When a Minnesota dentist killed a prized African lion named "Cecil," he received a wave of criticism and reignited the hunting debate. Those who oppose hunting often do not understand the many benefits it provides. Hunting provides free census data on animals, as well as money to maintain clean rivers and forests and to manage wildlife populations. Animals are treated more humanely by a hunter's bullet than by the blade of a slaughterhouse. There are two categories of hunters, poachers and traditionalists. However, people seem to classify hunters solely by the practices of poachers. At first, I was one of them (people who didn't know the positive effects of hunting). I thought hunting was a merciless sport. Killing an animal for its antlers, fur, or body parts. I viewed hunters as unethical humans, as did most people I met. Then again, this was before I did my research on hunting. After my research, I discovered some compelling facts. After all, hunting was not what I had perceived it to be. However, there are still people who have a bad impression of hunting because they do not fully understand its meaning. Hunting has been around for as long as humanity has existed. Hunting has played a key role in humans' struggle for survival. Without hunting, our ancestors might not have been able to survive. In his article “Hunting and Human Values,” author Paul Shepard states that hunting can be an inherent behavior and that approximately 95% of the time humanity has existed, we have been hunters. Hunting shaped humanity and to remove it would take away from an important part of history and heritage. Hunting should be protected by laws such as Bill 273, a middle of paper...... and a way for everyone to connect with nature in this modern world. Hunting has a positive impact on wildlife and the economy, helping to maintain animal populations while keeping forests and rivers clean. It also helps the economy by generating revenue through hunting tags and licenses. Works Cited “Wildlife Resources Division Financial Overview.” Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. October 5, 2014. The web. March 08, 2015.Paul Shepard. “Hunting and human values. » Rhetorical choices. Charles I. Schuster, Deborah H. Holdstein, Keith Gilyard. Second edition. New York: Penguin Acdamics, 2013. 568. “What is Mad Cow Disease?” » Children's health Children's health. Internet. March 6, 2015.Van de Pitte, Margaret. “The moral basis of a public policy encouraging sport hunting.” Journal of Social Philosophy 34.2 (2003): 256-266. Religion and Philosophy Collection. EBSCO. Internet. March 9. 2015.