It’s just conservation, says giraffe hunter
AN AMERICAN big game hunter has defended herself after being widely criticised for killing a black giraffe in South Africa.
Tess Thompson Talley, 37 posted photographs of herself next to the dead animal on social media, and was swiftly condemned by conservationists.
The hunter claimed she shot the 18-year-old bull because it had been killing other, younger bulls.
She told CBS News the giraffe was “beyond breeding age, yet had killed three younger bulls… now that the giraffe is gone, the younger bulls are able to breed”.
Ms Talley added: “This is called conservation through game management. The numbers of this sub-species is actually increasing, due, in part, to hunters and conservation efforts paid for in large part by big game hunting.
“The breed is not rare in any way other than it was very old. Giraffes get darker with age.”
After killing the animal last summer Ms Talley had written on Facebook: “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.” Ricky Gervais, the comedian, who often posts about animal welfare issues, called Ms Talley a profanity on Twitter.
Lorraine Kelly, the daytime television presenter, branded her a “total a------e of a woman”.
Big game hunting is legal in South Africa, where the industry and related tourism brings in £1.7 billion annually.
Giraffes were classified as “vulnerable” in 2016 by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.
The number of giraffes in sub-saharan Africa has dropped by nearly 40 per cent since 1985, according to the organisation.