Mark Zuckerberg has admitted to hunting wild animals “for fun” and that meat tastes better when you’ve killed the animal yourself during a live chat in the backyard of his US home.

The billionaire Facebook founder made the comment while “hanging out with 85,000 people in my backyard” during a Facebook Live video chat before the second US presidential debate.

While sitting in a camp chair in front of two barbeques cooking brisket and ribs, Zuckerberg answered questions from users who joined him online from around the world.

In response to a suggestion to smoke salmon, the 32-year-old revealed his passion for hunting.

“I think half of the joy is that things taste better when you make them yourself. They taste doubly better when you’ve hunted the animal yourself,” he said.

“So whether you’re fishing for salmon or going hunting for a bore that’s a big part of it.

“You feel more connected to what you’re doing, and what you’re eating and then you cook it yourself and then it’s this whole experience.”

Shortly after, another user questioned whether the father-of-one truly enjoyed hunting.

“Yeah, it’s a good way to feel connected to nature,” he replied.

“I feel like if you’re going to eat meat then I think you should get to know where it comes from.

“I started maybe four of five years ago and I enjoy it… I don’t do it too often, I’m pretty busy building Facebook. But it’s pretty fun.”