Hunting For Trophies

Back when I was a kid, I remember going to school and for show and tell in kindergarten, I told all the kids that over the weekend, I had been hunting girls with my dad.  Of course, because I was only 5 years old, I didn't realize that I had misspoken and instead of saying squirrels, I used the word girls.  My teacher of course gasped and quickly informed my parents of what I had said.

In all reality though, the story got told many times as I was growing up and I'm sure if I was still around them, they would continue to tell it.  It didn't matter that to them that they were hunting for trophies.  You know, killing defenseless animals for the fun of it.

All too often I see people out hunting for trophies.  They go stalk defenseless creatures using sophisticated weapons and scopes.  They learn how to set up their hunting stands to trick the animals to come to where they nap and slumber as they wait for an easy kill.  Then in the moment least suspected by a defenseless animal, they strike and kill.

Now, maybe we should just arm the animals so that they can shoot back and defend themselves.  Even with all the reasons and excuses of people who hunt as to why they are justified, what turns my stomach most of all, is the trophy pictures.  You know - you've seen them plastered on twitter and Facebook.  They are the pictures of them happy as a lark they killed their prey.  The bloody gore-filled pictures posted for all to see as if they really did something special by killing a defenseless animal.



The only thing is the animal wasn't preying upon the human.  They were killed for the sport of it just so they could be plastered on a picture or hung as a trophy on the wall.  The pictures and images are sickening.  They make me puke.

I saw a video recently of a tiger attacking some humans that were out hunting.  The pity was focused on the poor human being attacked, but you know what, that was the tiger's domain, not theirs.  While it hurts me to see anyone harmed by an animal or human, I'm thinking that tiger was one smart animal.  At least it did to the hunters what they normally do to it and its kind.  Maybe it should have take a picture and posted it on Facebook.  Oh wait, the hunters killed it!

To degrade life by hunting for trophies is to degrade your own life.  I once wished that animals would rise up against humans when I was young because I saw how they were treated, but after many daily prayers to God, it didn't happen.

Humans have no respect for animals and you can see that by the abuse they inflict upon animals and by the laws that don't hold humans accountable.  Maybe the animals can't stand up for themselves, but through words that I can write, I can help stand up for them.

Even if hunting for trophies is a way of life to you, it does not mean you have to stay stuck in your warped belief system.  You have the opportunity to choose a different and more enlightened life for yourself, but of course that requires being human and having the courage to step from brainwashing into the realm of respect for all life.

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Blog Post And Images (c) 8/12/14 by Don Shetterly

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