Why Killing a Bull Elephant With Big Tusks Hurts the HerdNo matter how hard they try to scramble f
Why Killing a Bull Elephant With Big Tusks Hurts the Herd No matter how hard they try to scramble for excuses, the trophy hunting business has no justification for removing significant members of the elephant herd. None. I still cannot believe the Zimbabwe government allowed for this elephant to die at the hands of this German hunter. - Wendy MaruyamaBy Rachael Bale via National Geographic By now, news of the big bull elephant hunted in Zimbabwe last week has made its way around the internet. The bull is a “tusker”—an elephant genetically predisposed to being extra big, with extra-large tusks.His tusks are some of the biggest taken by a hunter in recent decades, according to commenters on an online forum where the photo of the dead animal received fulsome praise from other hunters. The tusks weighed in at 120 pounds and 122 pounds each, according to social media posts.The elephant was shot in a hunting concession in the Malipati region of Zimbabwe, between Gonarezhou National Park and South Africa’s Kruger National Park, which is home to many large bulls.The shooting of this elephant is drawing the ire of conservationists and scientists alike, who say that killing such an animal has consequences both in terms of protecting the species and in promoting cultural heritage.Many hunters, on the other hand, argue that the elephant was either past his breeding age or has passed on his genes enough times that he has made a sufficient contribution to the gene pool.Continue reading on National Geographic -- source link
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