People don't seem to understand that legal hunting is the only reason we have wildlife at all. Legal hunting puts a monetary value on the animals, and provides money for their protection.
Legal hunting is also very controlled, if hunters don't cull then somebody has to be paid to do so. Often in Africa the animals selected for a "hunt" are problem animals, or animals that are no longer viable for breeding and are actually dangerous for the population (the endangered rhino from a couple years ago for example). Or they are not endangered, and game management says it is 'ok' to take it out of the population...for a price.
It is also interesting that all the nonsense (like in this thread, and on twitter) that pops up every time a picture surfaces of a dead animal, actually does more harm to the protection of the animals. It reduces the monetary value of the hunt, because people are afraid of the backlash. I listened to an interview of the guy who killed the endangered rhino, he paid $350,000 at auction for the tag, he said it should have gone for much more but didn't because the internet cried for Cecil.
A
Documentary on the subject.
Poachers in Africa are
Hunted, which is another topic worthy of debate.
It is my understanding that in legal hunts, the meat is given to locals so none of it goes to waste. Unlike poaching where the ivory (or whatever is valuable on the black market) is cut off and the animal is left to rot.
I personally have never hunted, I have no desire to go to Africa, let alone kill one of these magnificent animals, but I would prefer that they do not go extinct.
Flame suit ON