Hunting - A totally unnecessary bloodsport.

I have no words to describe people who go hunting. Actually that's not true at all, I have lots of words to describe them, but none that do justice to their abhorrent attitude towards the beautiful creatures that we have on this earth.

Why a seemingly intelligent person would feel the need to track and kill a creature for fun is beyond me. Hunting for a purpose - for food, clothing, I get that. But hunting for sport? Totally unnecessary and serves no purpose than to fuel some peoples needs for blood lust.

The killing of Cecil the lion in Zimbabwe has made people raise their voices against this practice, and rightly so. I've seen people ask, 'Why such an outcry over ONE lion?' - clearly these people don't seem to understand, that in the whole of Africa there are less than 30,000 lions left. Plus it's not just ONE lion, when you kill the Alpha male, the other males vying to be the next Alpha, inherently kill all the cubs belonging to the fallen King - therefore an entire group can be wiped out.

 When does the killing stop? When there are none left in the world, but those poor creatures languishing in zoos and safari parks, guarded day and night by armed soldiers?

Sadly man's 'need' to shoot things has created greedy people and given rise to canned hunting - a vile practice where animals are raised in captivity, then let loose in a restricted area for hunters to shoot them. I don't call that fair, do you?

I've also seen people making thin arguments for shooting lions and other animals, citing attacks on people - well sorry but this happens when man decides to encroach on the territories of other beings. What gives some humans the right to think they are the only ones allowed to live on this planet, with everything else at their disposal, to be used how they see fit. You have NO right. We 'share' this earth with other creatures, who have just as much right to an existence as we do, but the way we are going, we will have wiped out the majority of species in no time and in just a few decades lions, tigers, elephants and rhinos will only be found in history books, documentaries on Animal Planet and stuffed in museums. Is this really what we want?

We are supposed to be caretakers, but instead humans are the most violent, destructive, infective species that there is. When are we going to wake up? Cecil the lions death has highlighted this problem and the people that are the problem. I applaud the authorities in Zimbabwe for taking action, for banning hunting of large game and wanting those responsible to be brought to justice, and rightly so. However, governments and organisations in African countries and indeed others around the world are also to blame for allowing these things to happen in the first place. For putting a price on the heads of animals that they are famous for.

These animals should be viewed in awe and amazement and revered for how incredibly beautiful they are. If you want a souvenir - Take a picture, NOT a trophy.