Free Republic

About 14 million people a year buy hunting licenses in the U.S. That's less than 30 years ago, but if you add to that people who own lifetime licenses and youth hunters under 17 who don't need to buy licenses in some states (as they are accompanied by adults), there are close to 19 million hunters in the U.S. each year. If you add in those who don't hunt each year but still consider themselves active, the total number of hunters is closer to 24 million. But the untold story is that the culture of hunting is changing. There are...

Chinese elephants are evolving into an increasingly tuskless breed because poaching is changing the gene pool, a newspaper reported on Sunday. Five to 10 percent of Asian elephants in China now had a gene that prevented the development of tusks, up from the usual 2 to 5 percent, the China Daily said, quoting research from Beijing Normal University. "The larger tusks the male elephant has, the more likely it will be shot by poachers," said researcher Zhang Li, an associate professor of zoology. "Therefore, the ones without tusks survive, preserving the tuskless gene in the species." Since only male elephants...