 Why are the robots hunting Alan?
The robots were built to serve Man; to do his work, see to his comforts, make smooth his way. Frowning, worrying about the sounds, Alan momentarily forgot to watch his step until his foot suddenly plunged into an ant hill, throwing him to the jungle floor. At midday some few of the blue sun's rays filtered through to the jungle floor, but now, late afternoon on the planet, the shadows were long and gloomy. Then, through the trees he saw the clearing of the camp site, the temporary home for the scout ship and the eleven men who, with Alan, were the only humans on the jungle planet, Waiamea. Anybody who can build a robot that hunts by homing in on animals' mind impulses ..." Without pausing to think, Alan leaped back, and fell sprawling over a bush just as one of the robots rolled silently up from the right, lowering its blaster barrel to aim directly at his head. With an awkward jerk the robot swung around and fired its blaster, completely dissolving the lower half of the cat creature which had clung across the barrel. The killer turned and rolled back towards the camp, leaving Alan alone. "I suppose," he muttered to himself, "that Pete assembled these robots in a batch and then activated them all at once, probably never living to realize that they're tuned to pick up human brain waves, too. The metal killers, tuned to blast any living flesh, would murder them the instant they stepped from the ship!
 The robots aren't hunting Alan specifically. They are hunting all life forms.
 The robots aren't hunting Alan specifically. They are hunting all life forms.  The robots are hunting Alan because he invaded Waiamea.  The robots aren't hunting Alan. They're hunting pumas. Alan got in the way.  The robots are hunting Alan because he was illegally poaching pumas in the jungle.