Hunting mishap opens dialogue on larger issue

Harry Whittington, the man accidentally shot by Vice President
Dick Cheney during his hunting outing, is one of the lucky ones.
The unfortunate accident that occurred in Texas last Saturday was a
mere drop in the bucket when one considers that there are over 100
million animal deaths per year from hunting in the United States
alone, according to the Humane Society of the United States.

The 100 million animals that tragically lose their lives every
year did not choose to be the opposing team in this cruel, inhumane
“sport.” Sadly, this staggering figure does not reflect
the entire picture. For every animal that is shot and recovered by
a hunter, others are wounded in the process and die slowly from
blood loss, infection or starvation. Not only are wild animals
affected, but pets, livestock, hikers and hunters are also injured
or killed due to hunting.

Many argue that hunters use and eat all of the animals that they
kill and take. This is rarely the case in our present society.
While some people do hunt in an effort to survive, many hunters
sometimes kill also for sport.

Even more distressing is hunting purely for sport.

Canned hunting is one example. This type of hunting occurs on
private, enclosed land where someone pays to have the chance to
kill native and exotic species.

These ranches usually operate on a “no kill, no pay”
policy, so it is in the owner’s best interest to make it easy
for a hunter to kill an animal. The hunting areas tend to be small,
and the animals are usually maimed to make them easier for the
hunter to kill. These animals are killed solely to provide a trophy
for the hunter.

Sadly, this type of hunting can even be done over the Internet
with a click of the mouse.

Because hunting is a business, many federal and state agencies
are funding “wildlife management” programs to increase
the number of game animals.

For example, according to the Times-Picayune, Louisiana’s
wildlife agencies spent $100,000 to trap raccoons and foxes so more
duck eggs would be able to hatch, thus providing more fowl for
hunters.

In an effort to increase the Alaskan moose population (drawing
more hunters), hundreds of wolves have been killed and many grizzly
and black bears have been relocated to places hundreds of miles
away.

We are changing the course of nature, all to serve hunters and
bring in more money.

Nature is a balance. It has existed on its own for millions of
years. Natural predators are necessary to maintain that balance.
Humans take more than the appropriate amount. We have offset the
balance and we are not allowing nature to take its due course.

The state of Earth’s environment shows human involvement
is destroying the very ground on which we live. Hunting destroys
natural environments and devastates ecosystems.

Our pattern of killing extends far beyond hunting. Factory
farming is a major source of pollution. Our rainforests are being
wiped out to make room for cattle. Most of the world’s grain
is fed to livestock, and not to starving humans.

Hunting is not a sport; it is an entirely one-sided attack on
the innocent. As Henry David Thoreau said, “The squirrel that
you kill in jest, dies in earnest.”

The shooting accident in Texas threw the consequences of hunting
into the glaring spotlight of reality. Hopefully, we can learn from
this unfortunate occurrence that hunting is unnecessary for most of
the world’s population and it certainly accomplishes more
harm than good.

De Louche is the vice president of University Students for
the Ethical Treatment of Animals.