Introduction
Hunting is a human economic activity that has been there for a long time and has acted to supplement food-production activities like farming and livestock keeping. Before modern-day hunting, the affair was a benefit of magnanimity but later on normalized and became a regular practice in many communities, leading to the destruction of the biodiversity in the ecosystem. Game chasing has since become a recreational activity and is currently governed by strict laws in the US. The positive effects linked with the exercise include the revenue it generates for the economy through the sale of animal products and the reintroduction of game species that were previously phased out by poaching activities. Nonetheless, venery of any form should be banned as it exposes the game to suffering, and extinction, in addition to endangering the animal species. Although the US established game stalking as a truly American tradition centuries ago, the practice is problematic in the light of today’s values; it benefits human society while threatening the ecosystem immensely.
Income-generating Venture over the Planet’s Ecosystems
There is an ongoing discussion as to whether hunting is ruining the structure of Earth’s ecosystems. Unregulated game stalking can lead to a decrease in the number of species and subsequently to extinction (Di Minin et al., 2021). Furthermore, increased chasing of vertebrate seed dispersers results in minimized ovule transfer for various plant species and a change in ecological composition in favor of plants whose seeds are dispersed by abiotic means (Rosin, 2014). The benefits attached to coursing can contribute immensely to the species’ conservation and reintroduction into areas where they had been extirpated, which often supports habitat conservation and rehabilitation (Di Minin et al., 2021). Species extinction, however, has been cited as one of the most serious problems associated with poaching. This has sparked public interest in ecological restoration as well as US government intervention in the programs aimed at wildlife conservation (Di Minin et al., 2021). Research studies on two mammals, lions, and leopards, showed that the animals are mostly hunted for trophies and are most likely to be extirpated if game killing is unchecked (Di Minin et al., 2021). Truly, the impacts of wildlife destruction on the environment are unpropitious.
Game pursuit in America has more economic benefits to the government in terms of the revenue which is collected. In its entirety, hunting contributes to employment creation by about 700,000 jobs countrywide (Chapagain & Poudyal, 2020). According to research, the yearly spending of 14 million hunters goes up to $ 22.1 billion (Bilgic et al., 2008). Before the Covid 19 pandemic, it was estimated that out of fifteen Americans aged sixteen years and above, at least one chooses to spend his or her money on hunting activity (Chapagain & Poudyal, 2020). As it turns out, venery provides financial benefits to the government and that is why the practice is not yet abolished.
Hunting as a Sport – Yet Another Revenue Maker
Like any other sport, hunting creates a platform for entertainment for interested parties. People enjoy shooting animals, and practicing sharpshooting skills as this also sharpens their focus dexterities (Di Minin et al., 2021). One needs to gain steady ground before hitting the target and therefore game chasing becomes an exercise in itself (Di Minin et al., 2021). Moreover, targeting alone ensures that the abdominal muscles’ weights are improved as the back sustains the pressure resulting from the daily activities (Di Minin et al., 2021). However, as a sport and also wildlife management activity, the government has initiated measures to ensure that venery is preserved. In the USA for instance, there is a law which is commonly referred to as the Second Amendment that permits possession of firearms for hunting purposes (Notarangelo, 2016). Also, there exist regulations setting daily and seasonal coursing limits to control excessive wildlife killings (Strong & Silva, 2020). Therefore, game stalking brings about self-fulfillment when appropriately regulated within the confines of national policies.
International unity and social integration are always fostered through hunting sports activities. Being a sport, wildlife shooting brings various factions together to compete against each other (Strong & Silva, 2020). As the communities invite one another, a friendship is created amongst them (Strong & Silva, 2020). Tourism also benefits from game chasing as a sporting exercise. Direct spending by the sport hunters at the hotels, gyms, and recreational facilities of the hosts rejuvenates the local economy (Chapagain & Poudyal, 2020). Remarkably, coursing competition events improve an outlook of a group that hosts such tournaments and this may make the community or the country to be a destination for tourists (Chapagain & Poudyal, 2020). On the whole, peaceful co-existence in society is guaranteed through game-killing activities.
Wildlife Population Control and Ecosystem
Undoubtedly, nature is structured in a way to be independent and self-regulating – it does not require any aid or intervention from humans. Humanly controlled wildlife destruction only helps in ensuring that there is a sufficient quantity of food for an existent number of animals living in a particular domain (Di Minin et al., 2021). Balancing the animal population with the amount of food enables the animals to attain their genetic potential (Di Minin et al., 2021). Nevertheless, not all cases warrant hunting as a measure to control the population of animals in the natural world. Coursing can only be applied to the animal populace if for instance the carrying capacity of a certain habitat is exceeded hence leading to abuse of the haunt (Strong & Silva, 2020). Similarly, recreational venery is used in cases where there exists an over-abundance of specific species of an organism (Di Minin et al., 2021). Equally important, game stalking is used in situations where there are invasive species that were originally not found in a particular niche (Di Minin et al., 2021). When uncontrolled, the destruction of nature brings about calamities upon human life.
Managing populations, especially those of animals, bring certain advantages to the ecological system and therefore saves the natural habitat. Controlled recreational hunting of herbivores such as deer ensures that the essential homes of smaller organisms are maintained (Rosin, 2014). Moreover, checked hunting activities along riparian zones, for instance, the streams and the lakes, ensure that the homes to wattle vegetation, the amphibian, and crocodiles are preserved (Rosin, 2014). In summary, hunting in itself is an activity that is also used to bring about ecological sustainability.
Hunting as a Food Source
Though hunting is not a primal food source anymore, people still tend to put the meat of the wildlife at a high value. In international food joints, game flesh forms an integral part of the menus because recreational hunting has become a predominant fragment of diets (Strong & Silva, 2020). An important result obtained after investigating the motives behind the killing of game animals was that hunting provided an opportunity for obtaining meat for household consumption (Chapagain & Poudyal, 2020). When scientific research was done to compare the number of human-consumable wild animals against those that are not eaten, hunting bags for the former were more than the latter (Aubrey et al., 2020). In essence, this has led to the conclusion that humans kill wild animals for meat than for any other purpose.
One of the prime advantages game meat has over types of the flesh is that it has many health benefits. Due to the low quantities of fat they possess, game nourishment is highly recommended by nutritionists as an efficient source of good fats (Chapagain & Poudyal, 2020). Besides, wild grub is regarded as the best for those people who would want to reduce weight as it has lower calorie contents than other muscles (Chapagain & Poudyal, 2020). The diets of the wild creatures are hormone-free hence the meats of such animals have no antibiotics (Chapagain & Poudyal, 2020). In brief, the forages that the wild game feeds on, make their eats to be natural and healthy.
The Effects of Hunting on Economic Growth
Recreational hunting may remove animals from the environment but on the positive side, it may also have other economic benefits. Individual states in the US can collect revenue for hunting licenses, and additional park fees that they use for environmental beautification projects (Chapagain & Poudyal, 2020). Also, some hunters contribute on their own to the organizations tasked with the responsibility of preserving wildlife and the natural environment (Chapagain & Poudyal, 2020). Consequently, recreational hunting has contributed to economic development, both at the local and national levels.
Additional investigation on recreational hunting shows existent growing concern over the risks to human life that are associated with game chasing. Recreational coursing might increase the dangers of human vulnerability to animal disease transmission (Strong & Silva, 2020). Moreover, the meat of the game animals killed using lead ammunition might be the source of the metal which when later transferred to the human body through consumption of the meat, will end in poisoning (Di Minin et al., 2021). In essence, game hunting might result in the contraction of diseases either directly or indirectly.
Controversies and contestations marring the discussions around game hunting always put into consideration the rights of animals at the center stage. Public admittance of any kind of recreational hunting has today decreased as opposed to the past, and great significance has been placed on the rights of animals (Strong & Silva, 2020). Anti-poaching arguments emanate from the viewpoint of animal welfare, discussing more on individual entitlements of the organism overpopulation management strategies that justify such killings (Di Minin et al., 2021). Undeniably, animal rights are serving to protect animals from unwarranted destruction by gamers and illegal poachers.
Conclusion
In summary, the past regularization of recreational hunting by the US as a nation has made the practice to be widespread therefore posing a risk to the existence of wild animals because of the current policies. Several arguments have been put forward to show how Earth’s ecosystem is getting ruined due to increased gaming activities despite the revenue which is obtained. For hunters, a platform for entertainment is gotten from the sporting action of wildlife chasing and this ignites the urge for competition. Further, recreational coursing promotes peaceful existence between nations, international unity, and tourism. In the natural world, there exists a self-sustaining mechanism that enables the environment to deal with any destruction aimed at it. Proper management of natural resources ensures continuity of generations of organisms, as their habitats are maintained. Other benefits that can be obtained from venery include healthy meat and economic developments through the funds collected by license issuance. Based on the analysis of the effects of recreational animal stalking, the US government should not allow continued licensing of the activity.
References
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