So there are clear reasons as to why sport hunting is both unethical and wrong, but what can we do about it? As the League states roughly 1.7 million trophies were traded between countries between 2004 and 2014. The United States is the highest participating nation by about 15 times more than the next highest (League). This high amount of trophy traffic means it's not a small recreation. Making fixing the problem a rough endeavor.
But there is a solution.
But there is a solution.
Hunting For Viability
Hunting as been a part of human life since the beginning of time. But there is a difference between that hunting and what we've been seeing in Africa. Our ancestors hunted to survive. While trophy hunters have been hunting for entertainment. Our ancestors respected nature by killing what was necessary. Trophy hunters kill anything they can afford.
While hunting isn't needed for survival in the 21st century, there are ways to hunt for viability rather than sport. Most hunters that do not sport hunt use the meat from their kills to feed their families for many months. Some use the fur and the hide for clothes, rugs, or blankets. These hunters do not kill more than they need, and they do not kill endangered species. The video below follows an organization that teaches hunters how to hunt for meat.
So What Do We Do?
Hunting for viability is a more ethical way to hunt an animal than trophy hunting. Not only does it not negatively effect conservation efforts, it also leads to less deaths on the animal population. Paying thousands upon thousands of dollars to hunt an animal for the sport and bragging rights is not what our ancestors did; so why should we? After all, trophy hunting does little to benefit the world, and harms nature an incredible amount more than any benefits. Therefore, trophy hunting should become illegal, making viability hunting the only way.