An American big game hunter has hit back at the conservationist outcry after she hunted, killed and ate a rare black giraffe in South Africa.
The animals are endangered but Tess Thompson Talley says she was actually doing them a favour.
Ms Talley was featured on Instagram posing with a rifle in front of the curled-up body of a black giraffe, whose mottled skin is darker than most African giraffes.
"This beautiful black bull was estimated to be at LEAST 18 years old," she said.
"Hunting may not be for everyone, but it's MY passion!"
But the photos of Ms Talley's kill recently went viral and provoked a backlash. News site Africland Post tweeted she was a "white American savage who is partly a Neanderthal".
Ms Talley has fired back, arguing conservation means culling the old animals.
In a statement to CBS News, she said the giraffe was "beyond breeding age, yet had killed 3 younger bulls".
"Now that the giraffe is gone, the younger bulls are able to breed," she retorted.
"This is called conservation through game management."
Trophy hunting is legal in South Africa, with 200 "canned hunting" farms popular with tourists throughout the country.
Newshub.
