K C
HON190
Dakan
28 October 2020
Animal Harm in Society
Humans are killing animals at rates never seen before. Before long, species will go
extinct and create an imbalance in nature. In order for earth to have a healthy ecosystem, all
species need to live. The increase in animal death rate is caused by humans. Across the planet
there are many businesses profiting from the harm of animals. Human businesses that cruelly
profit from animal harm and death, such as canned hunting, seal slaughter, the illegal pet, ivory
and skins trade, must be banned to stop driving wild animal populations to endangerment or
extinction.
All over the world there are small businesses that entrap animals, drug them and charge
people to come and hunt them. This is called canned hunting. Canned hunting is Africa’s most
lucrative industry, Bonnie Tsui, from The New York Times, researched that “South Africa has a
thriving wildlife industry that generates about $280 million a year from hunting, live-animal
auctions and eco-tourism” (Tsui). Canned hunting is the most extreme form of trophy hunting.
People pay thousands of dollars to go into a fenced area where the animal, of the customers
choice, is entrapped and possibly drugged. These businesses are going out into the wild and
taking animals out of their homes. Once these businesses have the animals in cages/ fenced areas
they will either drug the animal or lure them out with food to make it easier for the customer to
kill the animal. Canned hunting is a 100% kill guaranteed. Once the business gets ahold of these
animals, their lives are over. Canned hunting is unfair and doesn’t even allow the animal to
defend themselves. Everyday hunting, when hunters go out into the wild and shoot the animal,
the animal has a chance to defend themselves. Canned hunting is an unfair business killing
thousands of animals for human profit. This is a cruel business that tortures animals, starves
them, and ends up killing them in the end. Why are these businesses allowed then? Since canned
hunting is Africa’s most lucrative business, Tsui says “Because hunting is so integral to South
Africa’s economy and culture — contributing significantly to job creation and acting as a viable
form of land use in areas that would otherwise be economically dormant — the department has
said that any policy would allow hunting with the principles of fair chase to continue” (Tsui).
Africa’s economy has become dependent on the money, jobs, and business that it is allowed. The
principles given were “of fair chase” which canned hunting is not a fair chase, yet business get
away with little critiques because of how much money they bring in. This business needs more
principles and enforcement before they run out of supplies by killing off all of the animals.
In Canada there is a business called The Canadian Seal Slaughter, this business allows
fishermen to slaughter millions of seals each year for just their skins/fur. This business has the
highest kill rate ever seen in Canada, with 500,000 seals killed each year. Seals are killed for
their fur, just their fur. Seal fur can range anywhere from $2,000-5,000. The fishermen kill the
seals with cubs, hakapiks(rods with sharp hooks at the end), or guns. Fishermen want to kill the
seal with a club or hakapik because each bullet hole in the fur is a price reduction. When a seal is
killed with a club or hakapik, the fishermen will be on land with the seal and continuously hit the
seal in the head until the skull is broken. This is a cruel way to kill an animal. If they use the gun,
one bullet does not kill the seal right away, so the seal dies a long painful death. In “A Review of
Animal Welfare Implications of the Canadian Commercial Seal Hunt” by Andrew Butterworth
and Mary Richardson, Butterworth and Richardson explain the business of seal slaughtering in
Canada. The Canadian government allows these businesses to slaughter seals if the killing
involves a stunning so the death is fast and quick. But most of the time the death is not fast. They
talk about this because a big controversy in Canada is weather seal slaughtering should be
allowed. The way it is allowed is by having rules that regulate it, but most rules are bent and
overlooked. Buttrworth says “The animal can be immobilized, killing implements can be
regulated and inspected, supervisors can be on hand to supervise the killing, and inspectors can
observe the killing at any time” (Butterworth). There are ways to control this business, but many
people don’t take their time to regulate it or to even care to try and enforce these rules.
Butterworth emphasizes this idea that humans have the power to change things but never do
because they don’t care enough to take action. Richardson says “There are unacceptable (and
