Groggy bears waking up to sa国际传媒鈥檚 spring face the challenge of finding food and putting on the weight lost during winter hibernation. Some of them will also face the challenge of being shot.
It鈥檚 called a sport, but there鈥檚 not much sporting about it 鈥� a bear, even with formidable teeth and claws, is no match for a hunter with a high-powered rifle.
sa国际传媒鈥檚 spring bear hunt opens April 1, a time when bears are starting to come out of hibernation, some of them females with cubs. It isn鈥檛 mere sentiment that dictates against shooting fertile females or those suckling cubs, it鈥檚 not a good way to preserve wildlife.
Hunting has long been a way of life in sa国际传媒, but that tradition was born from need 鈥� the animals were harvested for their meat, hides and other useful parts. Certainly, some hunters still rely on wildlife to fill their larders; others for whom hunting is more a sport than a necessity still use the meat.
But there鈥檚 something chilling about trophy hunters who want only the head, claws and hide, and leave the carcass to rot. They get the bragging rights, but what are they bragging about?
It鈥檚 an unequal contest. The bears don鈥檛 have a sporting chance in encounters with hunters.
Far better to promote the watching of bears than the shooting of bears. If a person shoots a bear, that鈥檚 the end of it. If a person photographs a bear, many more can share that experience, in person or vicariously.
That鈥檚 a truly sustainable tourism industry.
