A Call for More Nuanced Dialogues About Trophy Hunting

Mitchell, Carl D.; Bleich, Vernon C.; Bowyer, R. Terry; Heffelfinger, James R.; Stewart, Kelley M.; White, Paula A.

doi:10.1002/jwmg.22017

Cited by 3 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…Many aspects of trophy hunting and fishing remain poorly investigated (Beattie 2020). Some analyses and interpretations are clouded by imprecisely defined terms (e.g., what a trophy is for different species and which metrics are used; Mitchell et al 2021). Arguments are also clouded by strong emotional biases for or against trophy seeking (Nelson et al 2016).…”

Section: Trophy Fishing In a Management Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trophies, Technology, and Timescape in Fisheries Management, as Exemplified through Oklahoma's World Record Paddlefish Polyodon spathula

Scarnecchia

Schooley²

2022

Fisheries

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Section: Trophy Fishing In a Management Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trophies, Technology, and Timescape in Fisheries Management, as Exemplified through Oklahoma's World Record Paddlefish Polyodon spathula

Scarnecchia

Schooley²

2022

Fisheries

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“…Rather than adopt a stance that is categorically for or against "trophy hunting", it seems essential to consider this diversity when evaluating specific activities and their ecological, cultural, and socio-economic impacts (Dickman et al 2019;Mitchell et al 2021).…”

Section: ) Well-known Examples Include Ungulate Hunting In North Amer...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Trophy hunting is not one big thing

et al. 2023

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Few topics in wildlife conservation are as controversial, emotive, or command as much public and political attention, as trophy hunting. International discourses regarding trophy hunting are characterised by radically contradictory assertions, ranging from claims that trophy hunting is a humane and socially acceptable wildlife management tool which benefits more animals than it kills, to claims that it is cruel, socially unacceptable, and drives species to extinction. So, which is it? We argue that using a single, blanket term "trophy hunting" obscures substantial and important variation in how and why people pay to hunt and keep trophies. Consequently, polarised disagreements over whether "trophy hunting" is good or bad, acceptable or unacceptable, beneficial or harmful, conflate arguments about fundamentally different activities. We urge conservation scientists and practitioners, politicians, journalists, and advocates on all sides to communicate more clearly and carefully about which specific hunting activities they believe are right or wrong, beneficial, or harmful, acceptable or unacceptable, to whom, and for what reasons.

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“…'Trophy hunting' refers to a category of legal hunting in which people pay to hunt animals and keep body parts as mementos of the experience [1,2]. Although a wide range of species are hunted for trophies, fierce international public debates rage over whether any form of trophy hunting is socially acceptable [3][4][5][6][7][8][9], and it appears especially controversial when people from the Global North hunt well-known animals such as elephants, giraffes, leopards, lions and zebras in sub-Saharan Africa and keep trophies [7,[10][11][12][13][14].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Public perceptions of trophy hunting are pragmatic, not dogmatic

Hare,

Dickman,

Johnson

et al. 2024

Proc. R. Soc. B.

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Fierce international debates rage over whether trophy hunting is socially acceptable, especially when people from the Global North hunt well-known animals in sub-Saharan Africa. We used an online vignette experiment to investigate public perceptions of the acceptability of trophy hunting in sub-Saharan Africa among people who live in urban areas of the USA, UK and South Africa. Acceptability depended on specific attributes of different hunts as well as participants' characteristics. Zebra hunts were more acceptable than elephant hunts, hunts that would provide meat to local people were more acceptable than hunts in which meat would be left for wildlife, and hunts in which revenues would support wildlife conservation were more acceptable than hunts in which revenues would support either economic development or hunting enterprises. Acceptability was generally lower among participants from the UK and those who more strongly identified as an animal protectionist, but higher among participants with more formal education, who more strongly identified as a hunter, or who would more strongly prioritize people over wild animals. Overall, acceptability was higher when hunts would produce tangible benefits for local people, suggesting that members of three urban publics adopt more pragmatic positions than are typically evident in polarized international debates.

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A Call for More Nuanced Dialogues About Trophy Hunting

Cited by 3 publications

References 45 publications

Trophies, Technology, and Timescape in Fisheries Management, as Exemplified through Oklahoma's World Record Paddlefish Polyodon spathula

Trophies, Technology, and Timescape in Fisheries Management, as Exemplified through Oklahoma's World Record Paddlefish Polyodon spathula

Trophy hunting is not one big thing

Public perceptions of trophy hunting are pragmatic, not dogmatic

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