Opposition to hunting

Opposition to hunting is espoused by people or groups who object to the practice of hunting, often seeking anti-hunting legislation and sometimes taking on acts of civil disobedience, such as hunt sabotage. Anti-hunting laws, such as the English Hunting Act 2004, are generally distinguishable from conservation legislation like the American Marine Mammal Protection Act by whether they seek to reduce or prevent hunting for perceived cruelty-related reasons or to regulate hunting for conservation, although the boundaries of distinction are sometimes blurred in specific laws, for example when endangered animals are hunted.

The term anti-hunting is used to describe opponents of hunting; while it does not appear to be pejorative, it is widely used as such by pro-hunting people. Supporters of hunting contend that opposition is based on emotional reactions to the individual kill which may be eaten by the hunters, and that opponents ignore that modern hunting activities are regulated by scientifically guided legislation resulting thus in improved and increased habitat and growth in the number of individuals of each species that is legally hunted.