So, some time ago Facebook introduced a feature called 'reels', where short videos from around Facebook are posted, irrespective of whether you're 'following' any of them. The algorithms seem to have worked out that I'm a "fishin' and huntin'" kinda guy, but because I don't splash my exploits all over social media, the algorithms seem a bit unsure what to offer me. As a result I get to see a pretty wide range of things that could be loosely classified as fishing and hunting from all over the world. Has anyone else noticed this?

So there's the usual all-American heroes clad in realtree camo, doing their thing to hogs with AR47's or bowfishing slow-moving air-breathing fishes, but there's also a bunch of stuff that would probably be considered unsporting or even downright illegal in many places. Some recent 'shockers' were gunning down of migrating endangered Himalayan cranes, shooting at eagles sitting on the ground (not that wingshooting them is any better)- those two from Pakistan... lots of hare and gazelle 'coursing' with 4WD-based dog packs from the middle East, some particularly cruel 'such a good boy!' videos of favourite dogs inflicting slow and lingering deaths on small antelopes in South Africa, flooding striped hyena out of a burrow with a water tanker (Saudi), traps and snares for small animals (SE Asia) etc.

I try to keep an open mind to the diversity of hunting methods and particularly differences in cultural context, but what strikes me about many of these videos is the sheer determination to exterminate that seems to be behind them. Or are we 'western' hunters just kidding ourselves with illusions of restraint and class?

One thing I do hope is that the anti-hunting crowd pick up on these same videos, they have quite a few more trees to bark up if they're ever going to try eliminate hunting in the world. What's for sure is it isn't going to go away.

Poaching and illegal killing of wildlife will go on forever. In the example of countries you have given while there is no legal hunting allowed for the most part and there is no dollar value placed on wildlife it is fair game to anyone and everyone who can get away with it by whatever means they can! I respectfully suggest you should amend your title to say Killing of wildlife, because hunting is a legal activity which what you describe is mostly not. In many of these countries no distinction is made between hunting and poaching. It's ALL clubbed under hunting!!

You raise an interesting question: is it only a dollar value on game that brings about restraint and a sense of 'sporting chance'? Does wanton killing of wildlife emerge from a 'tragedy of the commons', erosion of social and cultural factors that promote a more respectful relationship with nature?

quote:

Originally posted by reddy375:
Poaching and illegal killing of wildlife will go on forever. In the example of countries you have given while there is no legal hunting allowed for the most part and there is no dollar value placed on wildlife it is fair game to anyone and everyone who can get away with it by whatever means they can! I respectfully suggest you should amend your title to say Killing of wildlife, because hunting is a legal activity which what you describe is mostly not. In many of these countries no distinction is made between hunting and poaching. It's ALL clubbed under hunting!!

Correct, killing and hunting are worlds apart. Hunting also has many disguises but most of us would probably agree that fair chase hunting whether it be in the wilds of Alaska or Africa is one of the purest forms of this activity

quote:

Originally posted by Black Lechwe:
You raise an interesting question: is it only a dollar value on game that brings about restraint and a sense of 'sporting chance'? Does wanton killing of wildlife emerge from a 'tragedy of the commons', erosion of social and cultural factors that promote a more respectful relationship with nature?

You cannot apply Western values and ideals to people who live in countries like Africa, India and elsewhere. To a local villager in India or Africa who lives amongst wild animals a wild animal is simply food or a nuisance that has to be got rid of and of course can then be eaten in most instances. In Africa when there is a legal hunting "presence" in hunting areas and the locals benefit from it there is probably some constraint to living with these animals as they get some benefit from it. Where there is no danger of prosecution everything is fair game.

In India where there is 0 value placed on any of these animals, there is no such thought of conservation other than protection by the government which is very good at the moment. But this policy of lets conserve wild animals to death is now back firing in India! There is a lot of game in many areas and the federal and state governments have no clue what to do! In some states they have declared wildboar as vermin, teams of appointed shooters are killing and then made to bury these animals when the locals would be happy to eat them. In some states they are culling blue bulls quietly and burying them! What a criminal waste. And of course the anti-hunting crowd is well organised in India and coming up with their usual BS ideas!

One cannot help but feel its a losing battle.

The "when in Rome" rule is a bad rule if applied without reservation.