Author Topic: Hunting bad for animal populations (Read 764 times)

davidpt40 · « **on:** December 14, 2003, 10:35:40 PM »

LONDON (Reuters) -- Trophy-hunting has taken an
evolutionary toll on Canada's bighorn sheep, scientists
said on Wednesday.

Their magnificent horns are getting smaller because the
biggest rams with the most impressive examples are
being shot before they have mated and passed on their
genes.

"Because you don't have the best rams mating, they
aren't reproducing and the population isn't seeing the
best genetic variability," said Dr Curtis Strobek, of the
University of Alberta in Canada. ....'
http://rense.com/general45/horn.htm

NUKE · « **Reply #1 on:** December 14, 2003, 10:56:16 PM »

They have smaller horns? Big deal. I'm devastated by this report.

B17Skull12 · « **Reply #2 on:** December 14, 2003, 10:58:20 PM »

tards

AKIron · « **Reply #3 on:** December 14, 2003, 11:09:36 PM »

Too bad we can't hunt liberals before they have a chance to mate.

Maverick · « **Reply #4 on:** December 14, 2003, 11:52:52 PM »

That doesn't seem to follow. The rams reach breeding age long before they get the massive horns. The horns are best towards the start of the end of their breeding career so they should have already passed on their genes earlier.

This has been the case with deer herds and their numbers are far in excess of what they were 200 years ago.

I think I smell an antihunting theme to this "report".

B17Skull12 · « **Reply #5 on:** December 14, 2003, 11:54:11 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by AKIron
Too bad we can't hunt liberals before they have a chance to mate.

Toad · « **Reply #6 on:** December 15, 2003, 12:24:40 AM »

Quote

Reproduction
Rutting season lasts from July to December, with births taking place in the spring. Males engage in battles (head-to-head) over mating access to a particular female. Some battles have been observed to last as long as 24 hours. They begin battle snorting, grunting, and pushing their front hooves at each other. They move several feet away, rare up on their hind legs, and charge toward the head-to-head crash. The force is amazing and can be heard for up to a half mile. Often horns are broken in these battles. The winner can sustain chipped or broken horns, which are permanent. Although capable of breeding at around two years of age, most rams will not participate in the breeding process until seven or eight years of age. When they reach this age they are finally able to exhibit the dominance through body size, horn development, and head butting to actually breed females.

It's still natural selection for the rams with the ability to dominate the other rams. You still get the best available.

Mini D · « **Reply #7 on:** December 15, 2003, 12:35:15 AM »

Couldn't some scientist just genetically alter the rams to have bigger horns?

MiniD

davidpt40 · « **Reply #8 on:** December 15, 2003, 02:39:39 AM »

On the surface, this doesn't seem like a big deal. But horn size could be an indicator of health or some other important factor.

type_char · « **Reply #9 on:** December 15, 2003, 02:42:55 AM »

Hate to say it but I used to hunt animals when I was a teen ager. I feel guilty because they were so defensless. Never again will I shoot at defensless animals. Poor things.

_Schadenfreude_ · « **Reply #10 on:** December 15, 2003, 05:58:55 AM »

Went on a elephant cull once - was providing security for the rangers - they take out the whole herd at a time - was pretty nasty business. But since elephants actually destroy their habitat if kept in a confined range it has to be done - no-one there took much pleasure in it.

Ripsnort · « **Reply #11 on:** December 15, 2003, 07:12:50 AM »

Just saying...there are 3 types of hunters:
~Horn hunters(They hunt for the biggest rack)
~Meat hunters(They could care less about horns, just want the meat)
~Those who care less about coming in contact with game, they just enjoy being outdoors hunting.

MC_Honky · « **Reply #12 on:** December 15, 2003, 07:15:10 AM »

Ripsnort,

You missed one. The hunter that is a complete failure in life and tries to make up for this buy killing animals. He kills for the joy of killing..nothing more. There are more of these tards than you think.....

Ripsnort · « **Reply #13 on:** December 15, 2003, 07:21:51 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by MC_Honky
Ripsnort,

You missed one. The hunter that is a complete failure in life and tries to make up for this buy killing animals. He kills for the joy of killing..nothing more. There are more of these tards than you think.....

Some of those people you describe would fall under horn hunters (trophy hunters). They account for their "thrill kill" with the horns.

Most of the trophy hunters I know consume the meat as well as display the racks over the fireplace. I don't have a problem with trophy hunters as long as they consume the meat, or it does not involve an endangered species.

Personally, I fall under the latter two descriptions. If I get something, fine, if not, fine as well. The preparation of the hunt, the adrenline pump while stalking, the conquest of the kill, eating what you kill, its all part of hunting. If no kill, the preparation and the hunt itself is fine by me, I just enjoy being out in nature.

Keep in mind in this country, your modern day "Tree Huggers" evolved from a smaller group of hunters that disliked the over-harvest of game in the turn of the 20th century.

Dune · « **Reply #14 on:** December 15, 2003, 07:45:55 AM »

Interesting. In Arizona this year, the largest elk shot with a bow, the largest elk taken with a muzzleloader and the largest antelope were all killed. In Utah, IIRC, the largest elk taken with a rifle was killed. These are the largest taken in the US ever.

So, while, according to this article, bighorn sheep horns are getting smaller, the size of elk in the US are getting bigger. Which flies in the face of the author's theory.

So, either the US wildlife services are doing a much better job of handling its herds (which I don't think is the case) or perhaps there's another reason for what this doctor is supposedly seeing.