Why are We Even Voting on Protecting Endangered Species?

​worldanimalnews.com/urgent-call-to-action-calls-needed-tomorrow-at-10am-pst-to-support-ca-bill-that-would-ban-the-possession-and-parts-of-africas-most-iconic-species/

After a report from the Los Angeles Times on a trophy hunter who slaughtered an endangered African elephant emerged, he was used as motivation for a proposed ban on the import of trophies from African wildlife. Locals are urged to phone in before 10 in the morning tomorrow to voice your support in banning trophy hunters from bringing back trophies from Africa's imperiled wildlife. If you are from the area, [please follow the link at the top of this post for who to contact and how you can help.

I have a major issue with this entire thing, allow me to explain.

We are facing one of the largest mass extinctions in our life time. Species are going extinct rapidly and there are multiple claims that by the year 2100, we will witness the extinction of humans also, solely because of our inaction in protecting the environment and the other species that inhabit our planet. We are witnessing nearly every big cat species in the wild facing extinction. Rhinos, elephants, sharks, whales, bears, plant and fauna species etc., they are rapidly dying off and we are doing as little and possible to try and help them despite the general public's desire to see these animals better protected. Knowing that conservation is incredibly supported among the general public, why are we still voting on protecting animals that are nearly extinct?

We are in the midst of an extinction phenomenon and yet we are still putting out votes on whether we should be protecting animals? What the flying eff is wrong with humanity? Why are we voting on something that frankly, seems so obvious and incredibly important to the survival of Africa's most vulnerable wildlife. At this point, there should be no argument in defense of trophy hunting, especially if it pertains to endangered animals. The answer is simple, ban trophy hunting for good and start funneling that money into conservation efforts that will actually work towards protecting animals.

Africa's wildlife are under constant threat, almost entirely at the hands of human interference. Habitat loss is a direct result of continued human growth. As we take more and more of the land away from animals, they are left scrambling to find food, water, and a place to exist peacefully. This brings us to human-animal conflicts resulting in animal death. As we take the land, these beautiful animals are left in a position where they must now search for new areas to eat / drink which can in some cases cause these animals to encroach on human inhabited areas. These conflicts can result in the deaths of endangered animals to protect human livelihoods, further pushing these animals towards extinction.

And that brings us to poaching / trophy hunting. We have put value on things like ivory which can only be obtained by slaughtering endangered animals and sawing off their tusks / horns. We have put value on an animal's head, allowing wealthy people from across the world to shell out tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars to shoot these animals for trophies. It is wholly because of us that these animals now face the risk of going extinct in the wild.

There should be no votes, only we can undo what we have done to these animals for decades. Ban trophy hunting once and for all. Focus our efforts on cracking down on poaching and the illegal wildlife trade, and devalue ivory across the board to prevent the continued poaching of endangered rhinos and elephants. If we TRULY want to see these animals saved from the brinks of extinction, there must be no more voting, only action. Animals don't have time for us to play around with the idea of protecting them, we must act now while there is still time.

HAPPY VEG