The Many Benefits of Hunting Essay -- Hunting Debate

When a Minnesota dentist killed a prized African lion named "Cecil" he received an onslaught of criticism and reignited the debate concerning hunting. Those who oppose hunting often have no understanding of the many benefits provided by hunting. Hunting provides free census animal data, as well as money to sustain clean rivers and forests and to manage wildlife populations. Animals are treated more humanely by a hunter’s bullet than by a slaughterhouse’s blade. There are two categories of hunters, the poachers and the traditionalists. However, people seem to classify hunters only by the practices of poachers. At first, I use to be one of them (people with no knowledge about the positive effects of hunting). I thought hunting was a merciless sport. Killing an animal for its antlers, fur, or their body parts. I saw hunters as unethical humans and so did most of the people I ran into. Then again this was before I did my research on hunting. After my research, I found some facts that were compelling. Hunting after all was not what I had perceived it to be. Nevertheless, there are still people that have the wrong impression about hunting because they don’t fully understand its meaning. Hunting has been around as long as humanity has existed. Hunting has played a key role in humanities fight for survival. Without hunting our ancestors may not have been able to survive. In his article, â€Å"Hunting and Human Values† author Paul Shepard states, that hunting may be a behavior that is inherent and about 95 percent of the time humanity has existed we have been hunters. Hunting has formed humanity and to take it away would take away a significant part of history and heritage. Hunting should be protected by laws such as Bill 273 s... ...nd a way for one to connect with nature in this modern world. Hunting has a positive impact on the wildlife and economy helping sustain animal populations while maintaining clean forests and rivers. It also helps the economy by generating revenue through hunting tags and permits. Works Cited "Division of Wildlife Resources Financial Overview." Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. 5 Oct. 2014. Web. 08 Mar. 2015. Paul Shepard. â€Å"Hunting and Human Values.† Rhetorical Choices. Charles I. Schuster, Deborah H. Holdstein, Keith Gilyard. Second Edition. New York: Penguin Acdamics, 2013. 568. "What's Mad Cow Disease?" KidsHealth Kids Health. Web. 06 Mar. 2015. Van de Pitte, Margaret. "The Moral Basis for Public Policy Encouraging Sport Hunting." Journal of Social Philosophy 34.2 (2003): 256-266. Religion and Philosophy Collection. EBSCO. Web. 9 Mar. 2015.