I LOL'ed hard at a number of the comments made in that article.
"When these people (hunters) come out they want to hunt the thing with the biggest horns, the most dominant males usually because they are the good trophies, so the natural selection is not natural at all."
Does this guy really think these creatures are running around free across Africa? No, they are on individual 'farms'. They are **** off big these farms but natural selection, bah! Farmers tend to buy prize animals for breeding purposes and if anything the 'farmed products' are better than they would be in a purely natural mating environment.
Also, the image they are trying to conjure with the term 'canned'! Most of those farms are really big. You'd still probably need experienced trackers to ensure you find prey. it's not like they are shooting big eyed bunnies sitting in the corner of a small box. these animals will be eaten, hopefully as biltong and the heads go on trophies. No waste and minimal in-put in rearing them as they are semi wild and live of the on site vegetation so actually it's a pretty 'green' industry.
This is a taxed industry and contributes not only to SA's economy but actually helps the environment by funding actual conservation pretty much on it's own. Try policing the slaughter of elephants, rhinos for their horns and ivory and the very real illegal trophy hunting of real endanger species without that income!
Apart from that why carry on over an animal getting killed in a humane way (unless the guy is a terrible shot) after what amounts to a pretty decent life as far as one can call it for those semi wild animals whereas most lifestock animals grow up and are killed in terrible ways. Rather crusade for the rights of chickens, cows and pigs you bigots!!
I just hate the noise these part-time environmentalists make over non-issues and the fact that they get any 'air time'.
