Killing animals should never be considered a sport.
Trophy hunting is killing an animal for the sole purpose of entertainment. Many people who hunt wild animals for trophies do so to hang the animals’ bodies on their wall and to pose in photos. Trophy hunting should never be considered a sport, but it’s labeled as one since there is no other benefit to killing the animals.
More than 125,000 animals are killed each year for trophies.
Shocking, right? Reports found that between 2005 and 2014, more than 1.26 million wildlife trophies were imported to the U.S. alone. That averages to approximately 126,000 animals killed and imported into our country each year. Between 2008 and 2017, nearly 40,000 animal trophies from African elephants, just over 8,000 from leopards, and 14,000 from African lions were exported worldwide.
The most coveted animals to kill are the Big Five.
The Big Five is made up of endangered animals like lions, leopards, rhinos, elephants and Cape buffalos. The “Big Five” was coined by trophy hunters as some of the largest and most dangerous animals to hunt. Today, the name represents the most iconic animals in Africa.
Most trophy hunters are American.
You may recall that the person who killed the infamous Cecil the Lion was an American trophy hunter. Unfortunately, wealthy Americans are fueling the trophy hunting industry. Canada, however, provides the most amount of wild trophy hunting experiences, with most US-imported animal trophies coming from the country to our north. In 2015, more than 50 percent of all canned-hunted lions in South Africa were done so at the hands of US trophy hunters.
Canned hunting is trophy hunting.
Canned hunting is when animals such as lions are already accustomed to humans and are bred specifically to be shot and stuffed. These animals are locked in enclosed spaces with the hunter, and are often shot while eating food provided to them. Canned hunts do not allow for the animal to escape and is a guaranteed kill.
While South Africa is the only African country to have canned hunts, the United States also has these facilities. Texas, for instance, has numerous venues with exotic animals that offer canned hunting packages.
Lion cubs are hand-raised and then sold to canned shoots.
Sadly, many pseudo-sanctuaries with big cat cubs are known for their selfies or their volunteer programs to help raise the animals. What hides behind the camera is that most of these big cats are then sold into cruel entertainment and canned hunting venues when they get too big and dangerous to be in close proximity to people.
In South Africa, more than 8,000 captive-bred lions are kept in more than 250 breeding facilities. This cruel trade is well-documented in the award-winning documentary Blood Lions.
32 US states allow the trophy hunting of black bears.
More than half of the United States allows the hunting of black bears for sport. Florida held some of the most controversial hunts in 2016. After 75 percent of residents opposed the hunt, the state went ahead and hunters killed 306 bears in just two days—so much that officials called off the rest of the week’s hunt. Anger from local residents erupted when it was reported 36 black bears were lactating females.
New Jersey is the most recent state to ban the trophy hunting of black bears. The law passed in 2018.
Trophy hunting doesn’t help conservation.
While trophy hunts can cost tens of thousands, very little of that money goes back into the community or into conservation programs. Currently, there is no research showing how any breeding facility or canned hunting operation has made any significant contribution to uplifting communities.
On top of that, the animals targeted for trophies are not surplus animals, but are some of the most endangered species on the planet. Lion populations, for example, have been decimated by trophy hunting among other threats. A 2019 report noted that 40 percent of the big game hunting zones in Zambia and 72 percent in Tanzania are now classified as depleted solely because the big game has been hunted out of the area.
Trophy hunting is animal cruelty.
Simply put, killing an animal for sport is animal cruelty. Trophy hunting does not take into consideration animal welfare and does not put animal welfare first. Unfortunately, many people who take trophy hunting excursions are inexperienced hunters, and the animals suffer cruel and agonizing deaths at their hands.
FAQs
Trophy hunters use cruel and unsporting methods like baiting and hounding to target native carnivores like bears, mountain lions and wolves.
How is trophy hunting cruel? ›
Trophy hunters use cruel and unsporting methods like baiting and hounding to target native carnivores like bears, mountain lions and wolves.
What more than 125000 animals are killed each year for trophies? ›
The most coveted animals to kill for trophies are the Big Five—lions, leopards, rhinos, elephants, and Cape buffalos—and more than 125,000 animals are killed each year for this “sport.”
What are the Big Five trophy hunting? ›
About Big Five hunting
The “Big Five” is an old African term from the “golden years” of the safari. It stands for five African animals that were considered the most desirable trophies, and at the same time the most dangerous animals to hunt: Elephant, Rhino, Buffalo, Lion and Leopard.
What's the hardest thing to hunt? ›
The 7 Hardest Animals to Hunt
- Leopards. Leopards are neither big nor tough, but they are blinding quick and, if wounded, will lie in wait for whoever follows. ...
- Mountain Goats. If you don't drop a goat in its tracks, you're apt to have a very difficult time recovering the animal. ...
- Elk. ...
- Eland. ...
- Cape Buffalo. ...
- Roan and Sable. ...
- Bears.
Trophy hunting represents a source of unnatural mortality as trophy hunters often target healthy, reproductive-age animals, especially those that are large or have impressive physical attributes.
Why do people hate trophy hunters? ›
Canned Cruelty
The animals are hunted and killed for the sole purpose of providing hunters with a “trophy.” There are estimated to be thousands of these game preserves in Texas alone, with hunters paying tens of thousands of dollars to slaughter animals.
What animal kills 1 million people a year? ›
Mosquitos are by far the deadliest creature in the world when it comes to annual human deaths, causing around one million deaths per year, compared to 100,000 deaths from snakes and 250 from lions. Perhaps surpringly, dogs are the third deadliest animal to humans.
What animal kills over 500 humans a year? ›
500 deaths per year
In actual fact, hippos kill many more people every year. Causing an estimated 500 deaths annually (as compared to only 22 for lions), hippos are deadly land mammals.
What single animal killed the most? ›
Now meet the Big Seven! Lion, leopard, rhino, elephant and buffalo…and Southern Right whales and Great White sharks. With two-thirds of our country surrounded by coastline, a trip to South Africa is not complete without seeing Southern Right whales and Great White sharks.
What is the super 10 in hunting? ›
The Super 10 is one of each species of big game in North America – deer, bear, goat, sheep, moose, muskox (or bison), caribou, elk, antelope, and mountain lion. Having moved to Alaska, I was able to harvest 8 of the Super 10 species, excluding antelope and mountain lion.
What is the big 10 in hunting? ›
The 29 animals can be divided into 10 categories, known as the “Super 10.” The categories include moose, caribou, deer, bear, bison/musk ox, elk, sheep, mountain goat, pronghorn and mountain lion. This is often considered the “mini- slam,” as a hunter must actively hunt all categories of animals in North America.
What is the toughest animal? ›
The hands down hardest creature is a tardigrade, also known as a waterbear. Less than 1.5mm long, they can dehydrate their bodies to just 1 per cent of their normal water content.
What is the hardest animal to trap? ›
The toughest animal to trap is the coyote. “You have to do a number of things right in order to be able to catch foxes.” But to trap a coyote, “you've got to do everything right.” “Coyotes will kill a fox because they're in competition for food,” he said.
What animal hunts the most? ›
Dragonflies have the highest observed hunting success of any animal, with success rates as high as 97%. They are also opportunistic and pursue a variety of prey.
Is bow hunting cruel? ›
Some are deeply opposed to bow hunting in particular, on the grounds of cruelty. The organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals states that "quick kills are rare, and many animals suffer prolonged, painful deaths when hunters severely injure but fail to kill them."
Is trophy hunting in Africa ethical? ›
Taken on its own, the act of destroying the life of an endangered wild animal for fun makes no ethical sense. This explains trophy hunting's reliance on economic justification and its moniker 'necessary evil'.
What do trophy hunters do with the animals? ›
Trophy hunting is the hunting of wild animals for sport, not for food. Usually, the animal is stuffed or a body part is kept for display. Most trophy hunters come from rich countries and pay high fees for their hunts. Many hunters claim that trophy hunting isn't bad for animals.
Do trophy hunters eat the meat? ›
However, true trophy hunting, as hunters understand it, means being extremely selective in holding out for the biggest and oldest animal possible (which is often also the wariest and most difficult to hunt), and when and if it is taken, it is utilized completely—all the meat is recovered and consumed, and the head, ...
