Costa Rica to ban hunting for sport

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Reuters

Costa Rica to ban hunting for sport

Central American country hopes law will help to retain the tourism trade on which the nation's economy depends

Reuters in San José
The Guardian, Wednesday 3 October 2012 13.49 EDT

Costa Rica is poised to become the first Latin American country to ban hunting as a sport after its congress provisionally approved reforms to its wildlife conservation law.

Lawmakers voted 41 in favour of and five against the ban, and a second vote expected in the coming week is widely seen as ratifying changes to the law, which aims to protect animals in one of the world's most biodiverse countries.

Costa Rica's national parks attract some 300,000 visitors annually, and tourism is a mainstay of the economy.

"We're not just hoping to save the animals but we're hoping to save the country's economy, because if we destroy the wildlife there, tourists are not going to come anymore", environmental activist Diego Marin, who campaigned for the reform, told local radio.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/oct/03/costa-rica-ban-hunting-sport

[Kingofalldems]

1. Great news! Killing for sport is reprehensible.

[and-justice-for-all]

37. I fully agree.nt

[Grave Grumbler]

2. Shrug. It's not as if hunters were flocking to Costa Rica to begin with.

I assume this won't affect sportfishing, which is quite popular in Costa Rica.

[Duer 157099]

3. OMFG. "Turtles are among the animals often hunted in Costa Rica"

How lame of a hunter to you have to be to hunt turtles for sport????

[Grave Grumbler]

5. The last time I was in the Caymans, I had a turtle burger...yummy!

I'll have to grant that turtles aren't exactly the most, um, challenging game animal on Earth.

[Duppers]

8. jeepers

Ya had to jump into this thread too.

Whales, turtles...

[Grave Grumbler]

17. That's right, I'm a poster, and I posted.

Golly!

[fascisthunter]

22. with an obvious agenda

stop fronting

[Grave Grumbler]

23. So if someone says something you like, they're expressing their opinion.

If they say something you don't like, they're fronting an agenda.

Got it.

[fascisthunter]

24. gooba gooba derf duh

[Grave Grumbler]

25. How...eloquent.

[LanternWaste]

40. As eloquent as turtle hunting..

As eloquent as turtle hunting...

[Grave Grumbler]

42. The turtle I ate was farmed, not hunted.

[formercia]

12. Is that you, Mitt?

If people didn't buy them, the locals would have no reason to hunt the Turtles.

Something to think about.

[Grave Grumbler]

18. The turtle I ate was farmed, not hunted.

www.turtle.ky

That makes them a renewable resource. Think about that.

[fascisthunter]

21. sometimes, humans aren't either

especially on discussion forums.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

32. Hunting turtles for sport?

It might be a challenge if you hunt them in the water, with spear, flippers, and a snorkel/mask. I think I'd enjoy that kind of hunt, though instead of a spear I'd use a waterproof camera. If you catch one with a camera, you don't need to clean and cook it.

On land, with a large-caliber rifle, maybe not so challenging.

Even Elmer Fudd might be able to sneak up on one, if he's vewwy vewwy quiet.

[David Zephyr]

4. Judi Lynn, I love Costa Rica anyway, this just makes it more so.

K&R.

Thanks for all the news you bring to the DU, especially about Latin America. It's one of the things I depend on here. (I lived over 5 years in Latin America).

[Judi Lynn]

36. If only others would move now to follow their lead instead waiting until everything's gone!

DU has a missing poster, Arcos, who used to post here all the time from Costa Rica.

He was our window to this VERY interesting country.

Left after Laura Chinchilla got elected, I believe. I take that to indicate she's not great for progressive Costa Ricans.

Thank you, hope you make many more trips to the Americas, and enjoy every minute.

[colsohlibgal]

6. Good!

I have never understood the thrill of shooting living things for the fun of it.

[alterfurz]

9. you, me, and Walter De La Mare

Hi!
Hi! Handsome hunting man,
Fire your little gun,
Bang! Now that animal
Is dead and dumb and done.
Never more to peep again, creep again, leap again,
Eat or sleep or drink again, oh, what fun!

[gejohnston]

27. neither have I, but

but when I was a kid, the deer and small game my brother and I shot as kids supplemented my mom's food stamps and meager pay check. When my son was younger, he asked how I felt about hunting, I told him "you kill it, you eat it." If you think that is barbaric, go to feed lot, factory farm, on the killing floor of a meat packing plant.
I don't like trophy hunting, but people who look down their noses at venison eating rednecks while buying pre packaged beef that someone else killed in a not so humane way are frankly hypocritical.

But I digress, I'm guessing the ban will mostly affect rich foreigners custom made rifles that cost more than my house.

[samsingh]

10. civilized at last - i hate hunting - it's barbaric

[RebelOne]

11. Me too.

Hunting is not a sport anyway. A sport is only if both sides are equally equipped.

[samsingh]

33. agreed

[Arctic Dave]

13. Very good news.

"Thrill Kill" hunters are scumbags.

[SunSeeker]

14. Exactly. I don't get killing for pleasure. nt

[cpwm17]

26. Thrill Killers

You beat me to it with that line. I can't stand killing for pleasure.

[Flaxbee]

15. Excellent news! I've never been to CR, but I'll make sure I get there

somehow, just to express support.

Hunting is just barbaric. Unless you really, really need the food, which in today's world shouldn't be a reality (though I know for too many hungry people it is), there is no need to hunt. It is not a sport. It is bloodthirsty, wasteful, hateful killing. Anyone who enjoys killing an animal just for the heck of it should get a psych evaluation.

[gejohnston]

28. ever been to a feed lot?

shooting a deer and eating it is not barbaric. It is knowing where your food comes from. If you want to see barbaric, visit the feed lot or factory farm. Trophy hunting is barbaric. Eating store bought meat, pumped full of chemicals and inhumanely killed by some underpaid person, and looking down on the venison eating redneck is hypocritical.

[samsingh]

34. what about the children of the animal that is killed?

[gejohnston]

35. hunting seasons are timed

when young animals are grown, which is why it is in the fall and often for males. Male deer don't help raise the kids. Mushroom burgers are really good with Swiss cheese.

[samsingh]

38. i honestly can't see how someone can kill an animal

- for food i reluctantly can

- for sport - i can't. trump's son went to Africa to hunt a cat. to me that is the definition of evil
- there are stories of paul ryan getting excited on some game farm because of all the animals he could kill. disgusting.

[gejohnston]

39. I agree on the sport hunting part

trophies etc. I put that up there with bullfights. I rarely eat meat these days partly because I can't support the factory farm system.

[LanternWaste]

41. Many may say that enjoying it is, though...

"shooting a deer and eating it is not barbaric..."

Many may say that enjoying it is, though...

[spiderpig]

19. I visited Costa Rica for a week about 10 years ago

Friendliest people I ever met.

I used to tell my friends that the Ticos made Hawaiians look downright ornery.

They don't have a military, so they channel their funds into schools. They had (last time I checked) a 95% literacy rate.

It figures they'd channel so much of their efforts into eco-tourism and natural preservation.

Love the place.

[CreekDog]

30. and National Health care!

[fascisthunter]

20. Good... find another hobby richie

[burrowowl]

29. Good on Costa Rica!

Hunting to eat ok, but just for the thrill of it NO!

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

31. The ban would not apply to hunting for "Scientific Research" reasons

...which is the rationale for the Japanese whaling industry.

Anyway, if sport hunting was putting serious pressure on the wildlife populations, then this is a good ban.

If proceeds from sport hunting was used to preserve wildlife habitat, as is done in much of the U.S., then this ban may backfire. Proceeds from U.S. sport hunting have increased the number of white-tail deer, and have brought wild turkeys back from the brink of extinction.

[trailmonkee]

43. nice!!

I'm looking forward to spending vacation dollars in Costa Rica!!

[mitchtv]

44. a big problem is the hunting of turtle eggs

It probably won;t extend to them. You can find them for sale openly in the streets. I don't think it is legal, or maybe depends on the species