what must be true for an animal to be classified as legal game?

To classify an animal as legal game, it must meet criteria set by wildlife management authorities, which typically focus on sustainability, legal harvest standards, and clear use in hunting or meat production. The core requirement is that the species is designated as legal game by the relevant authority and that its population can support regulated hunting without endangering ecological balance. Key common elements often include population stability or growth, non-endangerment, and a regulation framework (season, license, methods) that allows sustainable harvest. If you’d like, I can tailor this to a specific country or region to reflect the exact legal definitions and criteria used there.