giraffe killer

American giraffe killer cites opinion that it is “less cruel” to kill old animals

Do you buy her excuse?

giraffe killer

Earlier this week, South Africans were enraged by the news and boastful attitude of an American hunter who had come to SA purely to shoot a giraffe. The woman has tried to defend herself and even cite some “expert” opinion to help her case.

The America giraffe hunter who pissed off the world

Tess Thompson Talley, aged 37, described the kill as her “dream hunt” on a much-maligned social media post, which has since been removed.

“Prayers for my once in a lifetime dream hunt came true today. Spotted this rare black giraffe bull and stalked him for quite a while. I knew it was the one. He was over 18 years old, 4,000 lbs and was blessed to be able to get 2,000 lbs of meat from him.”

After receiving backlash from everyday people across the world to Hollywood celebrities like Ricky Gervais, Thompson was labelled a “disgusting, vile and heartless murderer”.

Read: Human remains found in lion enclosure believed to be that of a rhino poacher

Thanks to some reporting by the YOU magazine, it has been noted that the South African trophy hunting industry is actually a rather large contributor to the economy. In fact, it brings in almost R2billion annually.

One local hunting expert even went as far as saying that due to the numbers of giraffes, they need to be culled. Another hunter argued that it was “much crueller” to let a giraffe die of old age.

“It’s a misconception that giraffe populations are dwindling in South Africa. “Like most other types of game, their numbers need to be culled.”

“Giraffes on many game reserves don’t have any natural enemies. Lions are really the only predators capable of killing a giraffe. To control the populations, the animals have to be sold or slaughtered,” Koos Bernard told YOU.

With hunters saying that an old age death is “much more painful” than shooting a giraffe, people of the world are not likely to be convinced.

Does the idea of travelling across the world to go hunt a wild animal appeal to you? We’re not so sure.