Nickie, what do you define as a trophy hunter and for what reason would feel justified in killing them? If these "trophy hunters" are hunting within guidelines and laws for responsible harvesting, and if the animals parts(meat, hide, and bone) are not wasted, then what is wrong with this sort of hunting? Every effort should be made to quickly and cleanly harvest the animal, just as in a properly ran slaughterhouse.
Responsible use and management is most often funded by hunters, like myself, who deeply care about the preservation and utilization of our animals. Sustainability is the key.
Everything dies. We all cause animal death regularly. Are you a vegan? Do you drive? Do you live in a home or apartment? Do you utilize paved roadways? All of those things kill animals. We are animals and we have to interact with nature. It uses us and we use it. And, yes, sometimes we pollute it and destroy it, and sometimes we work to maintain it and restore it. But no matter how we slice it, we cause death to animals. If I didn't shoot that deer, then she may have been hit by a car or who knows what, but what I do know is that she would have died someday, and it would have likely been by getting hit by a car or by getting older and slower and being dragged down and eaten alive by coyotes. I don't begrudge the coyotes. I don't envy the deer but I do love and admire it.
Everything eats and is eaten. The most devout vegans still must eat. And unless they only eat things they forage for in their immediate area then they contribute to substantial animal death. If we eat any farmed products like wheat, soy, corn, rice, quinoa, beans, lettuce, carrots, etc, then we contribute a great deal. Have you ever plowed, combined, or hayed a field? I have. Sorrowfully I have destroyed nests of baby turkey and young deer and countless thousands of gophers and moles and a whole host of animals. It is a sad fact of the feeding of our masses that death happens so life can happen.
For the record I don't like trophy hunting because of its lack of emphasis on the animal for sustenance, but as long as the animal is used by the hunter or those in need, then I see nothing wrong with it, and I can not for the life of me think why you would feel justified in killing trophy hunters or anyone for that matter.
We had a herd pass through in Tarangire and then hung out with us for about 30 minutes eating. It was a very moving experience seeing them interact with each other, socializing and playing. Yes, culling seems to be a necessary evil which was never needed until people got involved. Hopefully people can be more educated, but unfortunately when government and bureaucracy are involved it seems actions are taken in the wrong direction or not taken at all because they are afraid to make the "right" decisions because of special interest groups. As a photographer, going to Africa is like a ukulele player getting a Mo' Bettah.....it's a bucket list item well worth the journey.
