Anti Hunting Ethics

The reason why many people are against hunting is because they believe it is unethical and immoral to stalk and kill an innocent animal. Environmental and animal advocates believe it to be barbaric, demeaning, and cruel to put animals through the terror and pain of being hunted. 

The killing of wild animals used to be a necessary act by humans to provide food. It was a way of survival. However, humans continue to hunt, but now for sport. Anti-hunting advocates believe that hunting is unnecessary, not at all practical and causes immense suffering to individual wild animals. You see, hunting opponents find hunting unethical on a number of grounds. From a pure animal rights standpoint, killing any animal for food is morally objectionable, whether referring to deer, cow, or chicken. Many find hunting to be unethical because the killing is recreational. 

It is also argued that modern day hunting equipment and technology makes it nearly impossible to make the hunt fair. Animals don't stand a chance. A hunter can easily shoot and kill a deer from 400 feet away, but if a deer detected a natural predator, like a wolf, at the distance, the deer wouldn't even think of fleeing. Modern technology has erased any chance of fairness in hunting.

Recreational hunting also include "trophy hunting". Hunters target specific animals of specific sex, size and heads to show off as a trophy kill. They then have these kills either stuffed or dismembered to have mounted on a wall or put on display which many hunting opponents find completely degrading. 

Another ethical issue that concerns anti-hunting advocates, is the fact that many animals who happen to survive a hunt are left terrified or injured and sometimes left to die slowly and in pain. Less than 7% of Americans are active hunters and many are amateurs. Hunting opponents fear for animals that are wounded but not immediately killed. This leaves them without a chance against any other predator or disease if they even survive long enough to face such circumstances. 

Animal advocates feel strongly about their ethical values on the subject of hunting. They believe that animals do not deserve to be stalk and killed for sport or left terrified or injured. Animals are living things and deserve to be treated better and with respect. 

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click here to watch the video from 60 Minutes on the subject


Sources:

CBS & 60 Minutes
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7396838n

(IDA) In Defense of Animals
http://www.idausa.org/facts/hunting.html