Abby Grossmeyer

English 111
Dr. Lacey
10/23/2019
The underlying issue with trophy hunting
From the beginning of time, hunting has always been a way to provide food for families
and feed the hungry. It is animal instinct to hunt for food when in need. However, modern times
have made the idea of individuals hunting for food almost completely obsolete. When taking a
look into modern hunting, we see people looking forward to going out in the woods every year to
get the kill, not to provide food for their families. The reality is most families do not need to hunt
for deer and other game; they can go to the store and pick up meat that has already been fully
prepared for them. It is not often that you see someone hunt out of necessity. One form of
hunting for sport is trophy hunting, which is “the selective hunting of wild game animals… [that]
may be kept as a hunting "trophy" or "memorial" (Argys, 2017, para. 9). Trophy hunting should
be banned in the Unites States and on a global scale because it is unethical, unpractical, and
scientifically not beneficial.
How can one determine whether a hunter is hunting for the kill or for the meat? It is very
difficult to differentiate between the two in their simplest forms. Trophy hunting can be as
simple as killing an animal, eating the meat, then either preserving part of the animal as a trophy
or capturing the event in some way. Many people in our nation are considered trophy hunters
with this definition. It isn’t necessarily the stereotypical wild, cruel activity that people imagine.
Trophy hunting in its extreme form is traveling in search of a specific animal with the intent to
kill it for preserving purposes. According to Myanna Dellinger in her article “Trophy Hunting- A
Relic of the Past”, it is illegal in the United States to hunt endangered species (Dellinger, 2019,
p. 26). This does not protect any animals not in danger of extinction. However, killing an animal
for display, even with the intent to eat the meat, is still morally inappropriate. To clarify, any
form of hunting for pride is trophy hunting. What differentiates these people from someone who
needs the animal’s meat is why they all want the biggest animal. A trophy hunter wants more
bragging rights, while a hunter truly in search of food only wants a bigger animal because that
means more meat for their family. It isn’t a choice for people who hunt for meat, it’s an
obligation- killing the animal for food, not for pride.
One main reason trophy hunting is morally inappropriate is because many animals end up
suffering a slow and painful death due to the lack of sharpshooting skills from the hunter. A
Abby Grossmeyer
English 111
Dr. Lacey
10/23/2019
study done by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) shows the harsh reality of
hunting (“Sport”, 2003, para. 3). In their study, PETA followed 80 radio-collared white-tailed
deer. “Of the 22 deer who had been shot with “traditional archery equipment,” 11 were wounded
but not recovered by hunters.” (“Sport”, 2003, para. 3). Statistically, only half of the deer that the
completely legal, qualified hunters shot in this study were retrieved. That means half of the deer
were shot, wounded, and lived to suffer through the pain. Even harsher realities are true for foxes
and ducks. PETA states that twenty percent of foxes are shot again after they had been wounded.
After this second shot, ten percent of the foxes still escape from the hunters (“Sport”, 2003, para.
3). PETA estimates that “more than 3 million wounded ducks go “unretrieved” every year”
(“Sport”, 2003, para. 3). If hunters really needed the meat they are wounding these innocent
animals for, then why are they leaving them to die in vain? The answer to that question is
because a majority of hunters in the United States don’t need the meat.
It helps the environment through population control, though, right? Actually, this is not
accurate. Although it is a common argument for trophy hunting that “the animals would die
regardless”, it actually disturbs the natural selection process. Looking at the history of all
animals, one would find that the weakest or sickest animals do not survive in the process of
natural selection because they are not the most fit to survive. Hunting disturbs this phenomenon
because trophy hunters search for the healthiest, largest animals they can find. This leaves the
weak, likely to die individuals of the species in the wild. As PETA states, “Starvation and
disease can be tragic, but they are nature’s ways of ensuring that healthy, strong animals survive
and maintain the strength of the rest of their herd or group. Shooting an animal because he or she
might starve or get sick is arbitrary and destructive” (“Sport”, 2003, para. 6). This statement
confirms that, although trophy hunters do control the population of the hunted animals, it does
not actually help the environment in any way. Rather, it hurts the environment through disrupting
the natural process that has taken place from the beginning of time.
Why is it not enough to only limit Americans from trophy hunting in the United States?
Currently, Americans are allowed to travel around the world, hunt exotic animals, and bring
them back to the United States without extensive questions asked, according to (Gettinger, 2019,
p. 26). In order to discourage trophy hunting, transborder transportation of animals killed for
Abby Grossmeyer
English 111
Dr. Lacey
10/23/2019
trophy needs to be more strictly regulated. Other countries, such as Africa and Canada, will not
refuse these paying tourists. The hunters bring in money to the various countries, and they will
not turn away profit. Therefore, the United States has to be the country to put an end to the cruel
hobby we have ignored for years.
The hard truth is that overhunting, among other issues created by man, is causing the
Earth to begin undergoing a potential sixth mass extinction (Dettinger, 2019, p. 25). More and
more species are being hunted into endangerment, and eventually to extinction. The individuals
that do survive out of all hunted species are becoming increasingly weaker due to trophy hunting,
and predators are better able to get to them. According to Myanna Dettinger, if the world
continues on the way it has for the past few decades, thirty to fifty percent of all species could be
extinct as soon as 2050 (Dettinger, 2019, p. 28). Despite this fact, trophy hunters continue their
hunt and defend it without knowing the truth of their harmful hobby.
Trophy hunting should be banned in the Unites States and on a global scale because it is
unethical, unpractical, and scientifically not beneficial to anyone or anything. Despite argument
that hunting in general actually benefits the Earth and its inhabitants, scientific research proves it
does more harm than good. This cruel, unnecessary activity is causing disturbance to the natural
way of life on Earth. What can we do to help put an end to this? We can petition to ban all trophy
hunting in the United States. We can demand for stricter laws for transborder transportation of
trophy kills. If people are educated on the detrimental realities that result from hunting for sport,
then action may be taken to prevent more innocent animals from dying in vain.
Abby Grossmeyer
English 111
Dr. Lacey
10/23/2019
References

Argys, C. (2014, April 17). The Great Debate: Trophy Hunting Versus Meat Hunting. Wide
Open Spaces. Retrieved from https://www.wideopenspaces.com/great-debate-trophy-
hunting-versus-meat-hunting/.

Dellinger, M. (2019). Trophy Hunting - A Relic of the Past. Journal of Environmental Law
& Litigation, 34, 25–60. Retrieved fromhttp://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=
true&db=eih&AN=136380290&site=eds-live

Shaw, H. (2017, January 31). On Killing. Hunter Angler Gardener Cook. Retrieved from
https://honest-food.net/on-killing/.

Why Sport Hunting Is Cruel and Unnecessary. (2003, December 15). People for the Ethical
Treatment of Animals. Retrieved from https://www.peta.org/issues/wildlife/wildlife-
factsheets/sport-hunting-cruel-unnecessary/.