There's no sport whatsoever in that. It takes a weak man to shoot an animal for sport.
If humans must kill to eat, that's one thing, but to see sport in the taking of another life, whether they view that life as dangerous or not, is the sign of warped mind.
Now, I would not oppose humans hunting other like-minded humans. Think about it -- now that would be a sport. A true sport because the "prey" could also use the same tracking and trickery to win. If I had an island -- no worries, I don't -- I'd be happy to donate it for the sport of hunter hunting hunters. Just think of the great trophy you could have stuffed above the fireplace1
And another upside would be ridding the world of a good number of sport hunters.
Win/win.
The venom and lack of understanding in this thread, towards hunters, is quite remarkable.
Specific to the hunting of elephants and lions,etc in Africa: I am given to understand that licensed legal hunters are only allowed to take animals that are sicky or are causing problems for humans in the area, or which are deemed to be "excess population" beyond what the area can easily support. The licenses and so forth are quite expensive and the money is used to fund conservation efforts in the region... indeed, it is my understanding many conservation parks could not exist without the funds provided by lawful hunters.
I am given to understand that the meat of the animal typically goes to the nearest village, at least in some countries, providing some relief from the lack of sustenance to which many African villages are subjected.
As for hunting in general, "sport" or otherwise... in America, hardly anyone hunts out of actual necessity. However, most hunters do use the meat. Offhand I don't know of anyone, even those who do take "trophies", who do not also keep and consume the meat, often giving some of it away to people they know.
Even with a rifle, hunting (under the rules as established by most States) is a challenge. To do so successfully requires knowledge of the area and the animal's habits, and may involve skills of tracking and stealth as well as marksmanship. Even veteran hunters come back empty-handed quite often, never having been able to generate an opportunity for a clean shot.
Given the relative lack of natural predators in North America, if it were not for hunters deer would overpopulate in many areas, stripping away edible plants and becoming even bigger garden/farm pests than they already are, and then starve to death unpleasantly by the hundreds of thousands, along with many other animals that depend on the same food sources.
Given the choice between slow starvation and a bullet, I know which I'd prefer.
And again, in America the licenses and fees hunters pay commonly go to help fund conservation and parks enjoyed by all.
This haste to damn all "sport" hunters is ill-considered.
