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‘Trophy Hunting,’ a So-Called Legal Sport, Endangering African Wildlife

Detrimental Effects of 'Trophy Hunting'

By Vanessa CidPublished 6 years ago 3 min read
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“We are left shaking our heads wondering why American people care more about African animals than African people” (Nzoaug, 2015). On July 1st, 2015, Cecil, the beloved lion, was killed by American dentists and their hobby for trophy hunting. Trophy hunting is the selective killing of specific wildlife for reasons none other than the pleasure of mounting the animal’s head on a wall. Trophy hunting has many regulations and restrictions that are put up and vary by country. Most common restrictions include the grounds the animal is hunted and killed, the weapons used, and limitations on which animals can and can't be killed. While trophy hunting carries much controversy, and both sides of the spectrum have substantial and reasonable arguments, trophy hunting should be a ceased so-called “sport.” Though the argument behind the termination of trophy hunting is vast, were Dr. Palmer’s actions wrong? Dr. Palmer’s actions were reprehensible as a whole, but not wrong as he claims to not have been fully aware of the operations taken place to make the hunting happen.

What was so wrong about Dr. Palmer’s actions? Let's take wrong out of the situation and replace it with legal, were his actions legal? Yes. While luring Cecil out of her protected enclosing was dishonorable, it is not illegal to take a collard lion. Dr. Palmer claims he was not aware that the lion he hunted and killed was a known local favorite or that it was a collared lion in a study in the interview with the Associated Press and the Minneapolis Star Tribune. “I relied on the expertise of my local professional guides to ensure a legal hunt,” he said in the interview, furthermore defending that for the reason that he was not aware of the unethical hunt, he should not be scorned by the media. Zimbabwe officials came to the conclusion that the hunt was indeed legal since Dr. Palmer had full legal authority to conduct the hunt and had all legal documents and papers in order (BBC, 2015). All things considered, the hunt was legal and Dr. Palmer is in the clear, yet his situation has caused an outburst in social media, and people who have never heard of trophy hunting or Cecil the lion are surfacing and defending their opinions. Would the situation have been different if the lion was not Cecil? In like manner, is Dr. Palmer’s unethical hunt the reason for this outburst or is the unappealing truth of trophy hunting just being shined a light on? Many argue that trophy hunting does more good than damage, be that as this may have evidential truth behind it, trophy hunting should not be allowed for reasons that follow; trophy hunting allows for endangered animals to be pursued, leaving these sought out species furthermore vulnerable and susceptible to extinction; secondly, the widely misguided and believed idea that trophy hunting is a significant source of revenue towards rural cities and villages is proved to be wrong as only three percent of the speculated $200 million dollar industry is contributed (OGP.org, Crosswell, 2013); Lastly, big game hunting decreases genetic diversity in population of species, some of which are endangered. Consequently, reduced genetic diversity inside a population results in increased susceptibility to diseases and genetic drift (conserve, Mcarthy, 2015). Given these points, one can conclude that trophy hunting ultimately does more damage than good.

Dr. Palmer, soon after killing the lion Cecil.

The killing of Cecil the lion, legal, but is it wrong? Dr. Palmer has an extensive background on hunting and though his claims to not have known of the lion being Cecil or collard, he should have known that luring the lion is unethical as the lion was denied “a chance of fair chase” (Tampa Bay Times, 2015). As has been noted the hunt was declared legal, but when it comes to due diligence, ethics are at times overlooked. Notably, pro-hunting communities argue that trophy hunting is advantageous towards conservation, as all the money procured is then used to allow for vast amounts of land to remain untouched by humans. Whereas this might have been beneficial at times when an overwhelming amount of wildlife roamed African plains, presently, the amount of wildlife has significantly dropped thus not needing an excess amount of funds to go towards land (Africa Uncovered, parker, 2017). Despite all allegations of the ethics of the hunt, Palmer killed Cecil legally and has been ruled innocent by Zimbabwe officials. While his hobby is distasteful to many, all opinions and feelings put aside, Dr. Palmer’s actions are not wrong nor illegal. Nonetheless, the trophy hunting business should come to an end, as it is not beneficial to animals, the local economy of cities and villages surrounding hunting sites, and dare I say the hunters themselves, for this is an unessential hobby and in no way necessary.

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About the Creator

Vanessa Cid

I believe in success through hard work & dedication. My motto in life is "If you want something, work hard & you will achieve it". I am a progressive thinker & respect each person’s space & values.

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