Franklin teen unfazed by note condemning lion hunt

[Kali]

92. The big picture can be hard to see, and it often encompasses things that make us uncomfortable.

Hunting for these kinds of animals can have a management aspect - here in my area there are enough lions that they are seen as pests by some. I am not sure the season on them but there is a regular one as well as fairly easy to get permits for getting nuisance animals out of season.

Beyond that, these top trophy animals are often used to generate a LOT of conservation funds. Out of state hunters pay top dollar not only for permits but usually also for guides and other services that tend to help rural economies a bit.

Now, I don't care for it personally. I think it is kind of anachronistic and a bit uncivilized, but my personal feelings don't override my common sense and my understanding that in the long run the whole process is more beneficial than detrimental. The hunts are highly regulated and very exclusionary - only a small number of permits are issued for species that aren't that plentiful and most of the money generated goes right back into things like habitat acquisition or enhancements or programs to re-establish populations in other areas, etc.

If some guy wants a lion head over his mantle, and he got it legally I am going to think to myself "meh, what a goon," but I am not going to flip out and call him unethical or some kind of monster. A kid growing up in a rural area with a hunting history/culture isn't going to turn out to be a serial killer just because he wants to bag a lion. There are real skills involved in the activity, despite assholes like Sarah Palin and Dick Cheney and their canned photo-ops. Nature can be rough, and confronting a large predator even with a gun and dogs takes a certain amount of courage. I doubt many preaching how evil this all is would have the fortitude to venture into the back country for any reason, whether a photo hunt or a real one.