A recreational bloodsport

THE EDITOR: As hunters gear up for the opening of the 23/24 hunting season on October 1, not only do animals need to be on the defensive and run for cover when bullets fly fast and furious, but people can also fall prey.

Although a certain amount of collateral damage may be considered acceptable in warfare, TT is not a theatre of war (officially), and no one, whether hiking, camping, bird watching, or just enjoying the scenery, should be at risk by hunters or their hunting dogs on the prowl for game.

“Contrary to what hunters often say in defence of their cruel pastime, hunting has nothing to do with 'conservation' or 'population control,'” People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) claims. Moreover, “If left unaltered by humans, the delicate balance of nature’s ecosystems ensures the survival of most species. Natural predators help maintain this balance by killing only the sickest and weakest individuals.”

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) states:

“Hunting not only affects the target animal that is killed or wounded by a bullet, arrow, or knife, it can also have a significant negative impact on other animals, particularly dependent young.

"If hunters do not find and euthanise the dependent young of shot females, they are left to fend for themselves. Depending on their age, orphaned young animals can suffer and die from starvation, dehydration, or predation.

"Maternal deprivation is a significant stressor in many species, and even if orphaned individuals survive the initial acute stress of lack of nutrition, changes in physiology and behaviour can have a detrimental effect on their growth and development.”

Is hunting a training ground for those who seek to target innocent civilians? Faunalytics, a non-profit organisation that provides research and analysis of various animal issues, has this to say:

“Animal rights activists and many feminists (particularly ecofeminists) have argued that hunting is another form of violence and another example of male domination and oppression (Adams, 1995; Kheel, 1995).

"Anecdotal data from advocates for battered women suggest a link between woman-battering and hunting (Adams, 1995), reinforcing this view of hunting as not only a recreational activity, but also as an act of violence toward non-human animals that may be associated with other expressions of violence against humans and other animals.

"The notion that legal violence, such as hunting, may spill over into illegal violence is not new. Straus (1991, 1994) has proposed such a spillover theory to explain the host of negative, antisocial outcomes associated with receiving corporal punishment – a socially legitimate practice – as a child.”

I urge Minister of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries Kazim Hosein, responsible for the Forestry Division, to consider an outright ban on hunting until we get a handle on crime. Because guns are already a significant problem in this beleaguered nation, allowing their legal use for hunting is fuelling an already inflamed crime situation.

Furthermore, let us not forget that a contingent of illegal hunters/poachers with illegal firearms go hunting during the off-season.

REX CHOOKOLINGO

rexchook@gmail.com