Well I tend to think it's something else. The control of human beings. The enforcement of some kind of nebulous morality based on...? Evolution? What? Certainly not based on the Bible. On the one hand the animal rights wackos say humans and animals are equal. On the other hand, they say we should not kill animals. Why not? Animals do it to each other.
There are only a few places where the Bible speaks about the treatment of animals. The closest it comes to 'animal rights' is in Proverbs. "A righteous man cares for the needs of his animal" - yes, they should be treated humanely. But everywhere else it talks about how we may kill them for food and other uses.
It's a fallen creation, so you'd best learn to emotionally deal with it. Death is part of life now, and someday that will be changed. The only really effective way to stop people mistreating animals is to make the *people* more righteous inwardly. But we've already been told that the world is corrupt and will become more so. Without that inner morality to motivate the humane treatment of slaughter animals, the market will not handle the costs that will be incurred from that humane treatment.
Buy freerange meat and/or hunt your own. Vote with your pocketbook. The market is powerful, if you can convince enough people to act honorably.
this of course doesn't address your concerns that 'sport hunters' are uncouth thugs and their 'sport' should be banned. Sport hunting serves a good purpose. The animals are rarely wasted. There is always someone who will use the meat. In fact it is illegal to improperly dispose of what you kill in every place I am aware of.