@stevep59 Exactly. I read a National Geographic article recently that did a pretty good job showing both sides even though the writer clearly favored the 'no hunting ever' option. The oddest thing was that he specifically mentioned that the particular hunting party he was following had local trackers who specifically picked out male elephants that were within a year of dying from old age. This is odd because much later in the article he talks about how all elephant groups, not just families headed by a matriarch, rely on the knowledge of their elders to find water, food, and avoid danger, thus making the practices of these hunting groups bad, apparently.
Except the old elephant that was shot was *dying.* The herd would need a new elder in a few months, anyway. Also, old and infirm members of *any* species are prime targets for predators besides us (plus juveniles, which generally aren't targeted by human hunters). The whole issue is seriously skewed by focusing on abuses and what I often call 'big city hick' mentality. Basically, that near total separation between their everyday lives and what nature is actually *like* that causes so many to freak out at the very *idea* of hunting. Or keeping livestock. Or... ugh, I could go on for *days.*
0
@stevep59 Exactly. I read a National Geographic article recently that did a pretty good job showing both sides even though the writer clearly favored the 'no hunting ever' option. The oddest thing was that he specifically mentioned that the particular hunting party he was following had local trackers who specifically picked out male elephants that were within a year of dying from old age. This is odd because much later in the article he talks about how all elephant groups, not just families headed by a matriarch, rely on the knowledge of their elders to find water, food, and avoid danger, thus making the practices of these hunting groups bad, apparently.
Except the old elephant that was shot was *dying.* The herd would need a new elder in a few months, anyway. Also, old and infirm members of *any* species are prime targets for predators besides us (plus juveniles, which generally aren't targeted by human hunters). The whole issue is seriously skewed by focusing on abuses and what I often call 'big city hick' mentality. Basically, that near total separation between their everyday lives and what nature is actually *like* that causes so many to freak out at the very *idea* of hunting. Or keeping livestock. Or... ugh, I could go on for *days.*