Outrage as US hunter poses with ‘trophy kills’ on Scots island
Backlash over online hunting boasts of US television host
AMERICAN television host Larysa Switlyk has sparked fury after triumphantly posing with a dead goat on Islay.
The self-styled ‘hardcore huntress’ has been on a hunting trip taking in the island as well as the Highlands.
She has posted images on social media of kills including feral goats, four stags and a ram, as well as a picture of a meal she said was a result of one of her kills.
Miss Switlyk, 33, wrote on Twitter: ‘Nothing better than enjoying what you hunt. Fresh red stag from our hunt in the Highlands of Scotland!’
Islay’s feral goats are routinely culled – including by animal charity the RSPB – to prevent them damaging woodland and protected sites.
Under wildlife legislation, the goats are considered an invasive non-native species and are not protected.
However, Miss Switlyk’s pictures provoked a wave of criticism.
Amid the backlash, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced last night that she is considering changing the law.
She said: ‘Responsible and appropriate culling of animals is a necessary part of sustainable land management and the culling of some wild animals, including deer and goats, is not illegal.’
But she added on Twitter: ‘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 current situation and consider whether changes to the law are required.’
Celebrities including Ricky Gervais and Judy Murray added their support to the protests on social media. Miss Murray said: ‘Disgraceful. It’s a goat. And it’s in Scotland. On a beautiful island.’
BBC presenter Gabby Logan wrote: ‘Those beautiful goats are even more beautiful alive. Please get a new hobby Larysa. This one is repulsive.’ Comedian Gervais sarcastically added: ‘Fun.’ Green Party MSP Mark Ruskell said: ‘Trophy hunting is sadly alive and well in Scotland thanks to lax animal protection laws.’
He added: ‘We should be positioning Scotland as a world-leading destination for eco-tourism rather than chasing after the custom of a small cabal of wealthy hunters who take pleasure from killing animals.’
Miss Switlyk, who presents US show Larysa Unleashed, posted the pictures of herself earlier this week. She is seen in camouflage gear and kneeling beside the dead goat. She also posed ‘in sniper mode’, lying in the grass.
She wrote: ‘We hunted hard for a big one for two days and finally got on this group. Made a perfect 200-yard shot and dropped him.’
She also posted images of a man named Jason posing with animal carcasses, saying: ‘Proud of Jason and his second monstrous Red Stag here in Scotland – talk about gold medal status.’
Country sports such as shooting and stalking are worth an estimated £155million to the Scottish economy each year.
The Scottish Gamekeepers Association said its members are not involved in goat hunting, but
‘So upsetting and offensive’
warned against a ‘knee-jerk reaction’ against a lucrative source of income in rural areas of Scotland.
Chairman Alex Hogg said: ‘The principal reason for goat control in Scotland is to prevent damage to woodland and protected sites.’
An RSPB Scotland spokesman 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 kneejerk reaction.’
SSPCA chief superintendent Mike Flynn said it ‘believes that culls should only take place to protect human health and safety or for animal welfare reasons’.
Miss Switlyk, who also posted images of a visit to St Andrews, Fife, did not respond to a request for comment. It is thought she has returned to the US.