Joanna Swabe, Senior Director of Public Affairs at HSI/Europe A ban on trophy hunting would be a much-needed incentive to develop creative conservation concepts for wildlife conservation and human-animal coexistence. And there is still considerable conservation income that can be earned without resorting to trophy hunting. After the murder of the lion Cecil, Emirates Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Airlines and United Airlines banned the carriage of hunting trophies on flights. Currently, trophy hunting for black bears is allowed in the United States. Another problem with trophy hunting is that it can lead to other cruel practices. For example, some people involved in trophy hunting also collect animal parts such as heads, horns, and skins. These coins are often displayed as trophies. Hunting is the activity of hunting and killing wild animals or game, especially for food or sport. `trophy hunting` means in particular a form of hunting in which the express purpose of the hunter is to preserve the carcass or body part of the hunted animal, such as the head or skin, as a trophy representing the success of the hunt. Trophy hunting is legal in some areas with appropriate permits and must be distinguished from poaching.
Poaching is the illegal removal of game, although – like trophy hunting – it can be carried out for the acquisition of coveted parts or products of the target species. For the purposes of this report, a distinction has been made between trophy hunting (where a rifle or bow and arrow have been used for hunting) and trophy fishing or trophy fishing, as the method of searching for and killing animals differs significantly from the usual use of trophy hunting. In fact, trophy hunting research shows that it can bring significant financial benefits, is likely to be supported by local communities, and can be linked to conservation gains. This argument depends in part on the generation of significant income by trophy hunters, which are then claimed, can then be reinvested in conservation activities. North American trophy hunting should not be confused with „can hunting“ or „vanity hunting,“ where animals (sometimes intensely bred) are slaughtered in an area designed for simple killings, more for collecting an animal for exhibition than for sport. The Boone and Crockett Club opposes and actively opposes this practice because it removes the element of „fair hunting.“ [11] In addition, hunting for meat, trophies or for recreational purposes provides each state with income for the management of wildlife and its natural habitats through the Pittman Robertson Act, resulting in the expansion of natural habitats and an increase in populations of big game hunting species across the country. [7] From this point of view, trophy hunting undoubtedly causes harm. It brings pain, fear, suffering and death.
Added to this is the grief, grief and fragmentation of family or social groups experienced by animals such as elephants, whales, primates and giraffes. Given this damage, trophy hunting certainly deserves the label of „crime“. Following a comprehensive analysis of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) trade database, Killing for Trophies provides a detailed overview of the scope and extent of the trophy hunting trade and isolates the world`s largest importers of animal trophies. The report found that up to 1.7 million hunting trophies were traded between countries between 2004 and 2014, of which at least 200,000 are made up of categories of species, also known as taxa, considered threatened. Most evil humans find an apologist, and the Trophy Hunter Brotherhood has had many of these apologists lately. There are those who defend trophy hunting mainly with arguments motivated by gross greed. There are those who say that it is good to kill wild animals for fun because it provides income to the poor. Never mind that there are currently many very poor people living in communities that allow trophy hunting; Never mind that repeated studies prove that poor people receive only a very small portion of the money generated by this horrible industry, and many receive nothing at all. The big profits go to the owners of the hunting lodges, the professional hunters and the bureaucrats who collect the royalties. The poor sometimes receive a few pennies. Trophy hunting is certainly not a charity designed to alleviate human suffering.
Many species of game such as the Indian black male, Nilgai, Axis deer, Barasingha, Iranian red sheep and a variety of other species of deer, sheep and antelopes, as well as tigers and lions and their hybrids from Africa, Asia and the Pacific Islands, have been introduced to ranches in Texas and Florida for trophy hunting. Trophy hunting as a sport has strong supporters and opponents. The debates around trophy hunting concern the question of morality in relation to hunting and conservation efforts made through big game hunting. The International Union for Conservation of Nature reports in The baby and the bathwater: trophy hunting, conservation and rural livelihoods that trophy hunting, if well managed, can be sustainable and provide significant economic incentives for the conservation of target species, but that there are legitimate concerns about legality, the sustainability and ethics of certain hunting practices. The paper concludes that, in some contexts, there may be valid and viable alternatives to trophy hunting that can bring the above benefits, but their identification, financing and implementation require meaningful consultation and cooperation with affected governments, the private sector and communities. [63] The endorsement of trophy hunting also perpetuates the idea that animals are smaller than humans. It turns wildlife into a commodity, rather than living, sentient and autonomous – beings that I believe should be considered victims of crime. Let`s set the record straight once and for all. In January 2040 or 2050, the last wild lions, tigers and polar bears could disappear.
And with them a large part of the world. And children around the world will admire their parents and say, „Mom, Dad, what happened to the Lion Kings?“ And parents need to think hard about the answer. But secretly, they will know that it is the betrayal of humanity that has been done to them. Something in human character will have to give if these great beings are to survive.