Animals Have Rights. Animals have and should have rights just like humans. The International League of the Rights of Animals states that, "all animals are born with an equal claim on life, are entitled to respectful treatment, and have the right to live freely in their natural environment" (1). According to this doctrine, hunting is a direct violation on the rights of animals. It is a activity that "disrupts families and causes pain, trauma, and grief to both the victims and the survivors" (2). Killing a mother deer, for example, may cause her offspring to suffer and die. In addition, hunters often wound animals other than the ones they actually kill. In short, hunting disrupts the cycle of nature. People who support hunting may argue that "animals cannot feel pain," but this is not true. Scientific research has shown the animals can indeed feel pain and that they do suffer when mistreated or harmed in any way (3).
Hunting is Unnecessary. In our modern day civilization hunting is no longer a required practice for human survival. There are cheaper, easier, and more ethical ways to attain food and clothing (4). In the past hunting was necessary: meat served as a main source of food, animal skins provided clothing and shelter, and other body parts were put to use as tools and jewelry. However, in this day and age, there is absolutely no need for animal-made products nor for wild meat (5). Some argue that hunting is ethical as long as the purpose is to attain food, but in modern times this is seems an excessive activity when there is more than enough food to go around. Whatever people may claim, today in the United States hunting is practiced chiefly for sport. According to several studies, "the average price of venison from deer shot in the woods after calculating the costs of firearms, ammunition, license fees, travel expenses, etc is about $20.00 per pound" (6). Obviously, there are less expensive ways to eat in the modern world.
Hunting is Unfair. There is nothing fair about humans killing animals. While man has the advantage of a powerful weapon, animals have no defense but to run away. Weapons are getting more and more advanced and hunting barely seems a competition anymore. There are also competitions where hunters shoot at caged animals, and the animal has no way out.
Animal Populations Control Themselves. The reason why certain species of animals (the white-tailed deer, for example) have become over-populated is because of humans. Hunters killed off the major carnivores (mountain lions, wolves, bobcats) and without them there are no longer natural agents to keep the food chain under control (7). Before humans interfered, the natural predators were able to control the animal population.
Animal Meat and Skin Are Unnecessary. In this day in age there is absolutely no need to eat wild game when there is an abundance of other foods that taste just as good (8). Humans should to be allowed to indulge in something that so directly hurts the environment. It is also completely unnecessary, not to mention wrong, to wear clothing made from animal skins. In the past it may have been essential to wear fur as the only way to keep warm in the winter. Today there are other man-made fabrics that are just as warm. And if the fur look is what people desire, there are faux fur coats that look extremely authentic. "There is absolutely no need to kill 50 lizards, for example, in order to make a pair of cowboy boots or club to death hundreds of baby harp seals in order to make fur coats for women" (9). It is simply wrong to make animals suffer just for the material benefit of humans.
Citations:
(1) "Animals Have Rights." Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. 13 May 2002. <http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/OVRC>
(2) "Frequently Asked Questions: Hunting." PETA website. <http://www.peta.org/cmp/actguide15hunt.html>
(3) "An Overview of Killing For Sport." online. <http://www.parkc.org/killing.htm>
(4) Thiroux, Jacques P. Ethics: Theory and Practice. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2001.
(5) Ibid.
(6) "An Overview of Killing..."
(7) Thiroux
(8) Ibid.
(9) Ibid.
Hunting: Frequently Asked Questions and Comments - This question and answer page is on the PETA website and is a good source of information.
An Overview of Killing for Sport - This article gives many reasons for why hunting is unethical.
PETA - People For the Ethical Treatment of Animals - is known as the largest animal-rights organization in the world.
PAR - People For Animal Rights - is an all-volunteer, non-violent activist and educational group dedicated to promoting the guiding principle that all life on this planet is sacred and interconnected
Defenders of Wildlife - is an organization dedicated to the protection of all native wild animals and plantsmost serious environmental threats to the planet: the accelerating rate of extinction of species and the associated loss of biological diversity, and habitat alteration and destruction.