The Costs of Sport-Hunting of Large Carnivores By Bertha Munuku Texas Tech University

Thesis Statement Despite its economic benefits and claim of population regulation, sport-hunting of large carnivores promotes the extinction of certain species and leads to the natural and anthropogenic disruption of the ecological balance.

Extinction of Large Carnivores Hunting of large carnivores has caused their numbers to dwindle exponentially in the wild. Trophy hunting is responsible for the decline of lions and leopards. For example, the majority of lions killed are males that have not yet reached sexual maturity and thus would not have reproduced prior to being hunted (Loveridge et al.; Packer et al.). Fewer females can be impregnated and the population size of lions shrinks, since no cubs are being born. Even though some countries like Tanzania have laws regulating hunting, it is evident that stricter policies need to be implemented and enforced in order to ensure that predator populations increase to a level of stability.

Natural Disruption of the Ecological Balance The hunting of the animals at the top of the food chain disrupts the ecological balance and results in the instability of herbivore populations. If predators are removed from the food web, it will lead to an increase in herbivores, which then leads to a decrease in producers. Eventually, the decrease in producers will result in the dwindling of the herbivore population. For instance, the number of herbivores, particularly buffalo and hartebeest, was higher in national parks in Cameroon than in hunting zones (Croes et al. 3067).

Anthropogenic Disruption of the Ecological Balance Hunting disrupts the ecological balance by encouraging other human activities. Hunting nearly always accompanies logging, thus animal populations tend to decline when the remaining animals migrate to other areas (Poulsen et al. 1819, 1832). Logging also does significant damage to the plant life in the area, making it difficult for herbivores to find food and ultimately leads to the decline of their numbers. With the absence of dangerous predators due to hunting, local communities move into land previously occupied by wild game and use it for farming and other activities. Eventually, this encroachment leads to declining indigenous animal populations, as well as results in land degradation.

Counterarguments I.Many argue that hunting boosts the economy of the countries which allow it (Jorge et al. 835). Hunting is not the primary source of wealth for these countries. Governments could implement alternative forms of national income, such as expanding and improving the tourism sector. II.Many argue that hunting may be necessary for an ecosystem which has reached its carrying capacity. Lion populations in parks is 50% below the carrying capacity(Croes et al. 3068). Also, most large carnivores are facing extinction. III.Some argue that hunting regulates the highly inbred populations (Laikre et al. 248). Governments faced with such a predicament could channel some resources towards bringing individuals from neighboring countries for breeding, or artificially inseminate the females of the population with sperm collected from males from other populations.

Conclusion Even though various counterarguments which support sport-hunting exist, the fact remains that large carnivores suffer considerable damage to their numbers in the wild as a result of this hobby. Countries which do not regulate hunting need to implement and enforce policies which will control the amount of game hunting carried out within their borders. Countries which have laws regulating hunting must implement stricter policies and enforce them. Hunters, too, need to consider the consequences of their actions: simply because hunting is legal in some countries does not necessarily imply that it is ethical. Ultimately, it boils down to the individual - the choice to raise one’s gun to these creatures, and allow one’s grandchildren to learn about them as we do dinosaurs, is a personal choice that one must make and be able to live with its ramifications.

Works Cited Croes, B.M. et al. “The Impact of Trophy Hunting on Lions (Panthera leo) and Other Large Carnivores in the Benoue Complex, Northern Cameroon.” Biological Conservation 144. (2011): Academic Search Complete. Web. 12 Jul Jorge, Agostinho, et al. “Costs and Benefits of the Presence of Leopards to the Sport-Hunting Industry and Local Communities in Niassa National Reserve, Mozambique.” Conservation Biology (2013): Academic Search Complete. Web. 12 Jul Laikre, Linda et al. “Hunting Effects on Favourable Conservation Status of Highly Inbred Swedish Wolves.” Conservation Biology (2012): Academic Search Complete. Web. 12 Jul Loveridge, A.J. et al. “The Impact of Sport-Hunting on the Population Dynamics of an African Lion Population in a Protected Area.” Biological Conservation 134. (2007): Academic Search Complete. Web. 12 Jul Packer, C. et al. “Effects of Trophy Hunting on Lion and Leopard Populations in Tanzania.” Conservation Biology (2010): Academic Search Complete. Web. 12 Jul Poulsen, J.R., Clark, C.J. and Bolker, B.M. “Decoupling the Effects of Logging and Hunting on an Afrotropical Animal Community.” Ecological Applications (2011): 1819–1836. Academic Search Complete. Web. 12 Jul “Big Cats Initiative.” NationalGeographic.com. National Geographic Society, Web. 19 Jul