why are people so apposed to hunting?

Answer 1

I think people are opposed to fox hunting with hounds because they don't understand what happens. I knew the master of the Berwickshire hunt, although I have never followed a hunt personally, and before they brought the new laws in, where you can use a pack of hounds to flush the fox, but must then shot the animal rather than allowing the hounds to kill it, this man had never left an injured animal - they were either killed within seconds of the hounds catching the fox, or they escaped. The majority of the time it would be the latter. (This does NOT make hunting a bad fox control method - part of the aim is to move foxes from livestock farms where they do a lot of damage to arable farms where they are a good pest control - rats, mice etc), however since the new legistlation, in the first season alone, six injured, but live foxes couldn't be located and so will have suffered a much worse death. Also the removal of hunting with hound from the farmers pest control methods, means that more will use snares and poison - all slow, painful deaths.

People also forget that hundreds of years ago, fox numbers were controlled by wolves, who humans removed from this country. Hunting with hounds replaces the wolves.
Also many people don't understand what happens in an animal when they are being hunted - be it a fox, or the foxes prey. When being chased they release endorphins, which prevent them feeling pain. Also people attach human emotions to the animals - such as the fact that the fox will be going "Oh my God, I'm being chased and am about to die" - they are animals, they do not have the same awareness of self that humans, a few higher primates and posibly dolphin have - they do not think in those terms.

Before people condem something, especailly something they don't fully understand, they should learn everything about it and approach it from a neutral point of view - not just pay attention to what supports their own views.

Almost every person who hunts will say to you 'You can have your opinion, but I am also entitled to my opinion', and they are prepared to listen to your reaons for holding that view, whereas I have never yet met a hunt saboteur who is prepared to listen to the reason behind hunting.

The Burns Report - which the goverment commisioned into fox hunting - says that hunting is an intergral part of country life, and is a valid method of fox control. Also the RSPCA, who are currently one of the most vocal opponants of fox hunting, said in the 60's, that hunting with hounds was the most effective method of fox control.
It should also be considered that fox control using snares, posion and guns kills foxes indiscriminately, while hunting using hounds has a selective influence on the fox population - the ones that are killed are the old, sick and injured, thereby improving the fox populations's health and enabling the fit, young animals to have more resources available to them.

Personal I have not hunted, and am not sure if I would want to follow, but I have lived in the country my whole life and I understand the intergral role hunting has in rural life, and the benefits of hunting with hounds (many of our wood copses would not exist otherwise, as farmers leave them for the foxes and other wildlife), but I also accept that other people have different views, it would be nice if occasionally people against hunting also accepted that people who support hunting are also entitled to their own views.

Answer 2

A lot depends on where you go, in the city, where no one hunts, everyone is opposed. When you go in to the country (a subdivision with manicured lots is NOT the country) you will be hard pressed to find someone that does not think hunting is a good thing, or at least have nuetral feelings on the topic

I am completely for hunting (and do so) as long as there is a reason. I do not like hunting for fun. If you hunt for the trophy buck, fine, but eat (or donate) the meat.

People are so against hunting because they are detached from nature- everything comes from the grocery store and nevermind how it got there. It is the same with people saying dogs can not be kept outside (hello, wolves??) or that it is cruel to do something or another with an animal just because they do not know the purpose or understand enough about the situation to realize it is for the safety of both the human and the animal.

I am a wildlife major and one of our main concepts is how hunting is an important key to management. For example, Wisconsin has over 1.4 million deer that cause billions of dollars of damage a year to crops, etc. If we were not allowed to hunt them (maybe 100-300k taken annually, which roughly equals the amount being born) they would literally overrun the countryside and die of starvation, taking all edible vegetation with it.

It is also important because we removed top predators. Since there is nothing to keep the animals in check, people need to for BOTH the animals welfare and for sport (meat).

BTW I have watched fox hunts- over 75% of the time, the fox gets away. Rarely do the dogs actually outsmart the fox and win.

Answer 3

OK there is hunting for survival as our ancestors had to do and as people in certain remote places in the world still have to now. That is fine.

However in the UK,USA and most other countries now if you want meat or warm clothes you just go to a shop and buy them.

Farming can provide all the food people want and factories can provide all the clothes.

That means anyone who hunts in these countries does so for sport.People like me are opposed to that as it is cruel and stupid.

Here in the UK hunting is seldom for meat-most deer and game birds and hares that are shot are not eaten and the bodies are just disposed of which is totally wasteful.Especially as game birds are factory farmed to be shot.And of course no-one eats foxes.

Often it is claimed that culling of foxes is needed but this is untrue.As one of the UK's largest remaining predators their population will regulate itself as those unable to find prey will die.

Contrary to farmers claims fox proof shelters for poultry are quite possible and foxes are not powerful enough to kill a lamb that is more than a few days old.So all they need to do is build decent poultry houses and keep lambs inside with their mothers for the first week or 2 and foxes are no threat.

They then become farmers allies by eating pests-rats and mice,rabbits and hares,crows and squirrels etc.

Deer would also not need culling if people hadn't been stupid enough to wipe out their natural predators-wolves,lynx and bears.These predators should be reintroduced.

The species with the most unsustainably high population in the world is humans-why is no-one saying we should be culled?

Whatever hunters claim the fact is that westerners who go hunting now do it for fun or trophies.If you do it for fun that means you enjoy killing defenceless animals and are sick.

If you hunt for trophies then you think that shooting an animal proves your strong and tough.How strong and tough do you have to be to shoot an animal-even a big cat or bear-from a distance with a high powered gun?I would personally call that cowardly not macho.

P.S. To the guy who said what about coursing-that is already illegal in the UK.

P.P.S. Before anyone asks I live in the country and know lots of farmers-many of whom are NOT pro-hunting.And no I don't eat meat,I'm a vegan.

P.P.P.S. And to Louise-Foxes are full of endorphines so they don't feel pain when killed by dogs?Unlike you I have seen the end of a hunt and of coursing and from the howls of agony I can tell you the foxes and hares DID certainly feel pain.

Answer 4

Hunting will ALWAYS be a very sensitive matter. My opinion is that there are too many insensitive hunters out there, and on the flip side too many over-sensitive and totally biased animal-lovers!

I live in South Africa. Here we have numerous game farms where hunting is a strictly controlled activity. It has TREMENDOUS benefits!!! More and more cultivated farms are being converted to nature reserves, game breeding programmes are flourishing, game populations are on the increase! The trick is to be responsible about it. With the right motives, hunting has benefits.

If you're a vegetarian, the following statement has no bearing, but for the rest:
Remember that meat doesn't naturally occur in cling-wrapped polystyrene packs! An animal was bred, raised and killed for that meat. For the right reasons, hunting simply means you go out and do it all yourself, instead of an abbatoir.

All this comes from a non-hunter!!! No right answer to this question, but hope this added another perspective?

Answer 5

many people do not know or care where meat comes from and those that do think it is cruel, to harm another living thing.

the idea of killing is so appaling to them that they choose to forget wher meat comes from or they decide that they will avoid eating meat.

they forget that hunting is a way to control the population of animals on this planet. they also get absorbed into various aspects of endangered species programs and start to think of hunters as the reason for a species being endangered.

they either have never hunted or have been around some unethical hunters, and desided that all hunter are the same, hunting only for the trophy animal.

I personnally hunt and I also am an animal lover, which at time are at odds with each other. I hunt only for food, and I take carefully chosen shots. I also would never leave a wounded animal in the woods, if I can help it. I hate to see dead animals along side the road, so hunting is a reasonable choice. as every where I have lived I have seen many animals killed by cars. those animals are typically left for nature remove, creating what I call a health hazard for other life on the planet.

Few areas of the US have programs to take care of these otherwise healthy animals other than those supported by hunting.

Answer 6

Many people are opposed to hunting because

1) It kills animals (and if the hunter doesn't hit the animal right and kill it on the first shot, it can be a slow an painful death - imagine an injured animal escaping, and then slowly dying of the infected wound);

2) It's bad for the forests (many hunters litter - they shouldn't, but many (not all) do anyway; also, young plants get trampled);

3) Its dangerous. Groups of people in the woods, with limited visibility range, and GUNS - accidents are bound to happen, and often do.

P.S.: And to those angrily supporting hunting here (instead of answering the question, which is what you should be doing): No, I don't eat meat.

Answer 7

People are OPPOSED to hunting because we no longer have any need for it. People these days hunt for sport, which is disgusting. No one has any right to take the life of a living creature because they think it's fun. And anyone who thinks it's fun to kill a defensless creature is a monster.

Answer 8

I am not apposed. I am OPPOSED.

You can't even spell and you want to be trusted with a gun?

What sort of hunting do you have in mind? I understand Eskimos have to hunt to survive... But leisure or sport hunting, like hunting partys... this is nothing but killing and enjoying it. Doing that to another human is a big crime, so what makes it right to kill an animal like that?

Lots of people here speak of population control etc. Do you see terrorist bombings as population control as well? There are too many people in the world, anyway. And we are taking precious living space away from the animals. When 9/11 happened, did you just shrug and say "it's OK, it didn't wipe out the whole human population"?!!

Answer 9

Is this question about fox hunting in the UK?. If it is then yes, many people are opposed to it, and with good reason. To any right thinking person, this is a cruel, barbarous and corrupting practise that has no place in 21st century Britain. Bear baiting and c*ck fighting were once common in Britain but are now illegal and rightly so. If foxes are a nuisance and have to be culled, then fine lets do it properly and shoot or gas them, but don't let anyone kid themselves that hunting to the kill with dogs is in any way humane. The only justifications for this vile practise are ' we have always done this, we need to do this and we will do this and have a good day out and kill something while we are about it'.Hunting eat is fine, as long as you eat what you kill.

Answer 10

hunting for so-called "sport" is abominable cruelty at it's sociopathic worst. no different from wife-beating, child-molesting, rape etc. it's using superior power to inflict misery & suffering on an animal that has every right to go about it's business. & speaking of rights, if these "big men" with their (phallic symbols) guns claim their right to hunt beasts, i want my right to hunt the gun-freaks.