Hunting can harm our ecosystem by upsetting the natural balance of predator and prey species in a given environment. For example, if hunters come in and kill the majority of a certain predator, then the species that was kept in check by that predator begin to overpopulate their habitat. On the other hand, if a predator's food source is overhunted, such as rabbitts and other small game, then the species that was dependent on those animals for food will suffer. Hunting can also harm our ecosystem by hastening the extinction of our endangered and threatened species, which are killed in mass by big game hunters every year.