They're nearly extinct in their native habitats of the African savanna. But because of an unusual exemption under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, these animals have thrived into the thousands by being hunted legally on sprawling ranches in the United States. In all, there are more than 5,000 such ranches in Texas, mostly in the south-central region known as Hill Country.
Alongside the antelope exist exotic animals of every stripe, including zebra, African bongos, kangaroo and regal rare Pere David's deer, which are extinct in the wild.
This particular exotic 3,000-acre ranch, like many in Texas, is for sport hunting, what Morani River Ranch owner and master bow-hunter Kevin Reid calls "re-creating the African experience."
The Texas game ranches have the cachet of the wild, providing hunters with the experience, game and trophies of endangered and extinct-in-the-wild animals they want without leaving the United States. A successful trophy hunt can cost up to $15,000, depending on the beast.These ranchers keep animals that are endangered - or extinct - in the wild alive by the thousands to profit from them. Environmentalists must be thrilled that someone provides this invaluable service to the Earth's ecological diversity, right?
Animal activists counter that conservation doesn't mean raising an animal to kill it and put its head on the wall.
"A Texas game ranch is not an ecosystem wherein animals are protected," said Priscilla Feral, the president of Friends of Animals, which successfully sued the government to force the rule change on the African antelope. "They're a commercial product."Yes, they're a commercial product. No kidding, genius. That's why they're alive, because they're economically valuable, and people protect that which is economically valuable to them. Most environmentalists would rather see these animals go extinct, than live to be profitable.
Why? Because most environmentalists are "Watermelons"; green on the outside, red (Socialist, Communist, take your pick) on the inside. Their first loyalty belongs to Socialism, not Gaia.
No comments:
Post a Comment