Trophy Hunting

Trophy hunting is the pursuit and killing of wild animals for ‘sport’. The main purpose of a trophy hunt is to take home a part of the animal to display as an ornament or object of achievement in a hunters home. These trophies can range from the head of an animal (mounted on a wall), an animals horns or tusks (to be used as ornaments) or even the animals skin (to be used as a rug). Hundreds of thousands of wild animals are killed each year for the purpose of ‘sport’ and competition. In some instances, trophy hunters will compete with other hunters to see who can kill the largest animal.

African hunts

In Africa, certain tour operators offer safari holiday packages for tourists to hunt wildebeest, antelope, buffalo, warthog, giraffes, hippos, baboons, lions and gazelle. Many of these animal have no legal protection and therefore hunters are allowed to kill them in great numbers. Even though some African animals are considered vulnerable, like the African elephant, and some are considered critically endangered, like the West African black rhinoceros, trophy hunters still manage to get away with killing the animals. The elephants tusks and the rhino’s horns are considered the ultimate trophy by hunters.

Canned Hunting

A form of trophy hunting, canned hunting involves keeping an animal in a confined space for the purpose of making the kill easier for the hunter. In the United States, canned hunting is restricted by the ‘Sportsmanship in Hunting Act of 2005’ which provides protection for exotic animals. However, canned hunting still occurs in some states whereby a non-exotic animal is raised on a ranch for the purpose of being killed for trophy collections. Shockingly, some canned hunting operations allow paying customers to shoot confined animals through a remote controlled gun on the Internet.

In South Africa, a haven for trophy hunters, lions are hand-raised and bottle fed until they reach an age of maturity. Upon reaching this age, their human ‘carers’ will shoot the animal and cut off it’s head, paws, skin and other body parts for ornaments. Trophy hunting brings $161 (£100) million to the South African economy every year.

‘Conservation’

Tour operators who offer clients the opportunity to kill wild animals, actually refer to their operations as ‘conservation’. The money gained from trophy hunting tourists is apparently used to help protect a wider population of animals. According to the League Against Cruel Sports, only 5% of trophy hunt revenue goes towards supporting wildlife conservation. While lion, leopard and elephant numbers are in rapid decline, operators suggest killing animals helps control their population and allows other species to flourish. Some safari companies claim to invest in reserve areas whereby animals are protected in a safe environment, free from illegal poaching. However, the irony here is that these animals are far from protected and are instead trapped in an environment that allows them to be slaughtered for profit and for mere trinkets.

Bow Hunting

Bow hunting, which involves killing an animal with a bow or crossbow, often leaves the animal wounded, but not dead. If the animal manages to escape the hunter after being wounded, they are likely to suffer a slow and painful death. Animals injured by arrows have little chance at survival and may be susceptible to predators, gangrene and starvation. While the practice of killing animals using a bow is prohibited in the United Kingdom, Croatia, Germany and Ireland, many other countries including the United States and France allow this brutal and inaccurate hunting method.

Population Control

While trophy hunters may claim certain species are overpopulated and therefore need to be killed, the fact is there is a humane alternative to the killing of animals for ‘sport’ and population control. For example, a sterilisation program for the 30 million deer living in the US would help keep the population down without the need to kill any animal. If you know of any officials, governors, senators and members of parliament that support hunting because of the need for population control, let them know of this humane alternative.

Action

Luckily, the global recession has reduced the number of tourists paying up to $60,000 (£37,224) for trophy hunts in Africa and around the world. However, thousands of animals continue to be killed each year in the name of ‘sport’. Choose wisely before supporting a wildlife ‘conservation’ group by ensuring that they do not support trophy hunting. According to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) the following organisations support or at least do not oppose trophy hunting: the National Wildlife Federation, the National Audubon Society, the Sierra Club, the Izaak Walton League, the Wilderness Society, and the World Wildlife Fund. Another way to ensure you do not support trophy hunts is to avoid safari packages and travel companies that endorse trophy hunting.