I agree. There is very little to be proud about in this particular kill. Now, are you ready for the other side of the coin?
People who are truly involved in the work of conservation for these species and ecosystems do *not* want trophy hunting to be banned. Why, you may ask? It turns out that people who complain about trophy hunting and want it banned contribute virtually nothing to meeting the financial needs of the conservation effort needed for the animals and the entire ecosystem to thrive.
Have you ever seen a tree surgeon working? They cut off seemingly healthy parts of the tree to promote healthier growth and to avoid overtaxing the limited resources available to the tree.
Wild animal populations often need similar treatment. Some animals have to be culled. There are a few options available to game wardens:
- shoot the animals themselves, sell the trophies to collectors, and sell/donate the meat to the local population who needs it for food.
- give/sell limited hunting permissions to local hunters, who get to keep the trophies and the meat.
- auction off the privilege of doing the culling to people who agree to overpay for it grossly. These hunters gladly pay the greatly inflated price with the knowledge that the money is used for the conservation of the very species being hunted. The hunter keeps the overpaid trophy and has a feast from a small portion of the meat, donating the remaining 90% of it to the local population.
All three options are used on a regular basis in all places where a wildlife population would collapse on its own, but can be made to thrive via human management.
All three options are useful, but the third is, by far, the most beneficial to everybody involved, including the animals. That one is the dreaded and hated "trophy hunting".
People hunt because it's in their DNA. We haven't been civilized long enough to forget our old-school ways of feeding ourselves, and some, more than others, are naturally more in touch with their hunter-gatherer instincts. It's natural, and, in many ways, it is good because it's necessary. Some would say it's the way God intended.
In some regions, we either hunt the animals regularly and rationally, or they go extinct. Call it a necessary evil if you must, but getting rid of it is not the right thing to do.
