Killing is Not a Sport!
I often tell people who are boasting about something hunting related that it is wrong. I tell them to picture themselves as an animal being hunted. Perhaps you are a deer peacefully walking in the forest. Suddenly twigs snap. You jerk your head around to find a hunter! Ear popping bangs go off. Your heart is pumping as you thunder through the forest. Leaves are crunching behind you. Another bang goes off, and it is a painful one. So painful it makes you want to wail and screech. You drop to the ground then all goes blank. I tell them this because I think hunting for a sport should be stopped.
Hunting used to be a tool to survive. But now many people hunt for a sport or for fun. If we stop hunting just for fun animals will have a better chance of not becoming endangered. Some endangered animals eat left over meat on gun bullets. Sometimes they unknowingly eat the bullet as well. The bullet contains gruesome, toxic lead poisoning which causes sickness to the animal. Endangered species may roam into skin piercing bear traps and bleed to death. If a scavenger scents the animal that is trapped it can't flee from danger. Many animals have to travel to find mates. Even if they are endangered or not. Along the way they may be hunted or trapped. The animal didn't have the chance to repopulate.
As a matter of fact, hunting affects the environment severely. Gun cartridges left in the ground leave toxins. Toxins are an appalling, poisonous substance produced by something. The toxins in the ground can affect plants around it causing it to wilt. The toxins can also affect plant growth. Hunters sometimes set up camps in the forest. Careless hunters litter which is destructive to the earth. Some animals are forced not to hibernate because of the terror of being hunted by humans. The animal has to constantly be on guard in case of danger.
Still, many people believe hunting should stay so animals don't overpopulate. In many regions a lot of species are overpopulated. Hunting is a tradition to many people. Keeping tradition will keep down animal populations. Killing animals quickly may be more humane than letting them suffer. They suffer because of lack of food or habitat.
However, animal deaths are caused by many other things. In fact it is stated, one million animals are killed by cars a day (Psychology Today, 2002). Natural features like fast moving rivers can drown animals. Cliffs can also be a danger to animals. Predators control much of the earth's animal population. So on the contrary animal population is very steady.
To summarize, hunting for fun should be put to a stop. The earth is very polluted. One pollution is hunting because it affects the environment. Many animal species are endangered, but if we stop hunting, animals will have a lesser chance of endangerment. Animals may eat poisoned bullets that make them sick. Plant growth is also effected from bullet toxins. Animals deaths happen in different ways. So hunting is not necessary. Next time you consider hunting stop and think. How will I affect the earth? Tell a friend about hunting's effects. You will be helping the wild.
Bibliography
"hunting" Compton's by Britannica. 01 August 2011: n.p. SIRS Discoverer Web. 25 Jan 2016
Psychology Today. Animals and Cars: One million animals are killed on our road everyday. Sussex Publishers 2002-2016: pg. 1
Randhawa, Kenny. Effects on the Environment. Awesome Inc. 2010: regulatehunting.blogspot.com. Jan 28, 2016