for conservation. What is to conserve if there is nothing left? The first piece of evidence I have is from the second article “a number of businesses have tried to distance themselves from trophy hunting”. Airlines, and other transportation companies refuse to transport dead animal parts. My second piece of evidence came from the subscription underneath the photos of Cecil. “Lions roaming Africa have dropped in number from 200,000 to 30,000 over the last century” If they want the over populated lions to decrease, then they might be doing the right thing, but to decrease a 170,000 lions might be a little over the top. “Last year, the trophy hunting organization brought in $2.7 million from the auction of 317 hunts.” I think that they could put that money to good places, if they had the money in the right hands.
ReplyDeleteI read the second article and I can firmly say I fully in opposition of trophy hunting. I believe it is unnecessary activity that threatens our environment and biodiversity. Animals are becoming more and more closer to extinction and if that happens we could lose some extremely important keystone species. If we do lose those keystone species human life could cease to exist. There is a lot of money and boosting involved in having killed such dangerous predators it has become more of an ego boost than the proclaimed “sport”. I think the only way we can put in end to trophy hunting is we have to raise the populations of all the exotic animals people seem to think of prizes. However, to do this would be a very difficult process and of course poaching and the black market for dead animals would still continue until the animals aren’t as rare anymore.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on how animals shouldn't be hunted for the honor of getting a trophy. There are many endangered species that are on the road to extinction due to this habit of many people and it's not fair for the animals just so someone can earn a trophy.
DeleteI agree with you that it is extremely important to protect many animals who are becoming extinct! It is hard to hear about the danger this is doing to animals and various populations.
DeleteAfter reading the article, “Controversial Auction to To Permit Killing of 600 Wild Animals” I believe that trophy hunting is something that should be banned. Although hunters are able to legally get permits and hunt freely, many probably do not consider the outcome that this will have on the other wildlife around. In the case of Cecil the lion, he was the part of a pride of many lionesses and young cubs, and his death most likely had a heartbreaking result on those left in his pride group. Many argue that trophy hunting is valuable for those managing the wildlife industry in order to keep the populations of animals healthy and growing as stated by Ben Carter, “By removing counterproductive individuals from a herd, [populations] can actually grow” (Howard par 11). I agree that it is important to raise money for conservation of wildlife, but there must be other ways to do it then killing of these animals. I think the amount of licenses they are giving out should be lowered as when more are given out then the higher the risk of more animals like Cecil being killed for no reason other than to have as a trophy. By lowering the licenses, it reduces the risk of innocent animals being killed who are productive to their habitat. In the future, I think more awareness can be raised on the outcomes of big game hunting as well as the harm that can come out of these licenses being sold.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that trophy hunting should be banned because so many animals are dying for no reason and many could become extinct. You make a great point on how there should be other ways to raise money for the conservation of wildlife.
DeleteI agree. It really is such a contradiction to try and get people interested in killing the very animals that need protection.
DeleteI agree that this hunting "sport" should be banned because if we keep killing these animals, they'll all go extinct.
DeleteI agree with you that trophy hunting should be banned. Cecil the lion was viewed with pride by lionesses, many cubs, and those whom are in the pride club.
DeleteI think that killing animals in general is just wrong, even if it's for raising money to help the animals. Killing animals is just unethical like the National Geographic article said. They said that it goes against a lot of people's beliefs because it's not good to be killing animals when they still can live longer lives. Also I believe that there are many other ways that they can raise money other than selling these permits or the animals. They can do fund raisers that could raise money for the animals. I think that selling permits could conflict with wanting to help the animals because it could make the animals who are on the edge of being endangered actually endangered where then they will have to put money to the animal that is endangered. Overall, I think that the idea of trophy hunting is dumb and it's unethical, it could put the animals in more danger, and they could do something better like fundraisers that don't have anything to do with killing the animals.
ReplyDeleteI believe that in the least, trophy hunting should be regulated strictly, because otherwise there could be quite large consequences in the future. The issue does not lie in the hunting itself, but in the fact the overhunting is quite easy when lax restrictions are applied. The restrictions alone are not even necessarily the whole issue, but if there are not sufficient, believable punishments to go alongside them, they will have less effect than would be wished. While much of the hunting is done on species that may not be in extreme danger of extinction if this were to keep up, there is still the issue of those in southern countries of africa. Many of the species down there are being hunted at a dangerous rate, and for what? All that many of those over hunted creatures end up being used for are trophies. If you think about it, it ends up looking quite like we are simply stealing away the natural trophies of wildlife, and eventually we may end up ruining nature’s “trophy collection” if we continue down the current path. This is why I believe that in the end, while not everything is an issue, it would still remain most effective for preserving the future if society were to put thorough limits on the hunting and poaching of animals around the world.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, regulations should be the first place we start when trying to fix the issue of big game hunting. People should definitely watch how much they hunt, and not risk keeping others from witnessing nature's beauty.
DeleteI read the National Geographic article, and from the information I received, I believe that the sport causes more harm than good towards wildlife, and should be stopped, or at least limited. One of the biggest big game hunting organizations is the Dallas Safari Club, and they claim to have conservation purposes towards their auction and methods. In the National Geographic article, Brian Howard explains that the club “has taken positions on issues that have sometimes put it at odds with other conservationists. The club advocates for opening more U.S. federal land to hunters and lobbies against trophy bans”. This shows that the club doesn’t really care about conservation, but really just uses it as a way to gain support. Also, their annual auction, which is happening now, gives away “chances to hunt at least 600 animals in 32 countries in Africa, Europe, Oceana, and the America”, generating millions of dollars, and since the numbers of animals in those places are rapidly decreasing (lions in Africa have gone from 200,000 to 30,000 in the past decade), the killing of more only helps the extinction of those species, instead of helping the population as the club claims. Finally, instead of generating revenue for the impoverished areas where the hunting would occur, Masha Kalinina says that “trophy hunting isn't sustainable and can't reliably generate real value for conservation because too much of the money gets siphoned off by corruption or into projects that sometimes run counter to helping animals, such as building roads”, so nothing the clubs say that they do to promote conservation actually works. The actions that clubs do hurts the environment, as one would assume when they hear the words big game hunting. In order to stop this harm to the environment, people need to continue to advocate their views on hunting, not just on famous game like Cecil the lion, but on all hunting/poaching, and shine a light on the shady business that the Safari Club is a part of. People can learn about big game hunting, protest and boycott events like the auctions, and just simply voice their opinions, to everybody. Big game hunting is something that needs to be stopped, and everyone can do their part in helping the environment through stopping the sad and harmful industry of big game hunting.
ReplyDeleteI read the first article. It talked about trophy hunting and how endangered these animals are becoming because of sport hunters. I completely disagree with trophy hunting. It should be illegal. Hunting animals for food is a completely different story and I don't disagree with it. They are using what the animals have provided us with. But killing animals to stuff and hang up on your walls is just wrong. It's shows disrespect and sets the wrong example to people that killing animals is okay. Instead of hunting these animals, we need to be grateful for what they provide us, and be protecting them. All life on earth is valuable and important. People need to imagine if it was the other way around, and the animals were hunting us.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. Killing animals to put on a wall is wrong. However, with fish, I do not feel the same, Your point about animals going extinct is good.
DeleteAs I read through the first article, I must say that I am not a supporter of the trophy hunting. I don’t think it is right to claim animals as “trophies” since they are living beings, not rewards. They shouldn’t allow a lot of permits for hunting these animals nor auctioning them. Despite some saying that the money earned can help support conservation, I don’t see why harm something in exchange for another.It will not ameliorate anything. The targeted animals are endangered species, and the trophy hunting doesn’t help. I want to say that trophy hunting should be illegal, but there are some downfalls. First, not everyone will listen. It is said that some animals are killed illegally, and in the case of rhinos, 1,305 rhinos were killed illegally in 2015. Second, not all hunting should be illegal since we must control the animal’s population since it can result in a situation like the Great Australian Rabbit Disaster. Anyways, my point is, trophy hunting is not the way to go.
ReplyDeleteI believe that trophy hunting should be banned, for we are killing animals for decoration. "Those who kill animals for recreation rather than out of necessity, imported more than 1.26 million trophies to the U.S," this could potentially put a species in danger. Even if trophy hunting was to be regulated, we would still be killing animals for fun, not for protecting ourselves. "The sale comes a few days after the Dallas Safari Club held a similar event in Texas, which attracted a record attendance of 51,000. It also comes as tensions over trophy hunting are as high as they've ever been," the numbers are going to keep increasing as time goes on, which also proves that trophy hunting is leaving a negative impact. I believe that in the future, we should ban this usage of trophy hunting in order to protect and preserve the wildlife.
ReplyDeleteI read the second article and I am against trophy hunting. The only reason people are hunting these big animals are for fun and so they can decorate their house. I find it kind of ironic that the money will go help support conservation when the way they are raising money is by killing the animals. Also, killing of these animals will mess with the biodiversity. But sadly, I do not think there is a way to stop big game hunting. People will just poach them illegally.
ReplyDeleteI agree and I am also against trophy hunting. i don't think people should be able to kill endangered animals for show and for fun
DeleteYou should be allowed to kill things for fun.
DeleteIf they are a weirdo who likes killing things for fun, and they pay for the tag, they should be allowed.
Wouldn't you rather they spend the money on it rather than poach them? I would rather have someone make a legitimate profit rather than criminals.
DeleteTo be honest big game hunting for trophies is kind of a grey area for me. When controlled, hunting is used to raise money for conservation of the species and usually is towards an animal that can no longer contribute to the population. In fact these "canned" hunts have worked extremely well with rhinoceros and elephant populations with the older members fetching thousands of dollars which can be used to help expand and improve the reserves that the healthy population uses. The bad part of hunting is the uncontrolled poaching. Many times highly endangered animals are killed shadily for trophies with the money only going to the hunter to kill more. So in conclusion hunting if controlled can really help environments but can be bad news when things get shady.
ReplyDeleteIt is true that as humans we are dominate over the other animals and must hunt them for food, but trophy hunting is taking it too far. Animals are living things, not decorations to be hung up on a wall. If a person is to kill an animal, let's say, a deer, the purpose should be to feed their families and other people. At the same time, even if these trophy hunters killed for the sake of produce, they are extremely overdoing it. Most animals are now endangered due to hunting, and their rarity is making them an even bigger target. In the next few years, must big game will probably be extinct due to over hunting. Everything is good in moderation, and trophy hunting is no exception. Strangely, The Safari Club I read about in National Geographic's article states that the auction are a fundraiser to animal protection. I highly doubt this, since they are selling a permit to kill a critically It is true that as humans we are dominate over the other animals and must hunt them for food, but trophy hunting is taking it too far. Animals are living things, not decorations to be hung up on a wall. If a person is to kill an animal, let's say, a deer, the purpose should be to feed their families and other people. At the same time, even if these trophy hunters killed for the sake of produce, they are extremely overdoing it. Most animals are now endangered due to hunting, and their rarity is making them an even bigger target. In the next few years, must big game will probably be extinct due to over hunting. Everything is good in moderation, and trophy hunting is no exception. Strangely, The Safari Club I read endangered animal, and use the money to do the opposite??? There are better ways to raise money for conservation. To conclude this crazy rant, the better option for the future would be to eventually ban trophy hunting all together. It does more harm and good and there is really no point to it.
ReplyDeletei agree that trophy hunting is taking things to far
DeleteI totally agree with that the fact the Safari Club being a fundraiser for animal protection. I think that in point of view of taking out the animals that are sick of preventing the reproduction of more of their species. But letting people just kill 600 animals that is not protecting animals if you ask me. Anyways the animals that would be used for trophies would be those who look the best and those are the young healthy animals that have their entire life cut short by hunters. With the endangered animals being under their protection I don't why this hasn't come up sooner.
DeleteThis article does not really change my feelings about hunting in general. Although it may be for "un-ethical" reasons big game hunting in my opinion is fine. We are all animals and there is no defined right or wrong in nature. Killing other animals is normal and although many don't necessarily take pleasure in it; it is just a fact of existence. I would not be opposed to having a lion or cheetah or any of these animals as trophies.
ReplyDeleteKyle this is very true. It's natural to do this and shouldn't be tampered with.
DeleteI don't think that sport hunting is necessarily horrible but I do think that hunters should be aloud to hunt endangered animals. To hunt species that are abundant in size and won't be affected by the loss of a couple of their members should be allowed, but to hunt species that are few in numbers should not be aloud. In general I think that we can all survive without any trophy hunting, but if the sport has to stay, there should be more strict laws as to what which animals are allowed to be hunted. If hunting laws become more strict and are enforced more, trophy hunting will be able to continue.
ReplyDeleteIt is a sport but it's a messed up one. Killing living animals so that they can sit in your house staring at you. I don't like it.The world's largest trophy hunting organization is again selling hundreds of permits to kill lions, bears, foxes, deer, sheep, and many other animals. They are giving permits to KILL animals. It says they hunt over 32 species in Africa. Some of them are ENDANGERED or close to being endangered. And they make 317 MILLION dollars to hunt even more animals. I think it's bad but not worth ending lives.
ReplyDeleteWith all the animals in this world, comes a price. Which is hunting. I believe that hunters should NOT be able to hunt endangered animals. Hunting does not bother me but when it comes to hunting the endangered animals in this world, it does. If people where to hunt an endangered animal and kill it off so it becomes extinct it can effect all of us. Ecosystems will be affected as will many other things. I think in the future what we need to do is have more strict laws and crack down on the people who are hunting the endangered animals
ReplyDeleteI don't like the idea of trophy hunting to me it's gross to kill an animal, stuff it and keeping it especially when the animals being hunted are endangered. Like Masha Kalinina said “we hope the report accomplishes is that we shed light on the scale of the role we play in killing some of the world's vulnerable and endangered species.” and the average of animals killed are about 345 a day according to the humane society of the united states and in the last decade trophy hunter have imported nearly 32,500 lions elephant rhinos buffalo and leopards. i think that we should stop trophy hunting and only hunt if you need to because people who hunt for fun kill can kill animals that are endangered. To try and stop trophy hunting by having more restriction and punishment if you kill an endangered animal.
ReplyDeleteI read the national geographic article on trophy hunting. I think that this blood sport should be banned due to many reasons. First it doesn’t help the conservation in which this auction to kill 600 animals were allowed to happen. What would happen if the hunter just went in and killed all of the elephants? How is the species going to come back from that? “Kalinina (see third piece of evidence to know who Kalinina is) says, trophy hunting isn't sustainable and can't reliably generate real value for conservation because too much of the money gets siphoned off by corruption or into projects that sometimes run counter to helping animals, such as building roads.”
ReplyDeleteDue to the aggravation of the people that saw the photos of the death of Cecil the lion. The problem we have here is that the protesters are only getting a small amount of impact on what the hunters are going. Things have gone to extreme levels with this topic. “At times, that outrage has boiled over to death threats and FBI investigations. But there are signs that protestors are being heard. Noticeably absent from this year's auction are permits for rhino hunts, which touched off the most anger in previous years. And last but maybe the most important the social media plays a huge role. Postings of hunters kills have enraged the people more and more. With the death of Cecil the lion being the final straw the aggravation of the people is something that continues to grow. With this the push to stop this sport will continue. “Masha Kalinina, a policy specialist with the Humane Society International in Washington, D.C. "The juxtaposition of a proud, smiling hunter and a bloodied rhino is something that intuitively people find troubling. Now that these photos are being posted to Facebook and Instagram it’s fueling public outrage."”
I’ve come to the conclusion that recreational trophy hunting should be illegal and if not, then the amount of hunting licenses should be greatly limited. I feel this way because people are killing endangered animals for pleasure. I honestly don’t understand why people choose to do this because it’s just promoting the killing of living animals. By doing this, animals are getting extinct easier and faster which is not good for our ecosystem and it disrupts biodiversity as well. To make myself clear, I’m not against hunting for necessity because millions of people including myself incorporate meat into their diet. Just the fact that people are making hunting into a game of pleasure is unethical as stated in the article. Something that I find strange is that they money that they raise by killing the animals is going towards saving the animals. I strongly believe that something needs to be done about this issue before it’s too late and things get way too out of hand. A few suggestions that I have to solve this problem are to greatly limit the amount of hunting licenses given out or to simply make this sport illegal worldwide.
ReplyDeleteI read the first article which described the Safari Club and the animals people kill for trophies. I was familiar with the hunting that you mostly hear about in Crystal Lake: deer, rabbit, and birds. I knew that there were people who killed Lions, but mostly just Cecil and famous stories. I had no idea there were so many people who hunt species of animals like this. I think that we should put restrictions on the hunt of endangered species. If a certain amount of a species is left, and cannot afford to be lost, then there shouldn't be people who are allowed to kill them for fun.
ReplyDeleteI agree that while some animals are slightly ok to be hunted (even though they really shouldn't be), endangered animals shouldn't be hunted at all.
DeleteI agree that there should be greater restrictions on which species can be hunted. I too didn't quite grasp how large this industry was until having read the article.
DeleteI believe hat we should be very concerned on how many permits we are handing out, if even any. 600 is defiantly way to many. Because if a very fragil species gets many of its kind taken away, it could lead to its extinction. And we are just standing by as we see hundreds of species slowly approach their extinction, and their claim that the money used to buy the permits is going towards their protection is a complete lie. If they wanted to protect exotic animals they wouldn't allow hunting in the first place. This is why I believe that the permits for hunting should be rid of or very limited at least.
ReplyDeleteI agree that we should limit the amount of permits that are given out cause if to many people have them and they kill lots of animals soon a lot of animals will either be endangered or extinct
DeleteIn the article it 600 is just a shard of what the hunting industry really is, but I would have to agree 600 permits seems like a lot, and I think they should be more cautious about who gets a permit and how many are given out.
DeleteI agree with you Kevin. 600 permits seems way to high and needs to decrease before these animals do become extinct.
DeleteI think trophy hunting should be limited to a certain point. This is for the following reasons. If you cut animal hunting all together companies are going to run out of business. For the Safari Club the auction is 62% of their revenue. Dallas Safari club had 51,000 people join which probably gained them money. If you cut hunting altogether it puts them out of business and adds up to more unemployment. On the other side of the spectrum it is different. You have to ban certain animals from being hunted to prevent extinction. Like look at Elephants. They have been almost pushed to the point of extinction. I think only the faster reproducing animals should be hunted. If they start going extinct then take them of the list.
ReplyDeleteI read the National geographic article and I believe that trophy hunting should be stopped all together or be limited. It causes more than good. What’s the point of killing animals if they don’t have to be killed. Many trophy hunting organizations claim that their methods are ethical and are safe. A person named Brian Howard explains that the Dallas Safari club is for opening more U.S land to hunters and is against trophy bans. Showing that the hunters only care about getting prizes and not about conserving the animals. They are also holding and annual auction giving out many permits to hunt 600 different animals in 32 countries. Gaining millions from this event alone.Studies have shown that the areas of Africa,Europe animals are decreasing and by them sellling these permites could even up in hundreds of animals becoming extinct.Trophy hunting does not help fund poor areas and the money gained in the hunting is taken by corrupt organizations that want to see more animals being hunted. To stop trophy hunting more people need to bring light to the controversial topic and not only talking aout famous animals like the recently dead lion in Africa.
DeleteI agree that hunting is a big business, but I don't think we should put aside morals just so some people can roll around in other people's cash.
DeleteI agree that there should be reasonable limitations while also giving protection
DeleteTrophy hunting should be illegal due to the fact that people are killing millions of animals for decorations and money. Trophy hunting can bring in millions of dollars a year. Just last year "the club brought in $2.7 million." all these people did to being in this money was killing a bunch of animals and some of those animals were in danger or under protection including Cecil the lion. Many people feel the same way. after Cecil was killed, “ thousands of people took to the web in outrage..” by people reacting this way towards something like this shows us that trophy killing isn’t a good thing and that it should be stopped. Overall I feel that trophy hunting is not a good thing and it should be stipped.
ReplyDeleteI do not think trophy hunting should be allowed. Humans are causing animals to go extinct more than hundreds times the natural rate, and we do not need trophy hunting to supplement that. Six hundred permits is simply too much, and they should not have been sold. Although the Trophy hunting business is huge, with over three hundred trophies imported each day for the last ten years, it is a question of morals, which has one definitive answer, just stop. Animals should not be hunted just because it's a challenge, or because people want to display them in their living rooms. In the future, I hope all trophy hunting is stopped, so animals that are endangered or close to being endangered can grow in numbers again.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, trophy hunting is exponentially wrong. The second article posted seemed to be of the position that such “sport” is actually positive to weed out older animals to protect impoverished areas. They also claim that much of the money raised from hunting auctions goes to help conservation and underprivileged areas. I find it interesting that a representative from the Humane Society International in Washington D.C knows that in reality, profits usually are lost to corrupt organizations and people. They probably use the cover story to make their bidders feel more confident in their decision to throw away money for an empty thrill. If an organization really is concerned about welfare of people and/or wildlife, they should focus their energy on (safe and humane) wildlife viewing expeditions or fundraising to provide poor people in underprivileged countries with better protection. With so much destruction going on worldwide, we need to learn to value life more rather than view it as something we have a right to take away.
ReplyDeleteI believe "trophy hunting" is an ridiculous sport. I firmly believe that killing other animals like lions, is ludicrous because they aren't harming us. If the circumstances we're reversed think of how fast our population would decrease, much like the loins' is. Now I'm no vegetarian, but this isn't why animals were put on this earth; to be put up on walls. In the second article, I read about selling animals to hunt wild animals. The article explained the outrage caused by Cecil's death, the wrongs of animal slaughter, and how despite the money the organization makes off of these auctions- it's still unethical and wrong. To fix this problem, I think it would be best to have a law that makes it impermissible to kill animals without a ethical reason.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the first article I can say, I don't agree with this at all. While I may be biased since I generally dislike seeing dead animals and hunting, I just don't see why this can have a positive affect on animals and there preservation. "Sport hunters say their activities support conservation by boosting local economies..." To me this statement seems incredibly hypocritical, in the fact that the ones killing the animals say that they are helping them. It sounds the same as selling mouse traps and poison to protect and save the mice. "Conservationists, animal welfare advocates, and many scientists, however, say sport hunting puts pressure on vulnerable populations..." Then it even goes to say that scientists and such state that it actually hurts the animals and the environment which proves how bad this could be for the animal kingdom. While in the end I am against this, I can say that I eat and love meat, which may make my response seem as if it's full of hypocrisy, but I guess in the end everyone is a critique, and I am still against the hunting of the animals.
ReplyDeleteTrophy hunting is ok, as long as you have a permit. If the clubs that give out permits think a species is in danger, then they don't have to give you a permit. It's that simple.
ReplyDeleteI think that trophy hunting is okay to a certain extent. For one people shouldn't be allowed to hunt respected animals. Like Cecil the lion was a well known lion in South Africa, and when Walter Palmer killed Cecil, it distrusted a lot of residents living in South Africa. On the other hand the safaris clubs revenue comes from the clubs action, like last year it brought in 2.7 million dollars. If trophy hunting is banned all together, how will all the business have an income? That leaving the company bankrupt and employs out if jobs. Another reason for it to be hunting to be limited is that if enough hunters get permits to kill all these animals, how can those animals population live on and strive? If it goes far enough some animal species may become rare or extinct in some areas. Overall I think that if permits get limited, the area allowed to hunt get smaller, and the hunters become more mindful toward the animals, it could help to settle the disagreement and come to a agreement that favors both parties.
ReplyDeleteI personally think trophy hunting is a necessary but dangerous hobby. It can keep the population at bay and limit some of the dangerous threats lurking in the wild. It is also something for people to be proud of which sounds bad but isn't. People kill the animals also for resources and fun while they gain experience. There's an average of 126,000 trophies per year, there's a large money income,and limiting animal threats. Honestly, people should just cut off some areas from the hunting and maybe have specialized areas with a larger breed of genetically modified animals.
ReplyDeleteI do not like the idea of trophy hunting, but I realize that trophy hunting will not cease. Trophy hunting should be illegal because the amount of izotic animals is ramidly declining. Also, all the money raised is not always used for the good. I don’t have a problem with hunting, but I do have a problem with trophy hunting because it shows disrespect. It is unethical and morally wrong. All and all I believe in the future trophy hunting should be banned worldwide, but for now the amount of permits given out should be limited to a small amount.
ReplyDeleteI think that the U.S should ban all trophy hunting.If not I think the hunting of endangered animals should be banned due to the fact they are endangered. Although hunting is a sport it should have its contraints. I believe the if a population is at risk I think the government should make hunting illegal.Also as to enforce the law there should be severe punishments for those how break these hunting laws.
ReplyDeleteI think that the game hunting is a big problem that we don’t pay enough attention too. Not enough people see game hunting as a problem we need to adress, but it’s a huge threat to biodiversity. We need to do more to preserve the wildlife and to prevent game hunting, or many of these species will go extinct.
ReplyDeleteIt could be a problem But if there are no hunters the population of the game could grow exponetially.
DeleteI am fine with hunting as long as it doesn't endanger any animals, The reason people hunt deer is so they can keep the population down so we can keep the ecosystem at a controllable place.
DeleteI think that there should be a stronger limit on who can hunt based on the species they plan to target and the amount of "trophies" they plan to obtain. Obviously if a species is close to extinction, said species should be restricted from being hunted in order to preserve it. As well as these restrictions, fewer permits should be in distribution in order to lower the amount of legal hunters and augment the number of animals in the wild; also, a higher tax should be placed on the shipping of animals in and out of countries, as well as a higher price on the purchasing of a permit in order to discourage the "sport" from growing in popularity as well as make more funds available for preservation. I don't agree with the idea of hunting for sport; however, outlawing it would not stop its occurrence completely as many people, even within the countries themselves, would and do continue to hunt banned animals; although, I do think more limitations should be placed on the ordeal because it would ultimately be in everyone's best interest.
ReplyDeleteI belive that trophy hunting she still be a thin as long as the people that are hunting have all their documents in order.
ReplyDeleteAs long as there are lions and big game that can reproduce there should be hunting. If there are not hunters the ecosystem could become unbalanced and the food chain could become unstable.
I am fine with them handing out the licenses, as long as 600 lions are not shot I am fine with it. What I really thought was weird was that 100 thousand mallard ducks were brought over from Canada and mexico. I think its weird because anyone can just go a lake and shoot a mallard duck, why would you need to get one shipped in from a different country?
ReplyDeleteI personally believe trophy hunting is wrong and should be illegal. It’s terrible that people are spending so much money and time investing in killing animals that didn't bother them whatsoever. National Geographic says that the Safari Club brought in $2.7 million from 317 hunts. Not only are many more animals becoming endangered, but where is that money going? It can't be to the animals, because they are all being hunted. It explains that the money is going to troubled areas and to remove problem animals. Why can't they just MOVE the animals instead of killing them off? Luckily, some of these companies and clubs are restricting permits on some animals, such as rhinos and lions. Hopefully, there will be more restrictions soon. In the future, I believe that that trophy hunting should be completely banned. More and more animals will be extinct before we know it, and that is very scary to think about. Although I don't necessarily live where lions are, I do live by bears and deer, so I couldn't imagine a life without these wild animals in it.
ReplyDeleteI agree. I think it's horrible that all these animals are dying and they didn't even do anything to deserve it.
DeleteAfter reading both articles, I further confirm my stance against trophy hunting. Though the Safari Club brought in a reported $2.7 million from roughly 300 hunts, it makes no sense to put that money toward conservation if it was earned killing animals. Surely there are other ways to solve overpopulation of certain animals instead of killing them off, like ways would could solve human overpopulation. Most humans believe they are vastly superior to the other animals inhabiting the Earth. Those people often fail to realize that we wouldn't even be remotely close to where we are now in 2016 because we all would have died a long time ago if more people thought it would be okay to throw off the ecosystem. Thankfully, there are restrictions put on these licenses they are handing out. Unfortunately, just because these restrictions are in place does not necessarily mean that they will be obeyed. In the future, I hope trophy hunting will be a thing of the past that we look down on, much like the French Guillotine.
ReplyDeleteI think that trophy hunting is bad and should be banned. It's outrageous how many animals have died because of this. The text sates that per year 126,000 animals are killed a year. 345 a day. All for just decoration? It's gotten so bad that America has had to put it on the endangered list. The article says," lions have recently gained protection... all lions are listed as 'endangered'." But even this doesn't stop the hunters. The article also states that there was recently bids for 600 permits. These permits give people permission to hunt even some of the endangered animals. I don't think these hunters know how much this effects everything. Killing an animal effects it's family, environment, etc.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading Hard Numbers Reveal Scale of America’s Trophy-Hunting Habit I think that the number of permits being sold should be lowered which would cause there to be a lot less legal sport hunting which is more common.This will probably cause more illegal poaching but it would still lessen the amount of hunting and let the animal populations grow.
ReplyDeleteToday I read "Controversial Auction to Permit Killing of 600 Wild Animals," and unless its illegal poaching, i have no problem with this wild life hunting. One reason i feel this way is because since the dawn of time man have been hunting animals like this, and they aren't extinct. Secondly i think the hunting and auctions are healthy for an economy. "vigilant hunters play an important role in public acceptance of sustainable hunting as a vital tool for modern wildlife conservation and management" This quote from the text proves that human contribution to wildlife hunting is for a good cause. The only thing suggest for the future is to put a limit to the amount of poached animals, but only if they are on a verge of extinction.
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