Global Sports: Why Not Everything About Hunting News Is Bad News

Friday, April 8, 2016

Why Not Everything About Hunting News Is Bad News

By Laura Ward


For many people just the prospect of a hunt brings a glint to their eyes. They love the outdoors and they love the challenge of the hunt. But not everybody agrees with them. This sport is under siege and has many critics. Hunters do not see what the fuss is all about. They describe themselves as serious conservationists. One thing is certain and that is that this sport is still extremely popular. One only have to look at the hunting news to realize what a big industry this is.

Hunters have many enemies. Critics do not mince their words when they declare that this pursuit is not a sport, but rather a travesty. They portray hunters as destroyers of our natural heritage, as selfish rapists of nature and and as violent people. Anti hunters have been extremely active in doing everything possible to introduce stricter control, to declare certain areas as official conservation sanctuaries and to make it more difficult to obtain a license to hunt.

Critics are especially vocal on the fact that hunters use increasingly sophisticated tools to kill their quarries. They say that modern scopes, high velocity rifles and other new technology have made a mockery of the old age belief that a hunt should be fair. Modern technology, says the critics, has eliminated any possibility of a fair hunt.

Hunters have not been silent during the debate. They say that nobody loves nature the way they do. They do not want to see the natural habitats of the animals to be decimated and they are ardent nature conservationists. It is not the hunters, but rather industry that keep on decimating natural sanctuaries, all in the name of progress and human greed. In comparison with the harm done by industry, hunters do not even feature.

Hunters, especially trophy hunters like to point out that they make a huge contribution towards nature conservation. A big game trophy hunt in South Africa, Botswana or Namibia, for example can cost upwards of half a million dollars. A good percentage of that fee is ploughed back in nature conservation. This is done to protect the hunting industry.

Hunters also argue that there is actually very little game left outside of commercial game farms and conservation areas. They therefore hunt in areas that were specifically stocked by the land owner for hunting purposes. They say that there is no real difference between raising cattle or sheep for their meat and raising game to be hunted. The game, at least, are allowed to roam free.

Statistics show that licensed hunters are very seldom involved in shooting accidents and almost never in crimes where firearms were used. Hunters say that they take their sport seriously and that they act in a responsible manner. Hunting is very strictly regulated and no reputable hunter will just for the fun of it.

There can be no doubt that the issue will remain a bone of contention. However, if one looks at the way mankind rapes the environment with it greedy need for non renewable resources then hunters should not be targeted as destroyers of the environment. Most hunters do whatever they can to protect the precious wildernesses that are home to their pursuits.




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