Trophy Hunters Research Paper

Iconic African species are declining at a startling speed because of unsustainable hunting. Consider the African lion for example. Their numbers have reduced from approximately 450,000 in the 1940s to 200,000. Furthermore Oxford University research shows that by 2035, the number of lions will likely be decreased by a further 50%. Trophy hunters contribute to this decline by killing around 105,000 animals every year. the original intention of trophy hunters was to control healthy populations of individual species. Numbers were managed under the guise of culling. However, the trophy hunters never stopped hunting even when healthy numbers were achieved, and the trophy hunting has become a status symbol for the wealthy, especially in Asia.