re: Why do people kill majestic endangered species?

Exactly, I would go do a plains game hunt and would like to do a water buffalo hunt but the rest of the dangerous game I would shoot with a camera. No desire to shoot a elephant, giraffe, hippo or any of the big cats. That being said if it wasn't for the big game hunters the wildlife would be even worse off then it is already.

Add to that China has bought most of and in the process of being the rest of the continent and it doesn't look good for the future. Jim shockey has talk about it recently.

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Why do people kill majestic endangered species?

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I just don’t understand why people hunt elephants, giraffes, snow leopards, etc..

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None of these are endangered.

There are a lot of people in this world (the OP included, apparently) that do not realize that "endangered" has a legal definition. Too many people believe the PETA Hype Train.

Majestic is subjective.

Som

Why? Don’t know as I’ve never wanted to or had the money to big game safari hunt.

But those that do pay big amounts of money to cull an animal that either

1) needs to be put down because it’s sick/old, or non breeding but territorial and aggressive. Culling it keeps the population healthy, so instead of the park rangers just doing it for nothing they make money which goes right back into the conservation

2) they are hunting animals that were specifically raised to be hunted in a park, which again has big money and provides nearly all of the funds for these small villages. Without people willing to pay to hunt these parks wouldn’t even exist

Without hunters willing to pay so much to hunt these animals, the local park rangers would not have then money or resources to protect them from poachers. Legal hunters aren’t the problem, poachers are.

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Why do people kill majestic endangered species?

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Because hunting people is frowned upon.

Because they taste good

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I'm with you dude. I don't get it either. I'm a conservative guy who thinks our eco system will do just fine. But these people who want to kill these exotic animals in Africa or where ever, I realize have pencil dicks, are insecure, and have more money than they know what to do with. So there is a good chance that most are posters on this site

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Jesus Christ, this shite again. I'll now post what will be the 4th time I've related my African experience. Sure, I know it won't change your mind, but it will hopefully give you some insight into the country and its culture.

First off, I work in the hunting industry and my trip to Africa was for work, not pleasure. I was also not hunting, I was filming a hunt. I've been doing this line of work for almost 25 years and the things I witnessed there will always standout as the most amazing.

You often hear hunters talk about hunting being about so much more than killing? You will find no better place on earth to see this in action. To watch the native trackers work is something I will never forget. The skills they display, their ability to find wild game, to see it even smell it is unreal. I'm not sure I've ever witnessed humans more in their "element" than when a native tracker is on the hunt. It's really a thing of beauty knowing that his ancestors for thousands and thousands of years walked the same ground, using the same skills.

It's about life in the camp, in the village. Learning a new culture, tasting their foods, seeing their art, how they survive. One of the most interesting things was the way older tribes members carved toys for the children. Amazing skills.

I learned that on average, a villager eats meat about once a week. When our hunter killed a large animal you can only imagine the excitement generated in the village. Before we returned they had built large fires, preparing to cook the animal. Natives came from miles around to eat but to also celebrate the hunt. Now keep in mind, this isn't Disney. These people aren't paid to come and put on a show. This is the real deal, where time has stood still since the beginning in many respects. As soon as night fell they began to sing and dance. The images I captured of the smiles and laughter will always remain some of my favorites.

I have no problem with folks who "don't get it" in terms of why someone would want to kill an elephant or zebra. But keep in mind that same line of thinking can be applied to any animal that is hunted for its meat, horns or cape. The fact that folks can't grasp how this hunting actually aids these species though is what I can't fathom.

In 1973 the wild turkey was not he brink of extinction in North America. A man by the name of Tom Rodgers formed an organization called the National Wild Turkey Federation in an effort to help bring back the bird. Hunters from around the country joined his non profit, attended local fund raising banquets and raised millions of dollars to help bring the wild turkey back. At its zenith, the group had over 2,000 local chapters across the country. The money they raised was donated to state wildlife agencies to trap turkeys in states that still had them and move them to states void of the bird. Today there are almost 7 million wild turkeys in N America. Hunters paid for these efforts and the same thing will happen in Africa if their Government will allow it to.

The largest part of the monies raised from these hunters goes directly to fight poachers, saving animals. At the end of the day it's actually a very simple process. One animal loses its life so dozens of others may be saved.

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I just don’t understand why people hunt elephants, giraffes, snow leopards, etc.. Any people hunt these type animals and what’s so intriguing about it?

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What would be your answer if someone from PETA asked you the same thing regarding ducks and deer?


That’s your answer.

If I had $80,000 to kill an elephant and to claim my belief in conservation, I would just give them the money. I am sorry, the conservation angle is just a cover to kill something they consider a trophy and prestigious in the circles they run.

BTW white, nra member, conservative male who hunts waterfowl and loves to fish but I never kill anymore than my family is going to eat.