For Brainy Brian

Should hunting of wild animals for sport be legalized even if it entails hunting of endangered species?

Introduction:

For many centuries, hunting has served as a form or recreation in many societies, from the Maasai in East Africa, to the Native Indians in North America. Hunting was also used for survival, as the animals provided a source of meat protein (Dickson et all, 2009, p.30). Nowadays, most of these hunted animals are consumed, while a larger proportion is hunted purely for leisure or for individuals to obtain trophies. Hunting, which involves chasing and eventually killing of animals, employs a variety of weapons, from the crude bow and arrow, to the more advanced rifles. More than 200 million animals are killed each year worldwide. 7% of United States of America’s population enjoys sport hunting, and hunting is only permitted in 60% of the total land in the United States. The question therefore is whether hunting for sport is ethical and should it be legalized worldwide.

Position Statement:

The whole act of hunting for sport is unethical, and should be illegal worldwide.

Supporting reason:

Sport hunting is animal cruelty at its finest, despite what many might say. In every society, sport refers to the willing competition between two parties, with a referee ensuring they follow the rules of said sport. Hunting is passed off to be a sport in order to cover up the cruelty involved, and also try to make the whole hunting process socially acceptable. In almost all cases, there is no sport which ends in deliberate death of one of the competitors. There is also a claim by some hunting groups that by them hunting free range animals, and obeying the laws, they give the animals a fair chase of survival, and this does not grant humans an added advantage. Of course these hunters are using firearms, and the animals are not, but the hunters still claim that the animals are given a fair advantage, which is absolutely false.

Opposing reason:

Wildlife population control is becoming an issue worldwide, and sport hunting seems to be offering a solution to the problem (Thompsell, 2015, p.63). Increased the number of wildlife, in the ecosystem, bringing to life the potential of two possibilities, which are “car-collision” and spread of diseases. Yes human consumption of the animals denies the land the much needed biomass, but the animal resources is used for a more productive cause, for example, feeding and sustenance of human life, instead of just lying and rotting on the jungle floor. Hunting is also a key in the control and preventing the spread of diseases among wildlife communities. Animals such as deer’s, have affected plant species such as legumes, through an increase in their density. Legumes are particularly responsible for sheltering of nitrogen producing bacteria. A decrease in the number of legumes, leads to a decrease in the number of nitrogen fixing bacteria which in turn has a direct and proportional effect on the levels of nitrogen in the soil. In such a case, sport hunting serves as a great way to bring the density of deer down to an acceptable level. Sport hunting is an example of wildlife management that not only draws tourists to a certain region who come with revenue, but also aid the environment in the long run.

References

Dickson, B., Hutton, J., Adams, W. M., & Zoological Society of London. (2009). Recreational hunting, conservation and rural livelihoods: Science and practice. Chichester, UK: Blackwell.

Thompsell, A. (2015). Hunting Africa: British sport, African knowledge and the nature of empire. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.