Conservation page

Outcry for Cecil the Lion Could Undercut Conservation Efforts

Trophy hunting, which has been viewed under a harsh public spotlight since the killing of Cecil, a lion in Zimbabwe, is part of a complex economy that is an…

nytimes.com|By NORIMITSU ONISHI

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To whom it may concern:

My name is Nathan Askew, I own Bullet Safaris and I hunt. I have shot hundreds of animals and been responsible for the death of thousands more. Before you write me a nasty email, threaten my life or post ignorant comments on facebook – read this letter and educate yourself on how hunting and conservation actually work. I am going to give you a few examples, facts, and my personal take on some issues. It is up to you to educate yourself based on factual information and only then should you decide how you feel about hunting.

I have spent my entire life trying to save animals and their habitat across the world. I am formally educated in biology, ecology and animals sciences; I also have a lifetime of real world experience. You can choose to not like hunting; but it’s an ignorant point of view to say that hunting doesn’t work as a management tool. To say that properly managed hunting is bad for animal populations is going against science.

Hunting and animal rights…first of all people have rights, animals do not have rights. The majority of the world has never even considered the idea of an animal having a right. America and Europe are the only places that have an ‘animal rights’ movement. That’s because the rest of the world is basically worrying about human rights and surviving – survival that you most likely wouldn’t understand. I am sure that as you read this on your iphone in your oversized living room, in your secure home with food in the fridge, you haven’t even considered your survival. Is survival a right that you perceive to have? The bulk of humans on earth are worried about having something to eat and staying out of the rain. They haul wood to keep warm at night and draw their water from a hole hoping it’s clean enough to drink. Trust me in the fact that your illusion about animals having rights is just that. Don’t you think it is a misdirected effort for a person to worry about the size of a chicken’s cage in California when a member of the human race is fighting malnutrition? This struggle for human survival is in your own country, the country next door, and the entire continent of Africa. In many ways hunting improves the life of people in areas where they are struggling to survive. Get your priorities straight and do something that can change a life…a human one.

Hunting…All of the animals that we hunt are pursued legally with a strong emphasis on respect for the animal. A quick kill is our goal followed by full utilization of the animal. I will not apologize for killing animals for food or for a trophy. I consistently take the time to explain it to people that don’t understand hunting. Most of the time it is not their fault as they have grow up in a world where food comes wrapped in plastic from a store down the street. I assure you that your chicken sandwich didn’t start life that way.

It is important to understand that hunters pay for the protection and proliferation of the animals they hunt. The harvesting of a few select animals benefits the population, this is a fact. Some will die so that others can survive. It has been that way since the beginning of time. Man is the ultimate predator – but this comes with a responsibility. Modern day hunters are well aware of this responsibility and we give back more than we take, this is a fact. Money generated by the sale of hunting licenses in the USA alone totaled over $796 million in 2011. Conservation efforts by SCI and DSC promote animal protection and rural development in third world countries. Hunters pay a self imposed tax via the Pittman-Robertson act of 1937 at the tune of a 10% tax on ammunition, firearms, licenses, and equipment sales (this alone has generated around 8 billion dollars for conservation). In total hunters contribute over 1.6 billion annually to conservation.

Hunting and Africa…it is my passion and my profession. Much of my time is spent in these wilderness areas assisting in anti-poaching patrols, protecting the animals and their habitat, and improving the situation for wildlife in Africa. I have spent my life working to preserve and increase the wild areas available to animals. I have done this with the money my clients spend on their safaris, and the money they pay the African Governments to hunt various animals. These animals have a price on their head and it’s a great thing. This system works and creates a value for these animals. Things of value tend to be taken care of and thus the animals are able to pay for their existence in this ever-shrinking world. This money goes to the governments to fund their national parks, anti-poaching patrols, animal studies, and education of the local people.

In Africa, hunting areas and national parks operate together and in most situations are managed by the same government offices and people. The national parks are generally smaller, more aesthetically pleasing locations designed to attract tourists. The hunting areas are usually marginal areas that are difficult to access, large in size and have less animal densities than national parks. Overall, the hunting areas constitute more heads of game and habitat range than the national parks and must be managed effectively. The way to do this is through hunting; it increases game numbers and keeps rural development and abuse out of the areas. The type of development I am writing about is not a shopping mall or the new convenience store on the corner. I am writing about the unregulated abuse of land, first, through poaching; second, through unregulated pastoralist abuse; third, a slash and burn deforestation to create farmland for subsistence farming. This type of development is unsustainable and widely accepted as the worse utilization of habitat.

Hunting and emotional reaction…I am tired of snap reactions from misinformed people on hunting. Misinformed people bash a hunter for shooting an elephant; when that elephant is an old bull that is not necessary in the viability of a population in areas where elephant hunting is conducted. Misinformed people accuse me of illegally killing a cheetah; when what I am displaying is a dead leopard and it was killed legally. There are many leopards out there and the mature animal my client hunted put over 15,000 USD into conservation for its species. How much did you donate to preserve leopard habitat this year? Like it or not that animal dying in the bush or spending its last days picking off dogs from the local village is not the right way. The goal is to keep these populations healthy, intact, and out of the local people’s way of life. Ever heard of a farmer in the USA going hungry because an elephant ate half his crop and trampled down the other half? No you haven’t, but it is common in rural areas in Africa. It is mandatory to address the human animal conflict issues in Africa and hunting companies also help with this. I am frustrated with ignorant people talking about elephant hunting- please research the difference between hunting and poaching. Also try to understand the challenges faced with managing mega fauna like an elephant.

How you can help…your donations to animal rights’ organizations are simply padding the pocket of the people that persuaded you into believe their nonsensical rhetoric in the first place. I have yet to see any of that money actually help in the real world. The money that they receive from you doesn’t go directly toward conservation in the proportions that a hunter’s money does. The best thing for you to do is to buy a ticket to Africa and go on safari; go to several different countries as the challenges facing the Republic of South Africa are way different than the situation in Tanzania. Give the money to Africa yourself – don’t take the easy way out then complain to me that I am the problem with declining animal populations, destruction of habitat, and extinction of species. The money you will spend on your safari helps give Africans a job and keep them from poaching or destroying habitat. It also goes to the government departments that run the national parks and hunting areas and in many cases directly to the local villages surrounding the area you visit. That will help way more than writing me a nasty email, sending the human society $500 check, or signing an online petition about animals you don’t understand and have never seen in the wild. Put your money where your mouth is, or pick up rifle and join me in the field for anti-poaching patrols. Either way I am eager to help you save animals in Africa.

Sincerely,

Nathan Askew

Professional Hunter / Conservationist