A television show funded by the National Rifle Association has been cancelled after the host of the programme shot an elephant in the face and then compared his critics to Adolf Hitler.

NBC Sports Network confirmed that the show, Under Wild Skies, would be pulled from its programming. The network cited the behaviour of the show's host, NRA strategist Tony Makris, as a key factor in the decision.

"Under Wild Skies will no longer air on NBC Sports Network due to the program's close association with its host, whose recent comments comparing his critics to Hitler are outrageous and unacceptable," said a spokesman for NBC Sports Network.

"NBCSN will continue to air all of our other quality outdoor programming."

The cancellation comes after a tumultuous few days for Makris and others associated with Under Wild Skies.

Animal rights groups criticised Makris after last Tuesday's episode showed the host, armed with a .577 rifle that he described as "made to shoot ivory", stalking an elephant in Botswana.

Makris and a guide got within around 20ft of the elephant before shooting it in the face. Both men posed with the dead animal before toasting the hunt with champagne.

The episode prompted an online petition, signed by more than 100,000 people, which called for NBC Sports Network to cancel the show.

Makris responded by telling NRA News that his critics were guilty of "animal racism".

"[Animal activists] go, well nobody should shoot an elephant. I said, why? And they go they're so big and kind and gentle and smart and I said, okay, let me ask you a question. Should I be able to shoot birds? Well, I guess that's okay. Ducks? Yeah. Pigeons? Oh, they're flying rats, okay. ... Do you realize that if you subscribe to that philosophy you are committing a very unique form of animal racism?"

Makris added: "And now they're shocked. And they said but they're so big and special and they're smarter. And I went, you know, Hitler would have said the same thing."

The Hitler remarks appear to have been the final straw for NBC Sports Network. Under Wild Skies is not produced by the network but is a "time-buy", where a production company creates content and buys a slot on NBC to air their programming.

Makris is a public relations consultant who has worked with the NRA for 30 years. In 1997 he was the brains behind Charlton Heston's gun rights lobbying and ascent to the NRA vice-presidency. He is the president of Mercury Group, the PR agency behind an advert run by the NRA in January in response to President Obama's calls for gun control following the Newtown massacre.

The advert, branded "repugnant and cowardly" by the White House, targeted the president's family, asking why Obama is sceptical about armed guards at schools when his children are protected by armed agents.

Hunting elephants is not illegal in Botswana but will be from 1 January 2014. Previous episodes of Under Wild Skies have shown Makris hunting lions and other animals in various African locales.