Opposition to hunting

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Anti-hunting protest, New York City FoA protest.jpg
Anti-hunting protest, New York City

Opposition to hunting is espoused by people or groups who object to the practice of hunting, often seeking anti-hunting legislation and sometimes taking on acts of civil disobedience, such as hunt sabotage. Anti-hunting laws, such as the English Hunting Act 2004, are generally distinguishable from conservation legislation like the American Marine Mammal Protection Act by whether they seek to reduce or prevent hunting for perceived cruelty-related reasons or to regulate hunting for conservation, although the boundaries of distinction are sometimes blurred in specific laws, for example when endangered animals are hunted.

Contents

Animal rights activists argue that hunting for sport is cruel, unnecessary, and unethical. [1] [2] They note the pain, suffering and cruelty inflicted on animals who are hunted. [1] [2] The term anti-hunting is used to describe opponents of hunting; while it does not appear to be pejorative, it is widely used as such by pro-hunting people.

Geographic differences

It is difficult to compare strength of anti-hunting sentiment in different countries, for example because the word hunting carries different meanings in the UK and United States. Nonetheless, it is more possible to compare the strength of the anti-hunting movement in different countries, with some having stronger organization, such as in the UK, and some being nearly without it, such as New Zealand. Opinions can vary widely on different surveys even within the same country, and as in all market research, consideration must be given to recent events that made the news and the wording of the questions, both of which can influence results. [3]

Roots of the movement

The Burns Inquiry analysis of the opposition to hunting in the UK included social class, sometimes proposed as a differentiating factor between hunting in the UK and hunting in the United States, [4] as one among many anti-hunting concerns. Furthermore, they showed the UK's anti-hunting movement was itself only part of a wider, grassroots opposition to hunting in the UK. The Burns Inquiry reported:

There are those who have a moral objection to hunting and who are fundamentally opposed to the idea of people gaining pleasure from what they regard as the causing of unnecessary suffering. There are also those who perceive hunting as representing a divisive social class system. Others, as we note below, resent the hunt trespassing on their land, especially when they have been told they are not welcome. They worry about the welfare of the pets and animals and the difficulty of moving around the roads where they live on hunt days. Finally there are those who are concerned about damage to the countryside and other animals, particularly badgers and otters. [5]

Opposition to hunting is not new. Victorian era dramatist W. S. Gilbert remarked, "Deer-stalking would be a very fine sport if only the deer had guns." [6]

The UK government's response to the call for bans on hunting, notably rabbit and hare coursing, has historically been to show its support for the interests of farmers, according to political historian Michael Tichelar. [7] As recently as 2005, one anti-hare coursing organisation referred to coursing supporters as being made up of "10% Nobs and 90% Yobs". [8]

An element of class is absent from the hunting debate in the United States where there are not many obvious class differences in hunting habits. Instead the differences in anti-hunting sentiment relates to urban sprawl and increasing population density. [9] Because of the abundance of public land in the United States, as high as 75% of the land in some states, one need not be wealthy to have access to huntable land in less densely populated areas.

The democratic perspective on hunting in the United States started as a result of the reaction against English laws restricting game to the crown. [10] This is one of the aspects of American culture which formed as a result of that nation's original high number of enclosure refugees from the UK and Ireland. A further distinction between the context of debate on hunting in the UK and US is that US hunting is generally licensed by government agencies, providing licence fee revenue. In contrast to this, hunting in the UK has broadly required only the permission of the landowner or the owner of sporting rights over the land.

Measures to protect animals

Some organizations advocate protecting animals from hunters by spreading deer repellent or human hair (from barber shops) near hunting areas. [1]

Anti-hunting organizations

There are various organizations advocating for anti-hunting legislation and protection of wildlife. These include organizations such as PETA, Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), Center for Biological Diversity, Defenders of Wildlife, etc. [11] Though all of them are generally supporting the same idea, they achieve their goal in different ways. PETA, for instance, one of the most prominent organizations of this sort, primarily endorses the idea that we are not allowed to hunt down, exploit or utilize animals for any purposes, whether it is to eat them, wear them or abuse them for entertainment, and that humans as species are not superior to animals and do not own them. [12] PETA uses various methods of spreading their message and targeting specific audiences such as policymakers or business that use animals in their production. [13]

Organizations such as HSUS may also help the endangered animals around the globe directly. For example, "Black Beauty Ranch", which was founded in 1979 by the HSUS is a sanctuary for endangered exotic animals. The animals living there were saved from various sites around the world where they were being exploited, experimented on or jeopardized in other ways. [14] The HSUS is also working with the US government and policymakers to ban activities such as trophy hunting [15] and cosmetic animal testing. [16] Some organizations such as Center for Biological Diversity go as far as to launch a lawsuit to ban damaging hunting practices which jeopardize endangered wildlife. [17]

Opinion polls

CountryPolling firmQuestionDate of pollingSourcePro huntingAnti huntingDon't know/ no opinion
United Kingdom MORI for League Against Cruel Sports (n=2,032)Do you think fox hunting should be made legal again?5–11 September 2008 16759
United KingdomMORI for BBC (n=2,234)To what extent do you support or oppose a ban on hunting with dogs?Feb 2005 26%47%27%
United KingdomMORI for RSPCA / IFAW (n=1,983)Do you support the ban [on hunting with dogs] staying in place / being scrapped?2–8 February 2007 175824
United StatesResponsive ManagementDo you approve or disapprove of legal hunting?September 2006 78166
Northern IrelandMillward BrownIs fox hunting cruel?20–27 March 2006 [ permanent dead link ]117910
United StatesResponsive ManagementDo you approve or disapprove of legal hunting?1995 73225

In both 2004 and 2014, voters in Maine, US, rejected a proposed ban on the use of dogs, bait, and traps while hunting black bears. Polls preceding the 2014 vote had predicted the measure would be rejected. [18]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hunting</span> Searching, pursuing, and killing wild animals

Hunting is the human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to exploit the animal's body for meat and useful animal products, for recreation/taxidermy, although it may also be done for non-exploitative reasons such as removing predators dangerous to humans or domestic animals, to eliminate pests and nuisance animals that damage crops/livestock/poultry or spread diseases, for trade/tourism, or for ecological conservation against overpopulation and invasive species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fox hunting</span> Traditional equestrian hunting activity

Fox hunting is a traditional activity involving the tracking, chase and, if caught, the killing of a fox, normally a red fox, by trained foxhounds or other scent hounds. A group of unarmed followers, led by a "master of foxhounds", follow the hounds on foot or on horseback.

The League Against Cruel Sports, formerly known as the League for the Prohibition of Cruel Sports, is a UK-based animal welfare charity which campaigns to stop blood sports such as fox hunting, hare and deer hunting; game bird shooting; and animal fighting. The charity helped bring about the Hunting Act 2004 and Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Act 2002, which banned hunting with hounds in England, Wales and Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Game (hunting)</span> Wild animals under pursuit or taken in hunting

Game or quarry is any wild animal hunted for animal products, for recreation ("sporting"), or for trophies. The species of animals hunted as game varies in different parts of the world and by different local jurisdictions, though most are terrestrial mammals and birds. Fish caught non-commercially are also referred to as game fish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coursing</span> Hunting method and dog sport

Coursing by humans is the pursuit of game or other animals by dogs—chiefly greyhounds and other sighthounds—catching their prey by speed, running by sight, but not by scent. Coursing was a common hunting technique, practised by the nobility, the landed and wealthy, as well as by commoners with sighthounds and lurchers. In its oldest recorded form in the Western world, as described by Arrian – it was a sport practised by all levels of society and it remained the case until Carolingian period forest law appropriated hunting grounds, or commons, for the king, the nobility, and other land owners. It then became a formalised competition, specifically on hare in Britain, practised under rules, the Laws of the Leash.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hunting Act 2004</span> United Kingdom legislation

The Hunting Act 2004 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which bans the hunting of most wild mammals with dogs in England and Wales, subject to some strictly limited exemptions; the Act does not cover the use of dogs in the process of flushing out an unidentified wild mammal, nor does it affect drag hunting, where hounds are trained to follow an artificial scent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hare coursing</span> Competitive activity where sighthounds pursue hares

Hare coursing is the pursuit of hares with greyhounds and other sighthounds, which chase the hare by sight, not by scent.

A canned hunt is a trophy hunt which is not "fair chase", typically by having game animals kept in a confined area such as in a fenced ranch to prevent the animals' escape and make tracking easier for the hunter, in order to increase the likelihood of the hunter obtaining a kill. The term has been used for driven grouse shooting, in which large areas of Britain are farmed for red grouse. According to WordNet, a canned hunt is a "hunt for animals that have been raised on game ranches until they are mature enough to be killed for trophy collections."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trophy hunting</span> Hunting of wild animals for trophies

Trophy hunting is a form of hunting for sport in which parts of the hunted wild animals are kept and displayed as trophies. The animal being targeted, known as the "game", is typically a mature male specimen from a popular species of collectable interests, usually of large sizes, holding impressive horns, antlers, furs or manes. Most trophies consist of only select parts of the animal, which are prepared for display by a taxidermist. The parts most commonly kept vary by species, but often include head, hide, tusks, horns, or antlers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fur clothing</span> Clothing made of furry animal hides

Fur clothing is clothing made from the preserved skins of mammals. Fur is one of the oldest forms of clothing and is thought to have been widely used by people for at least 120,000 years. The term 'fur' is often used to refer to a specific item of clothing such as a coat, wrap, or shawl made from the fur of animals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wildlife management</span> Management and control of wildlife populations

Wildlife management is the management process influencing interactions among and between wildlife, its habitats and people to achieve predefined impacts. It attempts to balance the needs of wildlife with the needs of people using the best available science. Wildlife management can include wildlife conservation, gamekeeping and pest control. Wildlife management draws on disciplines such as mathematics, chemistry, biology, ecology, climatology and geography to gain the best results.

The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is an American nonprofit organization that focuses on animal welfare and opposes animal-related cruelties of national scope. It uses strategies that are beyond the abilities of local organizations. It works on issues including pets, wildlife, farm animals, horses and other equines, and animals used in research, testing and education. As of 2001, the group's major campaigns targeted factory farming, animal blood sports, the fur trade, puppy mills, and wildlife abuse.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Safari Club International</span> American hunters rights organization

Safari Club International (SCI) is a US organization composed of hunters dedicated to protecting the freedom to hunt. SCI has more than 50,000 members and 180 local chapters. SCI members agree to abide by the organization's code of ethics, which includes making a positive contribution to wildlife and ecosystems, complying with game laws, and assisting game and fish officers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trapping</span> Use of a device to remotely catch an animal

Animal trapping, or simply trapping or ginning, is the use of a device to remotely catch an animal. Animals may be trapped for a variety of purposes, including food, the fur trade, hunting, pest control, and wildlife management.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 Maine Question 1</span>

Maine Question 1 (MQ1), "An Act To Prohibit the Use of Dogs, Bait or Traps When Hunting Bears Except under Certain Circumstances", was a citizen-initiated referendum measure in Maine, which was voted on in the general election of November 4, 2014. As the Maine Legislature declined to act on the proposed statute, it was automatically placed on the ballot. The proposal was defeated by 320,873 "No" votes to 279,617 "Yes".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Humane Society International Australia</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hunt monitor</span>

In the United Kingdom, hunt monitors endeavour to observe behaviours of organized hunts and undertake information gathering activities, known as hunt monitoring.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry B. Amos</span> Scottish activist and draper (1869–1946)

Henry Brown Amos was a Scottish activist for animal rights, vegetarianism, humanitarianism and against vivisection and hunting. He also worked for some time as a draper. Amos held a number of positions within organisations dedicated to animals and vegetarianism, and co-founded the League Against Cruel Sports in 1924.

In hunting, take or taking is a term used in the United States to refer to any action that adversely affects a species, particularly killing individuals of that species, as outlined by the United States Endangered Species Act of 1973. Although "taking" most commonly refers to the act of killing animals in a hunting context, its definition can also extend to include harassing, harming, pursuing, hunting, shooting, wounding, trapping, capturing, and collecting any plant or animal. The definition of take can also further extend to comprise the indirect harming of a species via modification of its habitat (see below§ Legal Definition of Take).

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Why Sport Hunting Is Cruel and Unnecessary". PETA. 2003-12-15. Retrieved 2020-03-20.
  2. 1 2 "Hunting". Animal Ethics. Retrieved 2020-03-20.
  3. ↑ Moon, N. (1999). Opinion polls: History, theory and practice. Manchester University Press.
  4. ↑ Could Deer Hunting Be Banned In England? Archived 2010-12-27 at the Wayback Machine , January 2005, The Hunting Report
  5. ↑ Burns Inquiry report, para 4.12
  6. ↑ Grossmith, George in The Daily Telegraph , 7 June 1911
  7. ↑ Tichelar, M. (2006) ‘Putting Animals into Politics’: The Labour Party and Hunting in the First Half of the Twentieth Century, Rural History, 17: 213-234 (the reason) "...private members bills introduced in 1949 designed to prohibit hunting and coursing...were defeated was the strong desire of the Government to preserve its relationship with the farmers and the wider rural community
  8. ↑ "FAACE comment on hare coursing". Archived from the original on 2007-02-08. Retrieved 2007-04-18.
  9. ↑ "The Elusive Hunter". Newsweek. 2006-12-04. Archived from the original on 2006-11-27. Retrieved January 10, 2007.
  10. ↑ "The Elusive Hunter". Newsweek. 2006-12-04. p. 3. Archived from the original on 2007-05-24. Retrieved January 10, 2007.
  11. ↑ Robb, Bob (July 19, 2019). "10 Anti-Hunting Organizations". Grand View Outdoors. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  12. ↑ "All About PETA". PETA. 2010-07-02. Retrieved 2022-05-29.
  13. ↑ "What Is PETA?". The Balance Small Business. Retrieved 2022-05-29.
  14. ↑ "Black Beauty Ranch". The Humane Society of the United States. Retrieved 2022-05-29.
  15. ↑ "Banning Trophy Hunting". The Humane Society of the United States. Retrieved 2022-05-29.
  16. ↑ "Ending Cosmetics Animal Testing". The Humane Society of the United States. Retrieved 2022-05-29.
  17. ↑ "Lawsuit Launched to Stop Damaging Hunting Practices From Killing Endangered Wildlife on Refuges". Center for Biological Diversity. Retrieved 2022-05-29.
  18. ↑ "Poll: A majority of Mainers oppose ban on bear-baiting". 26 October 2014.
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