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The range of animal species hunted by humans varies in different parts of the world. This is influenced by climate, faunal diversity, popular taste and locally accepted views about what can or cannot be legitimately hunted. In some countries, game is classified, including legal classifications with respect to licenses required, as either “small game” or “large game”. A single small game licence may cover all small game species and be subject to yearly bag limits. Some of these animals are endangered or otherwise protected, and thus it is illegal to hunt them.
In Africa, animals hunted for their pelts or ivory are sometimes referred to as big game. Also see the legal definition of game in Swaziland. South Africa is a famous destination for game hunting, with its large biodiversity and therefore impressive variety of game species. Many creatures have returned to former areas from which they were once taken as a result of being killed for big-game hunting.