May 25, 2009
CROCODILE TROPHY HUNTING
Letter to The Honorable Peter Garrett MP,
Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts
Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600
RE:
Crocodile Trophy Hunting
Dear
Sir,
Predictably, the issue of trophy hunting of
crocodiles has been raised in the context of recent
attacks on humans and the release of the Northern
Territory's Draft Croc Management Program.
The apparent increase in croc numbers in the NT and
spate of attacks on people are provided as
justifications for allowing "safari-style" hunting
of crocodiles. Just to make the notion even more
socially and politically palatable, it's going to be
a program "…that focuses on Indigenous
participation, employment and enterprise….". Who's
going to knock that – a lucrative, sustainable
eco-venture that supports our indigenous brothers?
But
let's get the issue into its proper context before
we go any further. Trophy hunting is not seriously
going to stop unfortunate souls from getting killed
by crocs – that just needs better education and
awareness campaigns. Neither will it be the
economic salvation of local indigenous communities;
their opportunities for less violent forms of
ecotourism are far more lucrative. This type of
hunting is going to appeal to the type of folk (a
small, rich and vocal minority) who get their kicks
out of shooting other large and potentially
dangerous wildlife, like rhinos, elephants and
lions; great white hunters who often justify their
blood-sport by arguing that they contribute to the
conservation of the magnificent animals that they
blow away. If you want to get a taste for the
industry get on to Google and search "trophy
hunting", or try this one:
www.africatrophyhunting.com/Trophies.asp?sf=8
for a list of all the animals in Africa you can hunt
and kill. Follow the links for some disturbing
photos of giraffes, hippos, vervet monkeys and some
endangered wildlife with the brave hunters who shot
them. (By the way, there's not a single species of
endangered animal that has ever been saved from
extinction by virtue of its attraction for trophy
hunters.) On the topic of whether shooting crocs is
humane: They've got a brain smaller than my pinkie
finger, and I'm not a big bloke. Imagine trying to
hit that on a moving target submerged in water,
encased in a big solid bone skull, and you get what
I'm saying: there are going to be a lot of maimed
crocodiles dying slow deaths if this gets the green
light. There's nothing humane about trophy hunting,
particularly for animals like crocs.
There
will be animal cruelty issues!
In my
mind, the question of whether trophy hunting of
crocodiles should be allowed is a question of
morality. For me, it it's just not right to hunt
and kill something for fun. I thought in this
country we had made enough moral progress to have
put that one to bed years ago. But here it is
again, rearing its ugly head, under the guise of
"sustainability" and helping indigenous
communities, to boot. Too often now, the proponents
of "sustainable wildlife use" seem to think that if
they can argue that an activity is ecologically
sustainable, then any ethical or moral concerns are
irrelevant or redundant. Developing an ecotourism
venture with indigenous folk as the guides and
beneficiaries is a great idea, but let the shooting
be done with cameras, not guns. Then it's humane,
sustainable and morally right, and I reckon
will make a lot more money than the small, loud,
safari hunting elite would ever have brought us.
I
believe that if this proposal were to proceed it
would have a very negative impact on Australia's
lucrative Tourism Industry and severely damage
Australia's image world wide as a friendly, caring
country.
Let
us not go back to Medieval times.
Reject the Northern Territory Government's proposal.
--Bob Irwin
Click on the links below to see other
articles written against the proposal. If you
would like to write the Government Minister
regarding the croc proposal,
click
here.
RSPCA Article
International Fund for Animal Welfare article
Humane Society International Article
