A recent hot topic over the summer was trophy hunting and whether or not it should be legal.
Sure, it is a great topic to debate, and I could go on and on about what I believe, but it really doesn”t look like any debating is going on. Instead of seeing educated debates, all you see on the Internet is the same insult over and over again.
An example of this is Sabrina Corgatelli aka the “Italian Huntress,” an accountant at Idaho State University, not the University of Idaho like some people think.
On her most recent visit to Africa, Corgatelli managed to kill a giraffe, an impala, a kudu, a warthog and a wildebeest. All of which she posted on her Facebook and Instagram accounts and received thousands of negative comments in return.
Jordan Hollingshead
These comments ranged anywhere from calling her provocative names to actual death threats. I am sorry to say this, but people should mind their own business, and if they have to give their two cents about something, they should be smarter about it than these commenters.
It is a sad world we live in where Corgatelli can”t post on her Facebook without getting harassed for doing something she believes in.
She believes trophy hunting is OK, and if you believe it isn”t, that”s OK too. Everyone has the right to their own opinion. You do not have the right, however, to send death threats to people who disagree with you.
It is like we skip over trying to be productive and go straight to insulting those that do not share our beliefs. Instead of getting nowhere, try and start a debate and maybe you will learn something out of it.
For me personally, I am OK with allowing people to trophy hunt, however there does need to be some changes. I believe people like Corgatelli who pay a boat load of money to go on these hunting trips legally should be allowed, but the limit on permits given out should be decreased.
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species program (CITES) is an organization that limits the amount of permits sold for a certain animal based on how endangered the animal is. I believe that their system should be changed a bit to decrease the amount of hunts each year, because as of right now the population of lions, elephants, giraffes and much more are all declining.
Another issue I think needs to change is the money made from trophy hunting, which according to The Guardian it is believed that trophy hunts bring in $200 million a year to the African government.
This money should go back into supporting the national parks to help the population grow again. The sad thing is this is already a rule – it is just often ignored once the money gets to the government and only parts of the $200 million goes back to the national parks.
If these kinds of changes are made, it will increase the price per permit, which will bring in even more revenue, decrease the amount of animals dying every year and allow the national parks to create a better environment in which the animals can thrive.
But if someone disagrees with a few or all of these opinions of mine, I respect that. Nobody will see me taking out my rage via the Internet comment system.
Jordan Hollingshead can be reached at [email protected]