Today, July 2, is the fifth anniversary of the death of Cecil the lion. Cecil was brutally injured, stalked, and finally killed outside of Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe by an American trophy hunter who reportedly paid $54,000 to slaughter the lion. Cecil had been a favorite among park visitors and wildlife researchers alike and his death ignited global outrage and sadness, and calls to end trophy hunting.
But, now, five years on from his death, animals like Cecil continue to lose their lives to trophy hunting. This cruel practice of trophy hunting allows hunters to kill for entertainment and ego, but the trophy hunting industry has attempted to legitimize itself with propaganda claiming that killing animals for fun somehow benefits species conservation and local communities. In honor of Cecil, let’s break down and dispel these myths once and for all.
Breaking Down Trophy Hunting Myths
Myth: Trophy hunters make species strong by “thinning the herd.”
Fact: Trophy hunting harms the genetic pool and social dynamics of wildlife populations.
While trophy hunters argue that “thinning the herd” by hunting the weaker or older animals helps to keep the wider population healthy, this does not add up. Trophy hunters take pride in killing the largest and most powerful animals and often select the animals they kill based on desired characteristics for the trophies they wish to take home, such as dark manes, large paws, and big teeth. This usually means targeting the fittest, healthiest male animals, thus removing those animals from the breeding pool. And, even if hunters were taking out only elderly animals, this has potential to seriously disrupt social dynamics of animal populations. Neither of these practices create positive conservation outcomes.
Myth: Trophy hunting provides significant funds for wildlife conservation actions.
Fact: Trophy hunting makes a negligible difference to local economies and conservation efforts.
Trophy hunters argue that the practice provides significant funding for conservation actions in the local area, but evidence has shown that money does not make it to local communities and, instead, ends up in the hands of a few individuals, governments, or capital cities. In fact, the IUCN calculated that big game hunting is worth less than US$1 dollar per hectare of land in ten major African countries which allow it.1
Myth: Trophy hunting helps fight extinction.
Fact: Trophy hunting contributes to wildlife population decline.
Due to the desire of trophy hunters to target rare animals, trophy hunting can have a direct impact on driving species to extinction. An IUCN-funded report from 2019 confirmed that 40% of Zambia’s big game hunting zones and 72% in Tanzania are now classed as “depleted.”2
Myth: Trophy hunting supports wildlife populations.
Fact: The efforts needed to maintain hunting reserves can harm animal populations.
The high level of management and interference with animal populations required to maintain hunting reserves can, according to a study carried out by researchers from Oxford University, accelerate species decline if it “results in alterations to ecosystems… habitat fragmentation, the introduction of exotic species, or targeted reduction of predators of trophy animals.”
Myth: Trophy hunting does not disturb animals in the wild.
Fact: The presence of trophy hunting activities can negatively impact animals’ lives.
A study conducted on Zambian lion populations before and after a hunting moratorium was implemented noted the positive effect that the moratorium had on cub survival.
Take Action
Support the CECIL Act
You can take action to honor the memory of Cecil the lion, and the countless other nameless animals who fall victim to trophy hunting by writing to your lawmakers in support of the CECIL Act. The Conserving Ecosystems by Ceasing the Importation of Large (CECIL) Animal Trophies Act would address the needless slaughter of imperiled wildlife by trophy hunters by prohibiting the import of elephant and lion trophies from certain countries; extending Endangered Species Act (ESA) protections to species proposed for listing under the ESA; and strengthening the U.S. Department of Interior trophy import application process, among other provisions.
Spread the Word
You can also help by sharing this blog or our graphic to help spread the word that trophy hunting is a brutal blood sport, not a method of wildlife conservation.
Keep Wildlife in the Wild,
Liz
1. Source: https://portals.iucn.org/library/efiles/documents/2009-074-En.pdf
2. Chardonnet, Bertrand. (2019). Africa is changing: Should its Protected Areas evolve? Reconfiguring the Protected Areas in Africa.
