Our letter to The Guardian in response to their trophy hunting article

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The below letter was sent from the NGO to The Guardian in response to this article, titled "Why worry about an import ban on hunting trophies when you can bag one at home?"

'Catherine Bennett’s article on trophy hunting (‘Why worry about an import ban on hunting trophies when you can bag one at home?’, 19 March) is a classic example of why we are unable to have a grown up and sensible debate on wildlife management, both in the UK and abroad. The language used has been carefully selected to bring emotion to forefront: for example describing hunters as “the worst of humanity” says quite a lot about the writer’s own views. To relate hunting in Africa to that of wild deer management in UK is like comparing apples and pears.  

Using Bennett’s definition, all of those who take part in the hunting of wild animals are the worst of humanity: worse than war criminals, terrorists and sex offenders. By that reasoning, surely those that facilitate hunting are also classified as “the worst of humanity”? 

Bennett mentions the British Deer Society, who provide training to make sure that the essential culling of the UK’s deer population is done ethically and humanely. She fails to mention thought that bodies such as the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), The Woodland Trust, The National Trust and Forestry England all either employ or encourage the culling of deer on their estates and those of their neighbours.  

Pictures of hunters with animals that they have culled also come in for criticism from Bennett: but surely people who eat meat should be aware of where that meal has come from. Perhaps it would be more palatable for Mrs Bennett if the hunters took a picture of the meat that goes into the food chain, instead of the animal prior to processing.  

Managing the natural world is complex and everyone is welcome to their own views. However, bringing irrelevant and emotive arguments into the debate is simply not helpful. 

Tim Weston

Development Officer,
National Gamekeepers' Organisation