Fair game
Recently, a letter to The Guardian – signed by politicians, animal activists and celebrities – was widely publicised. It called for a ban on hunters bringing their trophies back to Britain from trips overseas, claiming, among other things, that trophy hunting had a negative impact on wildlife and implying that it was causing endangered species to decline. “Nature tourism,” it concluded, was “a far more effective way of conserving wildlife while supporting local communities.”
It’s time to take stock and look at the facts. On a personal level, I feel no urge to shoot any of the large, iconic game species but, as a lifelong game shooter and deer stalker, it would be hypocritical of me to condemn those who do. Personal motivation is not the issue here, nor is the keeping of a trophy that is no more than a memory of a significant experience. The real issue is what the consequences of banning hunting might be.
Poaching
“Animals hunted for trophies are usually by definition older males past their prime”
One thing
