Should Hunting be Outlawed?

Abstract

The essay is an argument about whether hunting should be outlawed or not. It starts off with a few answers and questions about commonly asked questions about hunting. Arguments against hunting like extinction of the animals and introduction of violence to children have been discussed. The arguments for hunting such as population control and provision of taxes have also been written.

1. Introduction

The topic of hunting has been discussed widely. Some of the most frequently asked questions about hunting include if hunters prefer to hunt for food or for sport, and one of the answers to this question is that most hunters prefer to hunt animals for food. Others say that hunting is very hard and takes a lot of training and practice for one to be able to kill the animals while at the same time making sure they don’t hear or see you, or avoiding hurting them. Another question is if hunting animals for fur should be allowed and many people have objected to this, stating that if the only reason for hunting is to get fur and not to use any other part of the animal, then it is wrong.

 Finally, a question on sport hunting is why it is referred to as a sport, yet the animals do not have a rifle like the hunter. One person said that the animals do not require any rifle because they are very sensitive and can, hear or smell a hunter while he is still a long distance from them. They also know all the paths they can use to go in to hiding while the hunter does not, so this is regarded as an advantage over the hunter. The only advantage the hunter has over the animal is the gun, and if the animal dies, he wins, if it escapes, he loses. Thus, hunting is called a sport because the hunter competes with the animal.

1. Arguments against hunting
2. a) Think of any animal, whatever its species; you will find that it has some kind of individuality, sentiments and emotions like us human beings. It feels pain, pleasure and suffering, thus, hunting is no different from committing murder. It should not be legalized because it is causing some animals to get extinct, besides killing many others unnecessarily. A good example of an animal that has been extinct since the early centuries because of human beings is the mammoth. These used to be very many along time ago, but today, there are none, and if people continue hunting at the rate that they are today, then many more animals are going to become extinct. The excuse that people have no food to eat is unjustifiable, not with all the foods being sold in the market today. As for the other reason of hunting as a sport and as a hobby, I would say that this is cruelty to animals of the first degree. Why? Because with all the games that technology has introduced today, any person should be able to identify a game that is decent enough, instead of being led by their minds to do what they want, even if other people think it’s wrong.
3. b) Another reason why hunting is bad is because it advertises violence, especially among the children. It is hard for children to understand why killing an animal is right, while killing a human being is wrong. Most children will do what they see their parents doing, and will go ahead to kill humans, not knowing that it is wrong and an offence. (Animal rights Malta, 2001)

• Argument for hunting

1) Hunting promotes the wildlife existence through the money got from the issuance of stamps and licenses, and from the sale of the hunting fire arms and all other hunting equipments.  Hunting organizations claim that these funds have helped a lot in buying land for habitation by wildlife and helping to maintain it too.  These funds aid in saving the animals from environmental problems that may cause them to die or find it hard to survive harsh environmental conditions. It has also been said that hunting protestors contribute very little compared to these taxes. (Ashe .L.S, 2008)

2) Hunting is a population control method for animals. Before, predators used to be the population control factor. Now that most predators no longer exist in as large numbers as there used to, the only thing left is for the humans to take over their role. Hunting therefore helps to keep down the wildlife population. Otherwise, there would be an increase in the total population of animals in the wild life, causing a shortage in the food availability and a reduction in the space in which the animals occupy. An example is the hunting of seals that is carried out in Canada every year for almost two months to help control the population. Approximately, 300,000 seals are killed to reduce the current population of about five million. In the1960s and 70s, the seal population dropped drastically, so the government was forced to barn seals hunting. In America, hunting deers is a common thing among hunters, since they are the most populated animal species. There are regulations however, that the female deers do not be hunted, since they are not as many as the bucks. (KidzWorld, 2008).

1. Conclusion

            There are many reasons why hunting should not be legal, among them being that it causes extinction and that it is a form of cruelty to the animals. However, those who advocate for hunting argue that there is no way any activity of animal killings can be controlled. Their reasons too make sense in that the animal population has to be controlled, the taxes raised from the hunters help in wildlife maintenance, and that hunting is a tradition among many communities, mainly because of food supply. Whichever side the government decides to take, it is important to ensure that laws and regulations to control the hunting be set, to avoid any illegalities.

References

• Animal rights Malta, 2001, why hunting is wrong, retrieved on 1/22/2009 from http://www.animalrightsmalta.com/hunting.htmln
• L.S, 2008, Experts, Pros and cons of hunting, retrieved on 1/22/2009 from http://en.allexperts.com/q/Hunting-1633/Pros-Cons-Hunting.htm
• KidzWorld, 2008, Animal cruelty or population control, retrieved on 1/22/2009 from

http://www.kidzworld.com/article/6598-animal-cruelty-or-population-control,