In 2015, the killing of Cecil the Lion- a 13-year-old lion living in the Hwange National Park in Matabeleland North Province, Zimbabwe- has brought trophy hunting into the spotlight. The controversy continues today; Donald Jr. and Eric Trump, sons of our current president, are known trophy hunters. Hunters defend themselves by saying they're aiding conservation efforts; critics say different.
Trophy hunters state that they are helping wild populations. Killing, they say, can help a species by killing older animals. According to One Green Planet, "approximately 600 lions are killed every year on trophy hunts, including lions in populations that are already declining from other threats." Big game hunters also usually target the strongest members of the population. Cecil, for example, was the co-leader of his pride. Killing animals can also have an impact on other animals. When a new male lion takes control of a pride, for example, he may kill the cubs of the previous ruler. It was feared that Jericho, Cecil's co-leader, would kill Cecil's six cubs. Thankfully, he didn't.
Hunters also claim that the money they pay for hunting goes to local communities. In reality, According to the Dodo, "while hunters pay pay roughly $200 million each year for big game hunts in Africa, only around 3 percent of those funds go to local communities, and the amount dedicated to conservation efforts is nearly negligible." The majority of these fees, according to the Dodo, goes to "middlemen, large companies, and local governments."
Canned hunting is the practice where animals are bred in captivity, and then released into into pens where they can't escape hunters. Hunters argue that this helps promote captive breeding, which can be used to repopulate wild populations. But animals bred for canned hunting are unsuitable for release. They are taken from their mothers at just a few days old and hand-reared by humans. Most of these animals are also inbred, and releasing them into the wild could upset the balance of nature.
There are so many reasons why trophy hunting is terrible. It does not aid conservation, nor does it aid local communities. Not only is it harmful, but it shows the greed and arrogance of humans. No other animal hunts for trophies. It's selfish and has absolutely no benefits to anyone other than the hunters and those they are paying to hunt. I know people are still going to hunt. But there are 16,306 endangered species. In order to lower that number, we must become tougher on those who hunt endangered animals. We have to make sure we preserve these animals not just for our future, but for the future of little guys like this one:
