So, there has been a lot of talk about this Melissa Bachmann woman. She is a trophy hunter who recently killed a lion (and various other animals) in South Africa in a canned hunt (i.e. the animals were flown in especially for her to shoot them.) fieldandstream/blogs/field-notes/2013/11/south-africa-petition-wants-ban-melissa-bachman-hunting-there This is a despicable practice, and not only does it line the pockets of the rich and gives hunters an unnecessary ego boost, but worst of all, it hurts local animal populations. A lot of people are very angry, and rightly so. But getting mad at this woman will accomplish nothing. Some of the vitriol that has been aimed at her boggles my mind. I repeat: banning this woman from South Africa will accomplish NOTHING. Oh sure, itll make YOU feel better. Until the next hunter comes knocking. Im not proposing we celebrate this woman. Im not even proposing that we end hunting. Trophy hunting (when it is done responsibly and with the support of local communities) has actually been shown to boost local animal populations, increase the income of local communities and boost eco-tourism to boot. blog.africageographic/africa-geographic-blog/hunting/trophy-hunting-in-the-context-of-community-conservation/ Im proposing we take all the anger that has been aimed at the symptom of the problem (this woman who I dont want to talk about or see on my news feed anymore) and redirect it towards our government. Use that fury you are holding in to make some actual changes in South Africa. Get the government to reform their laws on trophy hunting, until it is done responsibly and sustainably. Wouldnt you feel better if you made an actual, tangible difference?
Posted on: Tue, 19 Nov 2013 04:30:38 +0000
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