On hunting

We live in a time in which we do not need to hunt for meat to feed our families. 

Hunting, today, exists largely as a sport and as a wildlife management tool. The latter more often than not being merged with the former. And so the boundaries and objectives become blurred.

But if we were to kill for sport, this means we kill for fun. 

We extinguish life for fun.

Shooting an elephant, an endangered species, means we kill an animal that challenges us in intelligence, that takes a similar amount of time to mature into an adult as humans, and that struggles to continue existing on this planet.

For fun.

Where are our morals? Ethics? Values as countries and citizens? I wonder that and then remember that our leaders pump billions into destructive weapons in a heartbeat whilst letting the world that feeds us crumble.

Some dress the trophy hunt in noble-sounding terms such as conservation hunts, when the animal in question was declared a problem. The money is supposed to help with mitigating conflicts.

Supposed to.

But because it’s more enticing to destroy the largest specimens, the so-called problem animal more often than not gets to walk away, and the biggest males of a population are targeted. 

A huge loss for the population, and for the environment. And an insufficient gain for those suffering from conflict. Because as long as elephants roam these lands, the coexistence challenge remains. 

Prime elephant bull numbers are crashing.

The more adult elephants are destroyed, the more erratic elephant society becomes. 

Conflict rises.

Climate change heightens tension between elephants and people.

Calf mortality soars.

People point fingers and explain how things should be different and find it their birthright to expect others to fix their problems.

Egos are hurt. Personal agendas influence decisions.

The solution force is weakened.

“What does all we do matter in the end?” Some have asked.

At least, I will be able to say, “I tried. I gave it all I had.”

We tried to keep them alive.