Hunting should be banned for certain period of time: Commission
Umut Erdem – ANKARA
Hunting should be banned for a certain period of time in Turkey and campaigns should be initiated to discourage people from hunting, according to a recent meeting of parliament’s Animal Rights Research Commission.
The commission chair, Mustafa Yel, a deputy of the ruling Justice Development Party (AKP), said at the meeting that some animal species face extinction threat “unless precautions are taken” and suggested hunting be banned for a certain period of time in the country.
“Of course, on this path, especially the number of shooting ranges should be increased. We are talking about a $200 million worth hunting sector on an annual base. This issue should not affect the hunting economy negatively as well. Taking into account the situation of producers of cartridge, rifle and hunting gear, the hunters should be supported to shoot at lifeless tools flying in trap skeet shooting ranges, instead of living beings, and thereby satisfy themselves at shooting ranges” said Yel.
He also said that in order to deter people from hunting, a campaign that tells people to bring their weapon in return for a photo camera could be initiated. Also, the authorities should suggest encouraging people to do outdoor sports such as trekking or go on photo safaris in an attempt similarly to direct their attention towards something else other than hunting.
The vice president of the directorate of nature conservation and national parks, Ekrem İsmetoğlu, said that such campaigns would not be strong enough to discourage people from hunting. “Trapshooting is not enough to satisfy [hunters]. And when you initiate ‘Bring your rifle, get a photo camera’ campaign, no one will probably bring their rifle,” he said, suggesting a different method of “produce-release-hunt” for at least partridge hunting.
İsmetoğlu said that certain areas would be provided for the use of hunters, where they would be allowed to undertake the production of partridges just for the sake of hunting later on. “Then, hunters, in the produce-release-hunt model, can hunt the partridges which they have raised themselves in these stations [lands] from the eggs and which they have nothing to do with nature,” he said.
Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) MP Deniz Yavuzyılmaz, however, disagreed with İsmeoğlu, saying that it was “heartbreaking” that a living being would be killed by humans in a conscious way. “It is unfortunately very heartbreaking to shoot and kill a living being… And this is one the bad things that humans are doing to the world. There should not be a hobby that takes away lives.”
