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Campaign Against Canned Hunting (CACH)

Avid hunter claims: hunting is 'kind'

6/26/2014

40 Comments

 
Picture
Hunting is the kindest thing of all, says avid hunter Johan Smit, responding to Bradley Bergh’s excellent letter to WWF.

In his view, Texan huntress Kendall Jones pictured here, is being kind to the lion species.

I have some comments to make on Mr. Smit’s condescending homily on the dubious benefits of the trophy hunting business. At the outset I should say that Mr Smit’s polemic is too rambling and inaccurate to be worth reading.   All the ‘authorities’ he cites are spokesmen for the hunting industry itself.  In other words he relies upon hunting propaganda rather than independent research.

If you want to read a more intelligent debate on the hunting issue, read the debate between former WWF man John Hanks and journalist Ian Michler.

http://showme.co.za/lifestyle/hunting-a-great-debate/

The farming issue is much broader than Smit allows. In the last two decades, employment of labour on SA farms has dropped catastrophically; the number of farms and of farmers has halved. There is a good summary on the plight of farmers by WWF here.
http://awsassets.wwf.org.za/downloads/facts_brochure_mockup_04_b.pdf

In that same period the number of game farmers has increased dramatically to more than ten thousand. Virtually all hunting in South Africa is canned hunting in that the hunts take place on private, fenced land where popular target species are bred for hunting as alternative livestock.  So in such a developed mode, hunting in SA is a commercial farming operation that has nothing to do with conservation.
 
Smit confuses the issue by bringing in arguments based on community based resource management, which only apply to wild populations and true wilderness in Africa. In any event these CBRM projects like CAMPFIRE in Zimbabwe are proving to be unsustainable and self-defeating: see for example:
http://www.environmentmagazine.org/Archives/Back%20Issues/2011/July-August%202011/exploitation-or-conservation-full.html
This concludes:
There are without a doubt economic and environmental benefits of hunting tourism, but these benefits go hand in hand with the threats of unsustainable quotas, poaching, corruption, and misconduct. CBNRM schemes have attempted to utilize the large revenues generated by hunting tourism to merge conservation and rural development. In theory, this is a far more effective conservation tool than the fences and fines approach; however, in practice; the win–win approach of CBNRM is proving to be more problematic.

Critics of sustainable development claim that the concept is contradictory, as economic growth and rural expansion will ultimately impede conservation aims, with the demands of an ever-increasing population causing irreversible damage to the environment. This certainly seems to be the case in relation to the hunting tourism industry. Only in rare, site-specific contexts have natural resources been managed in a manner that promotes social development while upholding conservation values. In the context of Africa, social development and biodiversity conservation are two opposing forces; for one to prevail, the other must suffer.

1.      Employment.  Smit tries to persuade us that hunting is a great provider of employment. 

“A typical game farm, according to Dry, employs three times as much staff as a comparable livestock farm, and pays three to four times more. Camera tourism in 5 star lodges only enriches the owners and shareholders. The majority of them being foreign companies, notorious for their meager salaries.”  

Actually, the opposite is true – by a huge order of magnitude.  See the Africa Geographic article ‘To Snap or Snipe’ by Ian Michler and the IUCN report that hunting is a poor employer and “a wasteful use of land”. In the same period that 'game' farms have grown to more than ten thousand, farm labour employment has fallen from one and a half million to about half a million - down by two-thirds.

2.      Infrastructure.  Smit alleges that hunting farms provide everything that a municipality provides. “Farms are similar to a municipality in very remote areas. It creates housing; it manages and supplies services like water, sewerage electricity, roads, clinics, schools and churches.”

How many churches have the trophy hunters built from the proceeds of cruel slaughter of wildlife, Mr. Smit? Not a very Christian way to fund a Christian church!

3.      Hunting as culling?  Smit confuses trophy hunting with the culling of surplus animals.     
 “The hunting equation is simple; animals breed and sooner or later their numbers have to be controlled to match the carrying capacity of a habitat as land is finite. If a landowner or community does the culling, they earn (much) less than hunters are prepared to pay for the privilege.”

But culling is a different proposition altogether – if there are too many animals in a limited area, then whole herds are removed in a para-military operation, to ensure the removal of the breeding females.  Just shooting male trophy animals has nothing to do with culling – although it certainly harms the genetics of the species.

4.                  Trophy hunters show respect!! 
“If a “trophy” is a reminder or a memento, even taking a picture should be wrong? If your problem is the death of the animal, then the following surely follows: Should a hunter utilize the meat and throw away or burn the horns and skin (the trophy), so as not to offend anyone, then he is wasteful and in a manner disrespectful of the animal.”

 So Mr Smit contends that wasting a trophy would be “disrespectful of the animal”.  Wow! No comment needed here.

5.      Trophy photos not vain?  According to Mr Smit, the photos of gloating hunters smirking away behind their dead victim is not vanity, but a practical tool required in order to get their firearms licence renewed.

“Current South African firearm laws dictate that dedicated hunters include proof of hunts in their firearm renewal application. The preferred proof is to include photos. Yes! Hunters smile on the photos, as it is enjoyable to be out in nature. A surly photo is also not going to convince the staff at the firearm registry that you have hunted the animal. This dispels the myth perpetuated by anti-hunting activists that all hunting photos are those of “trophy hunters”.

I can’t resist the urge to repeat this extraordinary statement:

“A surly photo is not going to convince the staff at the Firearms Registry that you have hunted the animal”. 

Gee, I can see all the staff at the Firearms Registry hunched over the photos, examing them under a magnifying glass to see if the hunter is proud enough to be believed…

And here’s a thought: why post these trophy photos all over social media if they are for Registry staff eyes only?  Hmmm…sorry Mr. Smit, I’ll stick to the crass vanity label.

6.      Hunters and hypocrisy.  Here is a novel argument: hunters ‘have peace of mind knowing that they did not outsource the killing’.

Hmm… so a serial killer (a hunter) feels good about himself because he commits his atrocities himself? 
I get the hypocrisy of the meat eater who distances himself from the horrors of the abattoir, but why would a principal offender feel good about himself just because he was not a mere accessory after the fact?        

7.      Hunting videos are ‘not research’, he says.  Look at any hunting video and it will sicken any compassionate person. Hunting is to conservation what pornography is to art.

Yet Mr. Smit pays no attention to these, because he contends that ‘they do not constitute research’.  Well Mr. Smit, they certainly constitute evidence - and that is the important thing.

8.      Hunters not in denial, says Mr Smit. 

“Hunters do not live in denial. We are aware of land and feed being finite. We are aware of the effect of drought and we know that to hunt in order to preserve the species is the kindest cut of all. This illustrates the love we have for the animal. Also by enjoying the meat and celebrating its life while doing so!”

  So hunters prove their love for animals by killing them, do they Mr. Smit?  Because cruelty to one is a kindness to others of the species? There is crooked thinking for you! Lust for killing dressed up as love for animals.    

9.      The final question.  Mr. Smit asks: “How are you going to sustainably manage wildlife in South Africa without compromising animal health and welfare.”

  Mr. Smit cannot conceive of any paradigm of land use that does not include sport hunting.  Well, Mr. Smit, we could throw the hunters off the land and absorb the hunting farms into expanded nature reserves, where predators could keep the prey animals numbers in check - naturally.  Expanded eco-tourism in these new mega clusters would benefit the economy far more sustainably than hunting ever could.  


40 Comments
Wendy Damerell
6/26/2014 09:50:31 pm

This 'industry', by whatever name it be called, is cruel, damaging to the species and cannot continue, unchallenged. Abolish this kind of land use and create expanded nature reserves. Do it, soon.

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kath threlfall
6/26/2014 10:06:11 pm

Killing for fun is not clever it is not something to be proud of, pity some humans could not be culled as the world is overpopulated as we are all told. This woman should hang her head in shame for what she has done as should those who support her

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Jackie Bodimead
6/27/2014 03:47:13 am

This poor, sad effort of a human is obviously very deficient in most other areas of her life......what on earth does she think she looks like? A total idiot of the worst kind...ignorant and shallow.....oh dear....she joins the other idiots of this world that know nothing or even care about other species and our beautiful planet.

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Dave
6/27/2014 03:03:19 pm

If they must kill something why not a cape buffalo as there are a million of them in Africa. They are NOT endangered but of course it takes COURAGE to go after them.

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michael alvarez-toye
6/26/2014 10:16:06 pm

Mr. Smits speaks out with his rationale for continued hunting, and not for anything else. He is incapable of giving any evidence that hunting is necessary for any species' survival, either directly or indirectly-predator 'cull' for example. The reason for that of course, is that there is nothing.scientific or otherwise that supports his wholly self serving position.
Smit cares nothing about the animals he-and his likeminded cohorts-slaughter with such giddiness. He needs to come with nonsensical claims and assertions however, because of the growing groundswell of outrage over the ruthless barbarism called hunting. It is-hunting-the ultimate act of cowardice and disrespect, a selfish behaviour typical of individuals who deem themselves a superior being, a ludicrous posture given the idiotic claims they make to support their bloodlust.
In short, Smit is a fool, a coward, and completely bereft of morals.

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melody lee-gattenby link
6/29/2014 04:27:18 am

I could not agree more and thank you for putting this so eloquently

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Rose
12/18/2014 01:17:22 am

Well said thank you.

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Maree Collier
6/26/2014 10:17:22 pm

When I read these absolutely ridiculous stupid statements by half witted morons that hunting conserves our wildlife, through sheer frustration I forget that I'm supposed to be civilised and feel tendencies towards violence, but sanity prevails. There would be nothing worse than lowering oneself to their debased standards. As for Mr Smit's comments they are not worth the paper they are written on. Conservation and hunting should never be mentioned in the same sentence.

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Marilyn (@RadioGirlProds)
6/26/2014 10:34:55 pm

An excellent piece. The hunters do not care about wildlife, their claims for 'conservation' is a huge CON. they only care about keeping the numbers up so that they can continue to hunt them! I also have done a post on Ms Jones, which I will add a link back to yours . We will continue the good fight!! (If you wish to see mine it is at http://radiogirlproductions.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/an-open-letter-to-kendall-jones-hunter.html )

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Mwana Bermudes link
6/26/2014 10:52:00 pm

What else can I say more than it's so clearly written above? Trophy hunting is about power, power over a weaker being, it's blood thirst, an appetite for destruction. When I was a young teenager I was l also a destroyer of wildlife so my experience of recovering from such addiction for over 40 decades and turning into a wildlife defender proves that there is hope after all for people like the two trophy hunting women and many other sick people as such. The first step is to ban trophy hunting for sure so that they cannot do it legally. And then is to offer them recovery through therapy, of course if they ask for, just like drug addiction. Some of the best protectors of wildlife like George Adamson were also trophy hunters in the past and managed to recover.

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Rodger Lee link
6/26/2014 11:09:12 pm

I am wildlife photographer and how can these bastards say that hunting animals preserves wildlife. Species are getting endangered these gutless bastards have no idea they must be sick in the mind wanting to destroy wonderful animals. For me if they want to hunt they should by left in the bush with a spear and then let's see how brave they are. The only way to shoot wildlide is a camera and I can speak from experience having visited Africa since the 1990's.
Let us hope that these barbarians can be educated if not stick the gun where the sun does not shine and pull the trigger. I get so insensed at their attitude towards wildlife.
Rodger Lee
Wildlife Photographer

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neonblade link
6/26/2014 11:10:28 pm

Killing lions is kind to them, and breeding Lions to be shot is conservation.
Are people like Smit really that dumb that they think anyone believes these lies?

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Lynda Corkum
6/26/2014 11:43:02 pm

What a perfect response to the drivel that is Mr. Smit's response to Bradley Bergh's open letter to the WWF re trophy hunting! The same tired old arguments to justify (and glorify even!) killing animals for "sport". There is no sport when an automatic weapon is involved. These hunters like to apply the noble label of "conservation" to their cruel practice in order to justify the senseless killing. Trophy hunting simply needs to be banned! It is nothing more than "legal poaching".

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Virginia Greenwood-Warner
6/27/2014 12:48:27 am

All hunters are really cowards and naturally have to be mentally disturbed to get pleasure out of murdering another innocent creature. It's just silly putting hunting and conservation in the same sentence - come on now we're not all as mentally challenged as you are. Also why don't you sort out your own delinquent savage, overpopulated species first before you rush out to destroy / control another?????????

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Toy Bodbijl
6/27/2014 12:57:40 am

My opinion about her and her domanatrix ilk: ABSOLUTE S**T FOR BRAINS & TOO MUCH TESTOSTERONE. SOMEONE, SHOOT THE DAMN THING. SHOOT TO MAIM, AND LET IT DIE A HORRIBLE DEATH!!

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Toy Bodbijl
6/27/2014 12:58:44 am

My opinion about her and her domInatrix ilk: ABSOLUTE S**T FOR BRAINS & TOO MUCH TESTOSTERONE. SOMEONE, SHOOT THE DAMN THING. SHOOT TO MAIM, AND LET IT DIE A HORRIBLE DEATH!!

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Alex Brown
6/27/2014 01:26:42 am

I hope the world would be similarly 'kind' to this idiot.

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Joy Johnson
6/27/2014 01:35:37 am

"Hunting" hasn't existed since humans devised means to kill at safe distances. For hundreds of years now, it's simply been technology aided slaughter and the technology employed gets better every year. Today a wildlife slaughter affectionado takes the intellectual and work product of millions of humans with him to slaughter one v1.0 being.

Dead body parts are not "trophies." Trophies are earned in mutually agreed upon contests between two comparable contestants. What these sociopaths drag around the world are talisman of their kills - and it's no different than the serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer keeping a penis and a few hands laying around his apartment. Part of the psychology is the need to possess.

Sentient beings are sentient beings. We "harvest" beans. Sentient beings are killed, murdered, or slaughtered. Africa has a long and colorful history of making money off selling the sentient beings who call her home - or at least did before their lives were sold. Living sentient beings are not "resources" to be sold anywhere, anyplace, anytime.

People who kill for the sheer exuberant pleasure killing a sentient being gives them are mentally ill - nuts - a few sheet shy of full sail - A few bricks short of a load - five cans short of a six-pack - not firing on all cylinders - an olive short of a pizza AND four quarters short of a dollar. The rest of us feel a similar pleasure when we get close enough to take a picture. We're in heaven if we get to touch one. We love the "kiss" of our puppy. They have to kill. What they do drives a regurgitation reflex in us. They have to watch the animal fall, twitch, call out one last time, exhale, urinate, defecate, gasp, struggle, etc. They must actively participate in the ending of the life of a sentient being. They will willingly pay from thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars to enjoy that “pleasure.” Sentient beings are their drug and drug dealers have always made money – big money.

So, in short, when you sell the lives of sentient beings for the pleasure of a kill addict, you’re really a drug dealer – and that is really the mechanism behind the insane profits in the animal murder business. These businesses and even countries in Africa build their economies on dealing drugs – it just so happens that, in this case, each hit – each “high” requires the life of one sentient being. It isn’t any different than countries that grow poppies – except that poppies don’t have families. Poppies don’t bleed. If you have any doubts, look at the ridiculous rationale used. The only thing that makes sense is the economics of pandering to the lowest qualities of human nature.

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AmandaM
6/27/2014 06:45:06 am

So well said, I agree wholeheartedly. This industry panders to the most base level of human vegetative response, the desire for dominance and violence. Sadists will stoop low to find a rationale for what is, in the final analysis, simply a desire to cause pain and suffering to another living being.

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Madeleine Roe
6/27/2014 02:16:06 am

The only culling beneficial this day and age, HUMAN CULLING. e.g. PAEDOPHILES , humans to have no qualms about torturing, commiting acts of atrocities on others INCLUDING BEAUTIFUL ANIMALS,

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Madeleine Roe
6/27/2014 02:20:40 am

Continue; human culling today would benefit the world as a race, humans prove to be the most brutal, barbaric , cowardly species that on a daily basis use their power and brutatility to kill, torture, abuse,

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kevinrvs1
6/27/2014 03:44:36 am

Here's hoping the next time these twats go out on a hunt they have an accident that takes their retarded genes out of the reproductive pool

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subuhi
6/27/2014 04:00:18 am

If hunting is kind , hunt humans first. Mr. Smit should provide himself to lions , to achieve their kindness.

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AmandaM
6/27/2014 06:40:22 am

The absolute best and most logical response I have heard yet!

Responding to these rationales for animal culling and torture makes my head want to explode.

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AmandaM
6/27/2014 06:40:40 am

The absolute best and most logical response I have heard yet!

Responding to these rationales for animal culling and torture makes my head want to explode.

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shweta
6/27/2014 04:01:19 am

Rubbish. why are we keeping this up?

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P Ackroyd
6/27/2014 03:21:54 pm

These women are prostitutes .... She has a low IQ and has failed at school ... And the only thing going for her is that she has money. So why should someone like her have a valid opinion , when she has more than likely never seen a book . America is the only developed country in the world that does not value learning, longevity and culture . Which , is ironic really , because in a country , where money is God, and the religion of the many. Knowledge is something money can not buy.

Reply
Chris Glisson
6/27/2014 04:27:52 pm

Please sign and help Mr.Smit get some clarity.


https://secure.avaaz.org/en/petition/The_Governments_of_Tanzania_Mocambique_and_South_Africa_Revoke_all_hunting_permits_issued_to_Aaron_Neilson/

Reply
subuhi
7/16/2014 04:39:40 am

why only to Aaron Neilson ? Stop issuing hunting permits.. stop this practice . let only those visitors allow to enter after proper search and seizing all weapons.

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Heta Rousi
6/27/2014 06:30:37 pm

As a biologist I've learned that populations of animals can increase until they reach the carrying capacity of nature. Then the population of the species will not have enough resources to increase anymore, but it reaches a point where it starts decreasing. Here is some scientific fact for WWF.

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Natan Rai
6/27/2014 06:31:56 pm

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Ushka Devi link
6/27/2014 07:43:05 pm

To kill a healthy prime living being and call it kindness is not only a crime of violence but psychopathic. Corporations and governments that endorse hunting are sociopathic. This malaised morality spreads like a virus. Dangerous to the health of humanity and all earth's species. The question remains: When will we stop it?

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julie
6/28/2014 05:59:20 am

Who are they trying to kid !!. They are cowards with no excuse. How about them being hunted instead. These people who think hunting is kind, are evil and barbaric with no decency and respect towards our beautiful wildlife. Hideous people.

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Mike D.
6/29/2014 09:07:12 pm

This practice has to stop.It is such a despicable sport practiced.by a handful of ignorant dip shots.This dimwit bimbo huntress is most likelycompletely oblivious to the plight of the majestic lions. I would love to see worldwide legislation to stop this insanity and put these idiots behind bars.

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Virginia Greenwood-Warner
7/30/2014 11:37:28 pm

After reading all of these comments I have nothing to add - these passionate people have covered every angle possible. See Johan Smit you are in fact a total moron with zero for brains! Sort out your own overpopulated species first and only then can you decide on the fate of another!

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Mike S
12/18/2014 09:34:23 pm

If I could speak to these people, I'd like to ask some questions. ''So, you must love these animals and be in awe of their magnificence, right? I mean, you are drawn to them which is why you are here, right?'' Assuming they said, ''oh yeah, these are wonderful beasts and I'm proud to hunt them'', I'd ask ''can you explain to me how respect and awe for these animals translates into treating them like a commodity, murdering them & removing them from the planet? You realize they are raised by humans, not afraid of you and fenced in, thus this is not a hunt? You realize the reason why they are all endangered is because man has been as selfish and stupid as you are being for hundreds of years, right? You are helping to end the right of all of humanity to enjoy their beauty.'' Futile thoughts, I know. Let's focus on the States which allow this and pressure them.

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Joseph Yannuzzi
1/13/2015 08:59:48 pm

Hunting for "sport and recreation" under the guise of"conservation",cannot under any rationalizations, or excuses, be defended...there is simply no way this cruel, senseless endeavor can be justified. Hunting needs to be abolished and relegated to the dust bins of history!

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Juliana L
8/14/2015 11:11:25 am

Watch the movie "Predator" starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. Imagine being hunted by a superior species. That should put a lot of issues into perspective. We should use our human ingenuity to solve problems in a kind and compassionate manner, not seek justifications for our cruel actions ie the killing for pleasure. Nature already has in place the "Circle of Life" . We should learn to respect and seek more understanding, rather than interfere with our arrogance and impatience. May God help us.

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