It’s difficult to understand why trophy hunters see animal cruelty as a satisfying sport that justifies their adeptness with guns and their thrill-seeking ways.
Our world is already suffering enough as it is.
Climate change leads to a loss of species, and the last thing needed is for more trophy hunters to contribute to the alarming number of animals on the brink of extinction.
Not all animals are able to quickly migrate from less favorable climatic conditions. In fact, so many suffer from habitat loss.
Because of the disastrous effects of climate change, animals are deprived from being able to fully meet their physical, biological, and climatic needs.
You’d think humans would rise up and join the fight against global warming and give the animals a fair chance to survive but apparently, some just don’t care. Poachers and trophy hunters insist on carrying on with their horrendous ways – and they’re not the only ones to blame. Some governments worldwide happen to be complicit in this atrocity.
But because what goes around comes around. Nature was granted the opportunity to show the rest of the world just how quickly the tables can turn.
Trophy hunter Scott Van Zyl owns SS Pros Safaris, a South African canned hunting facility. This involves organizing trips for fellow trophy hunters so animals could be killed and subsequently displayed in homes.
However, he met his fate during one Zimbabwe safari as he approached the shore of the Limpopo River where he was eaten by crocodiles.
The hunter’s dogs returned to the campsite without him, alerting the tracker. It took a few days for the search group to find Van Zyl’s footprints and backpack near the river back.
Unfortunately, because divers failed to locate his body in the river, the crocodiles had to be shot.
Heritage Protection Group director Sakkie Louwrens shares,
“Permission was given for three Nile crocodiles in the area to be shot, and one of them contained Mr. Van Zyl’s remains. Subsequent DNA tests have proved the remains to be those of Mr. Van Zyl.”
The Nile crocodiles that Van Zyl was attempting to hunt were among the most dangerous types, known for having the strongest bite in the animal kingdom.
It is unfortunate that they too, had to die for the sake of locating the missing hunter. While hunters mourned the loss of Van Zyl, many others argued that he should not have pursued trophy hunting in the first place because of the many risks it poses. The people who openly speak up against trophy hunting far outnumber those who support the cruel sport but without the support of individuals who have the authority to put a stop to animal killings, some efforts to fight back may prove weak or futile.
Us humans are so particular about rights, privacy, and respect. Shouldn’t the same consideration be given to animals?
May Van Zyl’s death also serve as a reminder to all that the animal kingdom should be respected and protected at all costs.
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
