Big-game hunting
Big-game hunting is the hunting of large game animals for trophies, taxidermy, meat, and commercially valuable animal by-products (such as horns, antlers, tusks, bones, fur, body fat, or special organs). The term is often associated with the hunting of Africa's "Big Five" games (lion, African elephant, Cape buffalo, African leopard, and African rhinoceros),[1] and Indian rhinoceros and Bengal tigers on the Indian subcontinent.[2]
"Big Game Hunter" redirects here. For the video game, see Big Game Hunter (video game).Economic impact[edit]
There are examples of the economic and conservation value of big-game hunting in several places. The Bubye Valley Conservancy in Zimbabwe has successfully managed lion and rhinoceros populations through hunting fees.[20] In North America, the State of California estimates that the economic impact of big-game hunting in that state was $263,702,757 in 2016.[21] Also in North America, the State of Wyoming estimates that the economic impact of big-game hunting in 2015 was $224 million.[22] The examples of large economic impacts of big-game hunting abound, and many studies exist of the high positive effects wherever it is tried and managed well.
Impact on wildlife conservation[edit]
Well-regulated hunting has contributed in protecting wildlife in many parts of the world. For example, due to conservation through hunting, white-tailed deer population has increased in the United States from about 500,000 in the early 1900s to 30 million today.[23] At the beginning of the 20th century, 500,000 rhinos roamed Africa and Asia. By 1970, rhino numbers dropped to 70,000, and today, as few as 29,000 rhinos remain in the wild. Very few rhinos survive outside national parks and reserves due to persistent poaching and habitat loss over many decades. White rhinoceros is an exception as its numbers in Africa have increased from 100 in 1916 to more than 18,000 in 2016 due largely to the increase in private game reserves intended for hunting.[24][25][26] Some hunts can generate fees of hundreds of thousands of dollars,[27] which are then used directly for conservation, as was the case with rhinoceroses in Africa.