Trophy Hunting Often Targets Already Vulnerable Species.
Trophy hunters target many species, but the most iconic and expensive species to hunt are known as the Big Five: the lion, elephant, leopard, rhinoceros (both black and white), and Cape buffalo. Many of these species are already in crisis. For instance, as few as 20,000 lions remain in the wild and tens of thousands of elephants are poached for their ivory each year. Wild rhino numbers in Africa are around 25,000, and more than 1,000 per year lose their lives to illegal killing in South Africa alone. Trophy hunting exacerbates these problems and puts additional pressure on already vulnerable species.
The U.S. Department of the Interior Has Taken Steps to Promote Trophy Hunting.
Recently, the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) took steps to promote trophy hunting. On March 1, 2018, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) issued a memorandum withdrawing its earlier findings as to whether the trophy hunting of certain species from parts of Africa enhanced the survival of those species. Going forward, USFWS decisions to issue individual permits for trophy hunting imports will be done on a case-by-case basis, likely resulting in trophy hunting permits being freely granted.
In 2017, the DOI also established the International Wildlife Conservation Council. The Council is comprised almost exclusively of representatives of pro-hunting interests and is tasked with advising the DOI on the benefits of Americans going abroad to hunt. Trophy hunting is, therefore, a current and ongoing wildlife concern.
Trophy Hunting May Lead to Other Cruel Practices.
The demand for animal trophies has led to another cruel practice: canned hunting.
Canned hunts are private or commercial trophy hunts in which animals are raised and released into a confined area to be hunted. Hunters usually pay the ranch operator for a guaranteed successful hunt, which often involves targeting animals who are caged, lured to feeding stations, or drugged before they are killed.
The canned hunting industry has, in turn, led to the development of captive breeding of wild animals solely to be used in hunts.
Learn more about canned hunting and captive breeding »
