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Most of the responses here seem to be a simple emotional reaction, one way or the other, with not much real analysis.
When I lived there in the 1950's and 1960's hunting of big game animals was pretty common, and it was quite normal to see the tanned leather foot of an elephant used as a waste paper basket. With varying degrees of legality there was a world wide ivory market, and piano keys were commonly faced with ivory, not plastic.
Fortunately the conservation movement ended this, and elephant populations started a slow recovery, peaking in Zimbabwe around the year 2000 with a population probably about 80,000 to 100,00 animals. Elephant census taking is not an exact science as animals are not tagged but counted by observers in aircraft, by counting herds, using video at watering holes, and by dung counting. Estimates can vary quite a bit.
Human populations increased rapidly in many African countries over the period from 1970 to 2000, in the case of Zimbabwe almost doubling, this restricting the habitat available for wildlife. When my son visited Zimbabwe about 10 years ago a drought which lasted several years was also causing problems, and biologists estimated the culling of 30,000 to 40,000 elephants was necessary to prevent the starvation of a much larger number. This in spite of the government having sold perhaps a few hundred young elephants to zoos and safari parks in other countries, and in spite of ivory poachers killing thousands more, and licensed hunters accounting for perhaps a few dozen each year.
Trading of live elephants may be illegal under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, but the financial aspects with a price of $40,000 to $60,000 per elephant is attractive to Mugabe's government.
My son-in-law, who is CEO of a conservancy in Zimbabwe and runs a breeding program for black rhinos has twelve scouts working under him arresting or scaring off, or on rare occasions shooting, elephant or rhino poachers. Clearly poaching is a much bigger problem than licensed hunting, and the wire snares which may catch the leg of male or female elephant, young or old, potentially causing gangrene of the leg, are a miserable way for an animal to die.
My hope would be that a number of herds could be moved to Uganda to replace animals lost in that area where the population is now extremely low.
Best wishes and a speedy recovery for the elephant.
Live by the sword . . die by the sword and all that.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Speleothem
Just so y'all know, big game hunting in Africa is a big win
for the wildlife. (Just not to the ones that get shot.)
If the rich Bwanas didn't pay a fortune to hunt,
the poachers or starvation would get em.
WTF does the elephant care if they get shot by a big game hunter or a poacher? Dead is dead.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PeachSalsa
I could never be a vegan.
Every single vegan I've met is angry and/or depressed. They always analyze everything, suffering through their meals.
I like being happy. My friends are all happy, fun people. We enjoy life and we enjoy our food.
Co-inky-dink? I think not.
Fortunately, your limited personal experience doesn't necessarily translate to the world at large. The Vegans I know are healthy, fitness oriented, social, etc.
Fortunately, your limited personal experience doesn't necessarily translate to the world at large. The Vegans I know are healthy, fitness oriented, social, etc.
Hopefully they are not preachy and "holier than thou" either!!
Just to be clear, I seriously do not care what someone eats. What I cannot stand is those who choose to eat or not to eat <fill in the blank> and then proceed to tell everyone their way is the only "right" way. This can be meat, gluten, carbs, refined sugar, soy, etc.
Yes, these are any "true believers" who will preach to you about meat, tea party, Jesus, bee pollen, some guru, green politics or anything else in life that apparently has elevated them above the rest of us in every way except social interactions apparently.
Hopefully they are not preachy and "holier than thou" either!!
Just to be clear, I seriously do not care what someone eats. What I cannot stand is those who choose to eat or not to eat <fill in the blank> and then proceed to tell everyone their way is the only "right" way. This can be meat, gluten, carbs, refined sugar, soy, etc.
Yes, these are any "true believers" who will preach to you about meat, tea party, Jesus, bee pollen, some guru, green politics or anything else in life that apparently has elevated them above the rest of us in every way except social interactions apparently.
You sided with the elephant, you said you wanted animals to be able to shoot rifles. Does that mean you want pigs and cows to kill their ranchers? How do you justify caring about one species and not caring at all about another? Doesn't that make you a hypocrite?
The majority of people in the USA are animal rights advocates when it comes to 66000 vertebrates and they treat about 10 like total garbage. I don't think it makes me a radical when I say maybe those 10 should be treated like the rest.
You sided with the elephant, you said you wanted animals to be able to shoot rifles. Does that mean you want pigs and cows to kill their ranchers? How do you justify caring about one species and not caring at all about another? Doesn't that make you a hypocrite?
I draw a big, BIG distinction between rich people traveling somewhere to slaughter endangered wild species for entertainment or decorative purposes, & domesticated animals, which number in the hundreds of millions & exist solely for food purposes. Also people who hunt/fish responsibly & eat the beast they kill without wasting it are ok, I wouldn't hunt but so what? Deers & rabbits would absolutely destroy the environment if they were allowed to proliferate without any culling. Beef cattle exist solely for the purpose of providing food.
Pig walks into a doctor's office, sits down & asks "Well doc?"
The doctor looks at his xrays & says " I have some bad news.... you're delicious."
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