Breeding+Mutant+Animals+for+Trophy+Hunting

Source: [] Posted on November 30, 2017
 * Breeding Mutant Animals for Trophy Hunting**

This article discusses ecotourism and how landowners in Africa are using animals living on their land for profit. They are trying to appeal to hunters by finding animals for their land that have mutations that have caused unusual coloring. This demand for special animals, like animals that only represent 1% of game in the country, has been high for decades and breeders have always strived to create the most valued species. This breeding has continued to go on despite the inherent dangers from intensively breeding from limited genetic stock, such as reduced viability and fertility. The solution to this is conservation, and making money from hunting and tourism seem to satisfy the two needs for conservation: money and coexistence.
 * Summary**

This article relates to our course because it discusses the dangers of loss species diversity (variety of different species in different habitats on earth(Miller ch.4)) and selective breeding. It also refers to how hunting can lead to extinction of endangered species (Miller ch. 25), and how the consequences of inbreeding can lead to the factors of vulnerability of threatened species (Miller ch. 25).
 * Application to course**

In my opinion people should not be selectively breeding rare animals for their enjoyment. If the animal is rare, there is probably a reason for it's existence, and killing it or inbreeding it can be extremely detrimental to the species and it's habitat.
 * My opinion**

The Endangered Species Act- provides for the conservation of species that are endangered or threatened throughout all or a significant portion of their range and the conservations of the ecosystems on which they depend. 
 * Environmental law**

Michal Cizek, Getty Images