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TROPHY HUNTING - ETHICS AND COMMON SENSE

 

Hunting, for food, is undoubtedly one of the earliest activities of the human race. Even in the earliest days 'trophies' were retained for functional purposes - clothing and tools - rather than to hang on 'cave walls', unless it was to protect them from decomposers!

"Hunting" involves listening, identifying, tracking, stalking, stealth and possible failure. It involves a species that is free to escape. The shooting of confined animals is NOT hunting, although quite legal in South Africa if conducted according to the law.  What has been described as 'Canned Hunts' has become common practice but ethically they should be advertised as SHOOTS not HUNTS.  Why is it OK to kill a sheep, a chicken or an ox but not a lion, a kudu or a guineafowl ?  One big difference is that we put back in, or breed the one whereas we just take from the other.  One is considered to belong to 'man' and the other to belong to 'nature'.  If 'man' breaks a tree it is a destructive, shameful act, whereas if elephants break trees it is 'part of nature' !  Enough theorising as we cold go on for ever - but I suspect the truth lies somewhere in the realm of NEED or GREED.

This is where we come to the matter of Trophy Hunting.  I am aware of all the economic reasons and arguments in favour of Trophy Hunting and they have some credibility.  Many wild areas in the world are retained only because they are economically viable through the high fees paid by Trophy Hunters, but only until some mega-developer makes a more lucrative offer and turns the area into a township development !  Because of this, Trophy Hunting falls squarely in the area of GREED.  Other forms of land use also fall in this category.

If not managed ethically, Trophy Hunting can be very detrimental to animal populations. The fact that most hunters are after the 'biggest' and 'best' trophies - skin size and horn size - immediately makes it ecologically faulted.  The biggest horns and the best hides usually belong to the 'best' animals and, as far as the horns are concerned, to the best breeding bulls in their prime.  Large tusks are in the same category.

What farmer or rancher, in his right mind, would kill his prime breeding bull or his finest breeding cow ?   Yet this is what is happening through trophy hunting in many wild animal populations.  There are satisfactory options available to ethical hunters.

Most wild species are subject to home ranges, territories, prides or family groups. They protect their 'space' , with the help of the strongest members (adult males or females in their prime), mainly from other species competing for the same resources. Most species are also subject to 'boarding school' type intra-specific competition and fighting, which selects the dominant (usually the biggest and strongest) of the species. The dominant animals are then in a position to pass on the superior genes through first option in breeding.  In many species, inferior males will form separate groups, which can often be an indication of 'excess or expendable' individuals.  When 'prime' breeding bulls age and are replaced by younger, fitter and stronger bulls, they retire to 'old age clubs' and often wander around in these groups or on their own.

 

The old animal groups, especially in elephants, have knowledge and behavioural patterns that they can pass on to younger animals and this is important to bear in mind.  The 'inferior' male groups have no immediate herd responsibility and are free to wander out of territorial boundaries and set up new territories, which will eventually provide safe areas for exploratory females. In this way the 'excess' bulls become the pioneers of new areas.  Without them territories would be static as females will not usually wander off on their own - especially those species where only the males have horns.

In certain species like Wildebeest, the males hold the territories, while the females wander off in search of the best grazing until the breeding season.  In Kudu the females and young remain in the 'home range' while the bulls wander, coming back to the breeding herds in rutting season.  The bulls often form small herds in which the dominant bulls emerge through competition.

With a bit of background, one can see that a really 'Ethical' professional hunter would never permit a prime bull to be killed. He would rather take his clients to the old bulls or to the inferior bulls.  Quite often there is a 'freak' pair of horns to be found among inferior bulls, while among the old bulls character will have been emphasised to compensate for a few inches wear on the horn tips. Shooting a territorial Wildebeest bull is like chopping down the support pole for a tent.  The whole territory and all the effort that went into securing it will be lost to the species.  The same applies to many other territorial males that are holding an area in readiness for the following breeding season.  Taking out the biggest, mature females, has the same effect on herd success and 'wisdom'. Even if they are considered past breeding, which is unlikely as females can continue breeding until death, the old females are the leaders of the herd in most, if not all, species.  They may be dominated during breeding but they lead the herds.

Disregarding SHOOTING, Trophy HUNTING can very temptingly or with unethical operators, degenerate into destructive GREED.