General Zaroff stops hunting animals because he finds it no longer challenging or exciting. In Richard Connell's short story "The Most Dangerous Game," Zaroff is portrayed as a highly skilled and sophisticated hunter who has grown bored with hunting traditional game. He describes hunting animals as predictable and lacking the thrill of danger. Zaroff craves a more formidable adversary that can match his intelligence and cunning.
This desire for a more challenging prey leads him to create a twisted game on his isolated island. Zaroff decides to hunt the so-called "most dangerous game" — human beings. He sees this as the ultimate test of his skills, as humans possess the ability to reason, strategize, and resist being hunted. The thrill of matching wits with another human becomes the new source of excitement for Zaroff.
In the story, the protagonist, Rainsford, becomes the unwilling participant in Zaroff's deadly game, forcing him to navigate the island while being pursued by the seasoned hunter. Zaroff's decision to hunt humans reveals his twisted and sadistic nature, as he seeks the ultimate challenge at the expense of others' lives.
