10-year-old kills 13 foot alligator// Maddie Hanratty// 8th period

Summary: 

A Texas 10-year-old killed a 13 foot alligator using her crossbow. She often hunts with her father and is commended on her recent triumph.

Analysis/Opinion:

As someone who loves animals and is passionate about their rights (which basically includes the right to live and the right to not be bothered by humans), I had some issues with this article, as it glorifies killing another being when it is unnecessary. As children, we were all animal lovers. We watched movies like Charlotte's Web, Finding Nemo, Babe, Bambi, etc. and a common theme within all of those is the animal serving as the protagonist and the human as the antagonist. We were so upset when a cartoon animal got hurt- so it baffles me that a 10-year-old child could kill a real alligator. In my opinion, this disregard for another being's life is not a healthy value. We have to remember that for us it's 15 minutes of fame, an article or a trophy, but for the animal it is existence itself. I don't believe that animals are here for our use. Reading some of the feedback on the article, some people brought up the point the the alligator was a threat to the food web in the area and a hazard to humans, and that because of this, the murder was justifiable. I acknowledge the fact that the alligator was a threat in some aspects- in which case it should have been "taken care of" by a professional exterminator using a method of sedation and then putting the animal down.

Synthesis:

The disregard people have today about the value of animal's lives is similar to the disregard Anglos and Spanish had for Native Americans and African slaves. They were not hunted for sport, but if a Native American or African died of disease, etc., there was certainly no sympathy from the general public of white settlers. In fact, settlers commended God for clearing the path to land they were destined to have in the case of a Native American death. Much like this young girl was commended for killing the beast who caused much less destruction than a human being in their lifetime.

http://www.hlntv.com/shows/the-daily-share/articles/2015/10/08/10-year-old-texas-girl-kills-an-800-pound-gator-with-a-crossbow?cid=H57183a10