Madison Richardson

English 111

Turning a Way of Life into a Sport

Hunting plays a crucial role in the regulation of our environment and has been a way of
life for people all over the world for centuries. However, some individuals abuse the power of
taking the life of another living being and utilize that power simply for the fun of killing.
Hunting for fun or for trophy has become a normal part of the world of hunting. Trophy hunting
is the practice of hunting animals, typically non indigenous ones, for the sole purpose of
collecting a trophy from the animal such as antlers, tusks, horns, or mounts. However this
process is detrimental to the reputation of hunting and to the lives of the animals involved.
Therefore it is imperative that harsher regulations be put in place to restrict the ability to
carelessly take the lives of these creatures.
Despite negative connotations, there are some economic and environmental advantages to
trophy hunting. Most trophy hunting focuses on “exotic” animals such as lions, giraffes, and
others not indigenous to the United States. Therefore, the appeal of trophy hunting helps to
encourage travel and tourism in places such as Asia and Africa that are not typically travel
destinations. Fees for transportation and hunting licenses in these areas also help stimulate
economies in these areas, which are typically considered to be “developing countries.” For
example, in the African country of Namibia they grossed an estimated $318 million through their
tourism industry in 1996, which jumped to $450 million by 2000. It is calculated that
approximately %14 of that money was accumulated through trophy hunting and safari hunting
expeditions. (Michael N. Humavindu & Jonathan I. Barnes, 2003) Sponsoring hunting trips for
tourists and collecting on license fees plays a large part in the economic development of these
countries, but at what cost?
Trophy hunting has largely been associated with the endangerment and extinction of
many species throughout history. The amount of money and resources spent on protecting and
maintaining reserves for these species by far outweighs the revenue made from these hunting
expeditions. According to Daniel Cossins, a science journalist for “The Scientist,” it would take
approximately $76.1 billion annually to protect all animals on the endangered species list and
maintain their habitats. (Cossins, 2012) Without the threat of endangerment, the government’s of
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these countries and conservation agencies wouldn’t have to distribute so much funding for
wildlife conservation, while also making it easier for these species to repopulate.
Both in economic and moral perspectives, trophy hunting poses more hardships than
benefits. While the fascination with these animals make mounting them the ultimate trophy for
experienced hunters, regulations need to be imposed to make this practice obsolete. In addition to
the economic factors that make trophy hunting an unnecessary practice, there are moral values
that most hunter’s believe in that are absent in trophy hunting. A majority of hunters understand
the weight of taking the life of another animal, and they do not make that decision lightly.
Therefore utilization of that animal as food ensures that it did not die in vain and that it’s life was
not wasted. Hank Shaw, a hunter and journalist from New Jersey, states that “wasting meat is the
sin I cannot forgive. When I kill an animal, its death is on my hands, and those animals to whom
I’ve had to deliver the coup de grace are especially close to me. There is a bond between us that
requires that I do my part to ensure they did not die for nothing.” (Shaw, 2011) However, that is
precisely what is happening in the process of trophy hunting. Most people don’t typically eat the
meat from lions and giraffes, especially Americans. But that doesn’t stop people from paying
hundreds of dollars to shoot one. Upon killing one of these animals the hunters typically take
whatever portion of the animal they want to mount and the rest is left to decompose, or be
consumed by other animals later. This takes away the moral aspect of hunting. In addition to the
wasting of the animal, most of these “hunts” take place in enclosed areas, forcing animals to sit
and await their fate without being given a fair chance. This is yet another aspect of hunting that
is being stripped away in trophy hunts that threatens the morality of the activity. Myanna
Dellinger, a law professor at the University of South Dakota, expresses that these “hunts” are
“clearly an ethical violation in any normal sense of the word ‘hunt’ and even violates many
hunter’s own fundamental notions of what constitutes a ‘fair chase’”(Dellinger, 54) Trophy
hunting goes against the basic values held by hunters and should be regulated to reduce the
negative impact on the economy and on the reputation of hunting itself.
While trophy hunting is legal in most countries, and there are some economic benefits in
allowing these hunts to take place, there are far more downfalls to keeping this practice legal.
While annually, trophy hunting expeditions create millions of dollars in revenue, governments
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are forced to spend billions undoing the damage caused by excessively hunting these animals and
invading their habitats, while concurrently wasting the life of that animal for the sake of a wall
mount. As of today there are already regulations in place to limit the effects of trophy hunting,
including issuing permits for trophy hunted animals, banning imports of endangered animals that
have been hunted, and regulating how many permits are issued each year for certain species.
However despite these efforts more and more animals face the threat of extinction due to
senseless killings and over-hunting.
Overall, the immense shortcomings of allowing this practice to continue outweigh the
economic benefits of hosting exotic hunts. While the hunting of exotic animals will always be
practiced, stricter regulations should be implemented to reduce the waste of these animals and
ensure that populations remains a healthy size, while also eliminating “enclosed hunts,” giving
animals a fair shot at survival instead of determining their fate for them. This will ensure that all
animals have a fair chance at survival and that the species that walk the earth today will still be
here in the future.
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References
1. Humavindu, M.N. & Barnes, J.I. (2003). Trophy hunting in the Namibian economy: an
assessment. ​South African Journal of Wildlife Research, 33, 6​ 8.
2. Cossins, D. (2012). Conservation Will Cost $76 Billion. Retrieved from https://www.the-
scientist.com/the-nutshell/conservation-will-cost-76-billion-40357
3. Shaw,H. (2011). On Killing. Retrieved from https://honest-food.net/on-killing/
4. Dellinger, M (2018). Trophy Hunting - A Relic of the Past. ​Journal of Environmental
Law and Litigation, 34, 5​ 4.