Camouf lage kit? Two days of stalking? We found the Islay goats inside twenty minutes!
The Mail puts boasts of US ‘hardcore huntress’ to the test
DRESSED head-to-toe in camouflage gear and wielding a rifle, American television presenter Larysa Switlyk looked every inch the big game hunter when she posted an image online posing with her latest blood sport trophy.
The picture, purportedly taken on the wild cliffs of a Scottish island for bragging rights, showed her posing over the bloodied remains of a slain wild goat that she claimed she had been hunting for two days.
Yet the Mail can reveal the picture, taken on the Mull of Oa on the southernmost tip of Islay, isn’t quite as it seems. Miss Switlyk’s horned nemesis actually lived a stroll of less than 20 minutes from a beach popular with tourists and dog walkers.
The 20-strong herd the goat belonged to are mild-mannered, people-friendly animals that arrived at the beauty spot several decades ago, having escaped from a now defunct petting zoo.
In the years since, the goats have become favoured companions among dog walkers and are so friendly they have become popular among selfie- hunting tourists. They’ve even been spotted wandering into locals’ gardens.
It’s an image that flies somewhat in the face of Miss Switlyk’s own description of the hunt.
‘We had to hunt hard for a big one for two days and finally got on this group,’ she wrote on social media. ‘Made a perfect 200-yard shot and dropped him.’
The picture of the kill by the selfdeclared ‘hardcore huntress’ was taken a month ago but only posted to social media this week, sparking widespread fury online.
Amid the backlash, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced she was considering changing hunting laws.
Yet the ripples caused by the image have had the biggest impact among the community of Islay itself, where locals say goat hunting has become an unofficial part of the island’s economy.
Oa resident Steve Bavin, 57, saw the hunting party carrying out a reconnaissance of the area.
He said: ‘It was late at night and I saw a group of people dressed head to toe in camouflage. I thought it was strange at the time but continued driving. It was only when I saw the news later that I realised what it was.
‘A lot of people on the island have been affected by the backlash, especially people in the stalking game who have hunted deer for years.
‘People seem to be taking the view that anything to do with guns is bad, but this is a rural community and guns and hunting are a big part of it. The hunting of some of the weaker goats for food or to barter with occasionally has always happened, but those people always choose weaker animals and not the ones with the strongest genes. And then they don’t go and brag about it online, which I think is the difference.
‘On the other hand, the goats have become a problem and do need to be controlled.’
The backlash from the picture, posted on Twitter and Instagram, included criticism from celebrities including Judy Murray, Gabby Logan and Ricky Gervais.
In the wake of the uproar, Miss Switlyk, who also shared images of four stags and a ram killed on her trip, received death threats. She later describing her critics as ‘ignorant people’ on Instagram.
Her visit to the island has left a bitter taste in the mouths of some residents. Douglas Edwards, 73, who has lived on the Mull of Oa for five years, said: ‘I know the goat population has to be controlled but I don’t agree with just anyone coming over and shooting them. The goats aren’t exactly hard to find either. I have to keep my garden gate shut to stop them coming in. When you approach them they simply walk away, so I think her claim it took two days to find and kill this one goat is nonsense.
‘I don’t see how there is any sport in killing them like that. They can be a pest but a lot of people quite like them.’
One shopkeeper said she saw a woman she believes was Miss Switlyk in the store last month.
She said: ‘She was wearing camouflage gear, which I thought was strange at the time. Then this week I read about the goat killing and it made sense.
‘It’s really sad and portrays Islay in a very bad light. We don’t want people thinking they can come over here and kill goats for sport.
‘We have deer and stag stalking but as far as I’m aware the hunting of goats doesn’t happen.’
The land where the kill took place is owned by several farmers, and it is not believed any laws were broken. Some people on the island have dismissed the goat hunting party’s actions, saying hunting has always played a big part in the community.
Islay councillor Alastair Redmond said: ‘There has been a huge over-reaction to this and I don’t think it is wise to run a country based on social media outrage. It is all very over the top and the Brexit minister surely has more important things to do than comment on hunting law in Islay.
‘Hunting deer and stags is a big part of the Islay community but there is so much more to the island.’
Either way, it is unlikely Miss Switlyk will be welcomed back to Islay any time soon.
‘Portrays the island in a very bad light’ ‘They aren’t hard to find’