Is it cruel to hunt animals for sport?

Sixteen million Americans went hunting this past spring, and consider it both pastime and sport. But anti-hunting groups call it a "cruel, needless killing spree," and argue killing animals for pleasure is sick and wrong. Hunting advocates say hunters...

Is it cruel to hunt animals for sport?

Sixteen million Americans went hunting this past spring, and consider it both pastime and sport. But anti-hunting groups call it a "cruel, needless killing spree," and argue killing animals for pleasure is sick and wrong. Hunting advocates say hunters conserve wildlife and animal habitats (though many animal rights groups disagree). Plus, if you eat meat, someone had to kill that animal. Why should we malign hunters who do the killing themselves? What do you think?

PERSPECTIVES

Hunting species that are plentiful and commonly consumed -- like elk, deer, and rabbit -- is one thing, but "trophy hunters" who pay fortunes to kill endangered animals like leopards, elephants and grizzly bears are generally looked upon with disgust:

If it were about conservation, we'd recommend these "hunters" donate money for preservation efforts ... The simple fact is there something wrong with a person who feels the need to travel to the other side of the globe to kill an endangered animal."

If you eat meat, it's tougher to rage against the ethics of hunting. At least hunters are killing the animals themselves, rather than letting someone else do it. Plus, ethical hunters pay high fees for licenses, which contribute to wildlife and habitat conservation:

"Hunters and anglers were among the first crusaders for conservation and we remain today's most important conservation leaders."

But other people argue anyone who eats meat has no room to judge hunters. If you buy meat at a grocery store, aren't you allowing someone else to do the killing for you? And given how most meat is produced in the United States, is factory farming really less cruel to animals than being hunted? Which system imposes more suffering on animals, and is more damaging to their habitat?

thetylt.com 

Hunting critics argue that it's not only unnecessary, it's cruel.

"Hunting is a violent and cowardly form of outdoor entertainment that kills hundreds of millions of animals every year, many of whom are wounded and die a slow and painful death."  thetylt.com 

Most Americans find hunting for sport more immoral than abortion.

Surprising to me: on average, Americans think "hunting animals for sport" is more morally wrong than abortion https://t.co/rTNmKLjn81 pic.twitter.com/o7NavCnUin

-- Matt Blackwell (@matt_blackwell) January 26, 2017

But many hunters take the ethics of the practice seriously and see themselves as stewards of the environment.

I don't attack your for your "save the environment" anti hunting posts, so don't attack me when I post pictures of animals I kill ethically

-- Hunter (@Hsehman_56) January 24, 2016

The Tylt is focused on debates and conversations around news, current events and pop culture. We provide our community with the opportunity to share their opinions and vote on topics that matter most to them. We actively engage the community and present meaningful data on the debates and conversations as they progress. The Tylt is a place where your opinion counts, literally. The Tylt is an Advance Digital, Inc. property. Join us on Twitter @TheTylt or on Facebook, we'd love to hear what you have to say.

Our editors found this article on this site using Google and regenerated it for our readers.

NEXT NEWS