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. Hunting is an efficient and humane way to
provide food and regulate populations throughout the world. 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,” such as
the African country of Namibia, which grossed an estimated $318 million through their tourism
industry in 1996 and had jumped to $450 million by 2000. It is calculated that approximately
14% of that money was accumulated through trophy hunting and safari hunting expeditions.
(Humavindu & 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. Beloved animals such as elephants, rhinos, gorillas, and sea
turtles are facing rapid extinction at the hands of hunters who seek ivory and fur rugs. (Phelan,
2015) 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
 Madison Richardson
English 111
Cossins (2012), 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. Without
the threat of endangerment, the governments of 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.
In addition to the extinction of the species being hunted, extinction of these animals
would cause hardships on the natural food chain of these areas. Wiping out a species would
deprive predators of the species of a food source, while allowing any prey to exist without a way
to control population growth. According to Jenna Bardroff (2019), the extinction of a species can
directly lead to an extinction of another. Bardoff analyzes the species of tiger sharks, which eat a
variety of marine life. This means that they are directly responsible for maintaining the
population of these organisms. Predators also tend to feed on the sick and weak in the population,
improving the health and preventing the spread of diseases. If the tiger sharks were to be taken
out of the ecosystem, fish populations would increase drastically. This population increase would
mean more grazing throughout seagrass beds, decreasing the populations of these plants and
leading to a shortage of food availability. If hunters are permitted to continue hunting these
creatures into extinction it will have irreversible consequences that will destroy entire
ecosystems.
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 hunters 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 its 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
 Madison Richardson
English 111
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. Part of the act of
taking the life of an animal is purposeful killing. Most hunters understand the weight of the kill
and intend on using all parts of the animal for food and supplies, not merely a trophy. Without
the morality, the animals life is wasted for the amusement of tourists in search of bragging rights.
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. Hunters are given an unfair advantage over their prey, guaranteeing a kill and
depriving animals of a way to survive. Myanna Dellinger (2018), 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’.” Forcing these animals into a forced perimeter also imposes
health issues on these animals, not allowing them to roam and hunt naturally. 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.
Many people have poor impressions on hunting, or are unfamiliar with what it entails.
Hunting, when done the right way, is not a barbaric act. It allows humans to form connections to
the food they eat and gain an appreciation for the lives of animals. However the sport of trophy
hunting has tainted that image. When most people picture hunting they imagine wall mounts and
fur rugs with empty eyes and gaping mouths. This makes it harder for hunters to gain acceptance
for what they do. According to a poll by Marist Poll (2015), about 56% of Americans are
strongly against the practice of big game hunting and believe it should be banned. Only about
11%, however, had been hunting or expressed interest in the sport. Many Americans perception
 Madison Richardson
English 111
of hunting comes from what they see in the media. And this is largely filled with controversial
hunting expeditions and trophy hunting adventures. If this image were to be taken away, it would
greatly improve the way that the general population of Americans perceive hunting and the
morality of the tradition.
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
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.
Despite these efforts, more and more animals face the threat of extinction due to senseless
killings and over-hunting. These regulations merely reduce the number of trophy killings, they
don’t prohibit them. In addition, many of these regulations only apply when a species is already
endangered. Governments in countries where trophy hunting is popular, such as Africa and Asia,
need to be more proactive about their regulations. This issue needs to be addressed before a
species faces extinction, not after. Implementing bans on trophy hunting and enforcing harsher
punishments on those who choose to participate in the sport will greatly decrease its popularity
and help animal populations to rehabilitate and stabilize.
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. Not only will this
improve public perception of what hunting is, it 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.
 Madison Richardson
English 111

References
Bardroff, J. (2019). If These 8 Species Go Extinct, Entire Ecosystems Will Disappear. Retrieved
from https://www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/if-these-species-go-entire-ecosys
tems-will-disappear/
Cossins, D. (2012). Conservation Will Cost $76 Billion. Retrieved from
https://www.the-scientist
.com/the-nutshell/conservation-will-cost-76-billion-40357
Dellinger, M (2018). Trophy Hunting - A Relic of the Past. ​Journal of Environmental Law and

Litigation, 34, ​54.

Humavindu, M.N. & Barnes, J.I. (2003). Trophy hunting in the Namibian economy: an

assessment. ​South African Journal of Wildlife Research, 33, ​68.

Phelan, J. (2015, July 31). 6 endangered animals poachers are hunting into extinction. Retrieved

from https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2015/07/31/globalpost-6-endangered-a

nimals- poachers-hunting-into-extinction/30932385/.
 Madison Richardson
English 111
Marist, P. (2015). Americans Oppose Big Game Hunting...More Than Six in Ten Favor Legal

Ban. Retrieved from http://maristpoll.marist.edu/1124-americans-oppose-big-game-hunti

ng-more-than-six-in-ten-favor-legal-ban/#sthash.YM0CZkFw.dpbs

Shaw,H. (2011). On Killing. Retrieved from https://honest-food.net/on-killing/