Former Super Bowl champion, Carson Wentz, recently posted a photo on Instagram showing him kneeling beside a dead black bear. “Bucket list Got the opportunity to spot and stalk a black bear in one of our new favorite places on earth– Alaska! Incredible trip and an incredible animal!” read Wentz’s caption.
Wentz grew up hunting and has previously posted other content showing footage of him hunting a deer in Indiana. He is one of several NFL players, including Jay Cutler, DeAngelo Williams, and Derek Wolfe who hunt.
Wentz is now facing criticism from followers and commenters online. In his photo, Wentz can be seen posing next to the black bear holding a bow and arrow. Although he does not explicitly state that he used the weapons to kill the bear, bow hunting is often viewed as inhumane since not all animals are killed by the first shot.
Instead, many are only wounded. Some of these wounded animals are never recovered by the hunters and are left to suffer. Sadly, other forms of hunting frequently have the same results.
While Wentz’s hunt appears to have been legal, hunting is still immoral and can cause significant harm. Hunting wild animals disregards these animals’ family and community dynamics.
Unfortunately, young animals left without a parent are unlikely to survive. Additionally, animals that live in close-knit communities may experience adverse reactions after the death of one of their members.
Hunting, especially “sport” hunting, can also damage ecosystems. Frequently, wild animals are captured and transported from one location to another so that hunters can kill them.
This creates an imbalance within the ecosystem, and can also lead to the transfer of pests or diseases from one area to another.
The hunting of exotic animals worldwide is another example of how hunting can harm both wild animals and important ecosystems.
This article by Willow Lynn was first published by OneGreenPlanet on 29 June 2023.
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