Hunter becomes a Twitter target after posing with kills in Scotland
AS A well-known professional hunter with her own television show in the United States, Larysa Switlyk believed she could use her celebrity to promote the sport in Scotland.
But when the 33-year-old posed with the carcasses of a goat, a ram and red deer stags on the Hebridean island of Islay, she found herself at the centre of a furore, with celebrities among thousands expressing outrage.
Yesterday, Judy Murray, the mother of tennis stars Andy and Jamie, tweeted: “Disgraceful. It’s a goat. And it’s in Scotland. On a beautiful island. Stop this.” Nicky Campbell, the radio presenter, called Switlyk a “twisted sicko”.
Other Twitter users tried to suggest the firearms used to kill the animals in the photos were illegal. A spokesman for Police Scotland said: “We are aware of the incident. However, no complaints have been received.”
In one photo on her Twitter account, Switlyk boasted of shooting a goat with a “200-yard shot” during a “fun hunt” on Islay.
Yesterday, politicians joined in the call for an immediate ban on the shooting of the feral animals. Michael Russell, Scotland’s Brexit minister and the local MSP, said he would raise the matter with Roseanna Cunningham, Scotland’s environment minister.
However, Alex Hogg, the leader of Scotland’s gamekeepers, pointed out that the RSPB had culled goats on the edge of Loch Lomond to protect native woodland. He said: “If paying visitors are coming to Scotland to do a job that would have been done anyway, and are spending in local communities whilst doing so, then calling for immediate bans may be a knee-jerk reaction.”
The shooting of deer, feral goats, and a range of game birds is legal in Scotland and elsewhere in the UK with permission from landowners or gamekeepers. Deer are culled to maintain the health of the herd and the natural environment. There is no suggestion there was anything illegal in what Switlyk and her fellow hunters did.
Country sports are said to be worth around £155 million a year to Scottish tourism, but Donald Cameron, Tory MSP for the Highlands and Islands, said Islay was a tourist attraction in its own right “without being associated with the obscure hunting of goats and rams, especially given the ‘trophy’ element of these pictures”.
The Scottish government said yesterday that it would review the law on animal culling. Nicola Sturgeon, the First Minister, tweeted: “Totally understandable why the images from Islay of dead animals being held up as trophies is so upsetting and offensive to people. The Scottish government will review the situation and consider whether changes to the law are required.”
A Scottish Government spokesman said: “Responsible and appropriate culling of animals is a necessary part of
‘If paying visitors are coming to Scotland to do a job that would have been done anyway, calling for bans may be a knee-jerk reaction’
sustainable land management, and the culling of some wild animals is not illegal. However, we understand the concerns caused by these images and the Environment Secretary will consider whether any clarification of or changes to the law might be required.”
The Telegraph contacted Ms Switlyk for comment.
♦ French game producers Gibovendee and Envol de Retz are suing Brittany Ferries for refusing to transport pheasant and partridge chicks to Britain, alleging pressure from anti-hunting activists, their lawyer said yesterday.
The two firms, based in western France, are also taking on P&O Ferries and Danish shipping company DFDS.