The circle of life is full of messy, painful deaths.  We've removed
ourselves
from the sight of it by living in cities and shopping in supermarkets.

The most skilled predators botch their hunts regularly.  They don't
always
get the jugular.  I live in the mountains above the city and see more
of this
than a normal city person.  Mostly hawks and foxes after the cute
little
bunnies, but also a fair amount of deer dying for various reasons.

I'm not saying this gives anyone a right to go out and torture
animals, but
as Ray says, animals torture each other regularly.  Death isn't
sterile in
nature.  And if you think about it, which gives the bear a better
chance of
getting away woundless, a gun or a spear?

Personally, I've always said that if I had to hunt my own food to
live, I'd
become vegetarian instantly.

Denise