Hunting Is Not A Sport

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photo © kmutlu | Fotolia

“Hunting is not a sport. In a sport, both sides should know they’re in the game.” – Paul Rodriguez

Paul Rodriguez (1955 – present) is a stand-up comedian and actor who appeared in the ABC sitcom “a.k.a. Pablo.” He was born in Mexico but raised in East Los Angeles. He’s been in other comedy series, like “Trial and Error,” and “Grand Slam.” He also appeared in big movies recently, like the 2004 “A Cinderella Story,” “The World’s Fastest Indian,” and “Cloud 9.” However, it was in cable comedy showcases and comedy concert films that he was recognized as one of the best known Hispanic comedians in the US.

Rodriguez is also active in fundraising campaigns and advocacies including the National Hispanic Scholarship Fund, Farm Aid, Leukemia Telethon, Project Literacy, Housing Now, among many others. Clearly, he’s also a supporter of animal rights as more and more people hunt for excitement and display.

Dubbed as “superpredators”, these human hunters kill at much higher rates than other predators to the risk of driving its prey to extinction, warns an ecologist at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, Gerardo Ceballos. According to an analysis of about 300 studies, humans kill large carnivores at 9 times the rate of other predators, for trophies and for eliminating competition.

The worse part of this “sport” is the suffering of animals. Based on reports and studies, quick kills are rare as most of these hunters are unskilled and even impervious to the suffering of their prey. This draws a clear line between responsible hunting and recreational sports.