Hunting: Barbaric or Natural?

Hunting originated from survival. In the past, we needed to kill another animal if we wanted to live, whether that be food based or for protection. Simple. But now it is more ethically complex, as the main reason behind hunting in the United States has changed. We no longer hunt for food, but pick it up in our local grocery store. If we no longer hunt for sustenance, then why do we do it?

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Some Americans are die hards, out hunting before than can walk, and shooting their first deer before they are even five years old. Others are admantant that hunting is cruel and should be completely banned. But where do you stand?

An article in Scientific American presents the point that "nothing could be more natural than hunting." All animal species, humans included, have been predator or prey at some point. Since humans have hunted other predators to low numbers, hunting herds of prey animals is a way to control populations below carrying capacity.

In high school I spoke to a Game Commission Officer about his perspective on the hunting controversy. In his opinion, hunting actually made life better for the deer. Without hunting, the herds of deer would be well over carrying capacity and starving on dwindling resources. Hunting lowers the population enough that the living deer have ample resources to live without suffering. In other words, lower numbers of deer caused by hunting mean healthier deer.

Another proponent to hunting is that it can be fun. Spending time outdoors, tracking game, and learning about nature are times that many people enjoy. Watch the video on the right of a young girl reacting to her first successful hunt.

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On the other hand, others such as animal rights groups are adamantly against the practice of hunting and believe it is ethically wrong to kill an animal. The main reason people are against hunting is animal suffering. It is not uncommon for animals to die a significant amount of time after they are shot. Therefore, the death is not painless and is unnecessarily prolonged. I searched "how long does it take for a hunted animal to die after being shot?" and was surprised by the results. Pages entitled How Long Should I Wait? and You Shot a Deer. Here's How to Find It were only a couple of the many pages implying the significant amount of time it takes animals to die after being shot. In the How Long Should I Wait? page by Cabelas, hunters are advised to wait 6-8 hours if they believe they had a single lung shot. 6-8 hours!

Glenn Kirk of The Animals Voice states that hunting is “gratuitously cruel because unlike natural predation hunters kill for pleasure…” He also argues that hunting disrupts the natural balance of the ecosystem. 

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Trophy hunting issues are another downfall for the hunting argument. Sometimes people hunt for just the head of the animal, and nothing more. Only the head of the animal is removed and the rest of the body is left to rot. Infamous trophy hunting pictures of the safari animals such as rhinos, giraffes, lions, etc. are commonly plastered across media. The US denstist who killed Cecil the lion is one of many examples. Watch this video if you are unfamiliar with this specific case. Is hunting ethically sound if it is only for the head of an animal or the thrill of the kill? 

To hunt or not to hunt is a question I find difficult to answer. On one hand, there's the fun of the hunt and the practicality of population control. From the other perspective, killing animals for pleasure, which causes animal suffering is unethical. Ultimately, I believe that hunting has a place in our society as long as it is for animal welfare reasons, to control populations. In this respect, people can still have fun outdoors tracking and hunting animals. However, I am fully against trophy hunting because solely the thrill of the kill is in no way worth the death of an animal.

Where do you stand? Do you believe that hunting in any respect is moral? Should we only hunt for food? Is trophy hunting an ethical practice? Let me know where you stand on these issues!