Is it illegal to kill helpless animals?

Animals are used for food and clothing on a regular basis. There are also laws that govern hunting. If an animal is extremely ill or gravely injured, properly putting the animal down is usually considered by most to be a compassionate act. Torturing, being cruel, or killing animals without a valid reason is illegal. Everyone has a different opinion of what constitutes cruelty or a valid reason. There are those whom feel that hunting and such is a legitimate sport and those whom feel that animals have the same rights as people. It could be up for endless debate seeing the openness of the question. The very basic answer is yes. In many cases it is illegal to kill an animal. If you have witnessed or heard of an event that you do not feel was right, than you should contact your local law enforcement agency.