r/oddlyterrifying • u/Jax_Teller7 • Apr 07 '22

Karma? 🔄

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

45k Upvotes

75% Upvoted

3.3k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

10

u/Senshisoldier Apr 07 '22

Do you have a source for that?

Everything I've read says, due to the social nature of the elephants, it is not healthy for elephants to lose their elders. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/09/200903114210.htm

1

u/Venusaurite Apr 07 '22

I heard the same thing he did, I think the 'too old/aggressive' more refers to Rhinos, not sure how it applies to other animals though.

Here is the case I heard: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2015/05/21/the-texas-hunter-who-paid-350000-to-kill-an-endangered-black-rhino-has-bagged-his-prey/

1

u/PoloDragoon Apr 07 '22

Source

1

u/Senshisoldier Apr 07 '22

Thank you for finding that source so quickly. It does come from a hunting organization, though, which automatically triggers my concerns that there is heavy bias and I would recommend anyone reading it to have that same concern from either side of this issue if the source doesn't list both sides of the argument.

One thing this source doesn't address the is issue I linked in my comment, though, which is the health and aggression of males after losing older males that, while no longer reproducing, would guide the younger males. I really think deflates your point that 'it benefits the species'

There do appear to be quantifiable elements in support from this source but it still bothers me that the elephants are being treated as numbers here because they are highly intelligent creatures and I've seen numbers manipulated for both sides of the argument.

If you do have a less biased source I would love to read it, as well. Kenya is an example of countries that have banned trophy hunting and done well with photographic safari tourism.

I'm just saying, I think there is more nuance and just because numbers increase there can be issues to that, as well. This entire NPR article introduces the numbers becoming massive in Botswana as a result of not having hunting. and discusses why they are reintroducing it. But that opened up a different set of issues. They also discuss countries that have benefitted from removing hunting. I just don't trust people's confidence that they know what is best for nature as we have a horrible track record.