20 Trophy hunting: sub-Saharan Africa
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Patrick Berry
Abstract
This chapter seeks to critically analyse trophy hunting as a form of dark tourism. Trophy hunting involves the killing of animals to keep and display body parts as trophies. Hunting is legal in many countries around the world, but big game hunting is at its biggest in sub-Saharan Africa, which accounts for seven of the top ten countries that export trophy items (Born Free, 2019). Tourists, predominantly from the US and Europe, pay substantial fees to shoot indigenous wildlife. Often portrayed somewhat romantically as a battle of wits between man (and participants are predominantly, although by no means exclusively, men) and beast, hunting is seen as an exciting and dangerous wilderness adventure. In reality, while hunting can involve tracking animals on foot and sleeping in tents, hunters are well-equipped, well-protected and well-looked- after. Costing hundreds to thousands of dollars per day, hunting safaris are a high-end luxury form of tourism. ‘Canned’ hunting, where animals are bred in captivity and released into enclosed areas to be shot, takes hunting even further away from any pretence of a fair chase or a reversion to some natural state of predator versus prey.
Endangered species; Trophy hunting is undoubtedly highly controversial in an age of species decline and endangerment (WWF, 2020), and of increased scientific and legal recognition of animal sentience. Debate is polarised: supporters of trophy hunting point to ecological and economic benefits that hunting tourism brings (Di Minin et al., 2016); opponents argue that conservation benefits are over-stated, that hunting exacerbates economic and social divisions in local communities.
Abstract
This chapter seeks to critically analyse trophy hunting as a form of dark tourism. Trophy hunting involves the killing of animals to keep and display body parts as trophies. Hunting is legal in many countries around the world, but big game hunting is at its biggest in sub-Saharan Africa, which accounts for seven of the top ten countries that export trophy items (Born Free, 2019). Tourists, predominantly from the US and Europe, pay substantial fees to shoot indigenous wildlife. Often portrayed somewhat romantically as a battle of wits between man (and participants are predominantly, although by no means exclusively, men) and beast, hunting is seen as an exciting and dangerous wilderness adventure. In reality, while hunting can involve tracking animals on foot and sleeping in tents, hunters are well-equipped, well-protected and well-looked- after. Costing hundreds to thousands of dollars per day, hunting safaris are a high-end luxury form of tourism. ‘Canned’ hunting, where animals are bred in captivity and released into enclosed areas to be shot, takes hunting even further away from any pretence of a fair chase or a reversion to some natural state of predator versus prey.
Endangered species; Trophy hunting is undoubtedly highly controversial in an age of species decline and endangerment (WWF, 2020), and of increased scientific and legal recognition of animal sentience. Debate is polarised: supporters of trophy hunting point to ecological and economic benefits that hunting tourism brings (Di Minin et al., 2016); opponents argue that conservation benefits are over-stated, that hunting exacerbates economic and social divisions in local communities.
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Front Matter i
- Contents v
- List of figures x
- About the editors xi
- Acknowledgements xiii
- Introduction 1
- Cocaine Bear: Fun Mall, Lexington, Kentucky, USA 9
- Whitney Plantation: New Orleans, Louisiana, USA 14
- National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution: Washington, DC, USA 24
- From Newgate Prison to Tyburn Tree: the Old Bailey, London, UK 29
- Jack the Ripper tour: Whitechapel, London, UK 35
- The Alcatraz East Crime Museum: Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, USA 41
- The Museum of Death: Hollywood, Los Angeles, USA 50
- The Royal Armouries Museum: Leeds, UK 55
- The Black Dahlia tour: Los Angeles, California, USA 59
- The ‘Execution Dock’: Wapping, East London, UK 65
- Auschwitz: Oświęcim, Poland 71
- Jeju 4:3 memorial: Jeju Island, South Korea 80
- Museum Dr. Guislain: Ghent, Belgium 88
- Karosta Prison Hotel: Liepāja, Latvia 92
- The Clink prison-based restaurant: Brixton, London, UK 98
- The 9/11 memorial and museum: New York, New York, USA 104
- The Tuol Sleng Museum of Genocidal Crimes: Phnom Penh, Cambodia 107
- Choeung Ek killing field: Phnom Penh, Cambodia 116
- Blue lights in the Red Light District: Amsterdam, the Netherlands 122
- Trophy hunting: sub-Saharan Africa 128
- ‘The ugly side to the beautiful game’: Qatar 135
- Burning Man festival: Black Rock Desert, Nevada, USA 140
- Magaluf: Majorca 147
- ‘Holiday Hooters’: Hong Kong 153
- Scilla: Calabria, Italy 159
- The Kray twins tours: London, UK 165
- Backpacking in the outback: Uluru, Northern Territory, Australia 171
- The hippie trail: Nepal, South Asia 177
- The Museum of Confiscated Art: Brest, Belarus 182
- Steroid holidays: Sharm El Sheikh, Sinai Peninsula, Egypt 187
- The souks: Tunis, Tunisia 194
- Mezhyhirya Residence Museum: Novi Petrivtsi, Ukraine 200
- The great British seaside: various locations, UK 207
- The Biggie mural: Brooklyn, New York, USA 213
- The Rebus guided tour: Edinburgh, UK 217
- Volunteer tourism – ‘doing it for the ’gram’: Cambodia, Southeast Asia 223
- The staycation: home 230
- The ‘suicide forest’: Aokigahara, Japan 235
- Pitcairn Island: Pitcairn Islands, Pacific Ocean 245
- Favela tours: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 251
- Skid Row walking tours: Los Angeles, California, USA 258
- The 2019–20 anti-extradition protests: Hong Kong 264
- The Maldives: Republic of Maldives, Indian Ocean 271
- Death Road: La Paz to Coroico, Bolivia 276
- Vulture brains and muthi markets: Johannesburg, South Africa 282
- Dark tourism, ecocide and Alpine ski resorts: the Alps, Europe 288
- Boho Zone: Middlesbrough, UK 293
- One Hyde Park: London, UK 299
- Amazon warehouse tours: Rugeley, UK or virtual tour 305
- Disney World: Orlando, Florida, USA 315
- Conclusion 322
- References 325
- Index 394
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Front Matter i
- Contents v
- List of figures x
- About the editors xi
- Acknowledgements xiii
- Introduction 1
- Cocaine Bear: Fun Mall, Lexington, Kentucky, USA 9
- Whitney Plantation: New Orleans, Louisiana, USA 14
- National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution: Washington, DC, USA 24
- From Newgate Prison to Tyburn Tree: the Old Bailey, London, UK 29
- Jack the Ripper tour: Whitechapel, London, UK 35
- The Alcatraz East Crime Museum: Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, USA 41
- The Museum of Death: Hollywood, Los Angeles, USA 50
- The Royal Armouries Museum: Leeds, UK 55
- The Black Dahlia tour: Los Angeles, California, USA 59
- The ‘Execution Dock’: Wapping, East London, UK 65
- Auschwitz: Oświęcim, Poland 71
- Jeju 4:3 memorial: Jeju Island, South Korea 80
- Museum Dr. Guislain: Ghent, Belgium 88
- Karosta Prison Hotel: Liepāja, Latvia 92
- The Clink prison-based restaurant: Brixton, London, UK 98
- The 9/11 memorial and museum: New York, New York, USA 104
- The Tuol Sleng Museum of Genocidal Crimes: Phnom Penh, Cambodia 107
- Choeung Ek killing field: Phnom Penh, Cambodia 116
- Blue lights in the Red Light District: Amsterdam, the Netherlands 122
- Trophy hunting: sub-Saharan Africa 128
- ‘The ugly side to the beautiful game’: Qatar 135
- Burning Man festival: Black Rock Desert, Nevada, USA 140
- Magaluf: Majorca 147
- ‘Holiday Hooters’: Hong Kong 153
- Scilla: Calabria, Italy 159
- The Kray twins tours: London, UK 165
- Backpacking in the outback: Uluru, Northern Territory, Australia 171
- The hippie trail: Nepal, South Asia 177
- The Museum of Confiscated Art: Brest, Belarus 182
- Steroid holidays: Sharm El Sheikh, Sinai Peninsula, Egypt 187
- The souks: Tunis, Tunisia 194
- Mezhyhirya Residence Museum: Novi Petrivtsi, Ukraine 200
- The great British seaside: various locations, UK 207
- The Biggie mural: Brooklyn, New York, USA 213
- The Rebus guided tour: Edinburgh, UK 217
- Volunteer tourism – ‘doing it for the ’gram’: Cambodia, Southeast Asia 223
- The staycation: home 230
- The ‘suicide forest’: Aokigahara, Japan 235
- Pitcairn Island: Pitcairn Islands, Pacific Ocean 245
- Favela tours: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 251
- Skid Row walking tours: Los Angeles, California, USA 258
- The 2019–20 anti-extradition protests: Hong Kong 264
- The Maldives: Republic of Maldives, Indian Ocean 271
- Death Road: La Paz to Coroico, Bolivia 276
- Vulture brains and muthi markets: Johannesburg, South Africa 282
- Dark tourism, ecocide and Alpine ski resorts: the Alps, Europe 288
- Boho Zone: Middlesbrough, UK 293
- One Hyde Park: London, UK 299
- Amazon warehouse tours: Rugeley, UK or virtual tour 305
- Disney World: Orlando, Florida, USA 315
- Conclusion 322
- References 325
- Index 394