KYLE ZEEMAN
SA trophy hunter Merelize van der Merwe has drawn international criticism after she boasted about getting the perfect Valentine’s Day gift, posing for a picture of her holding the heart of a giraffe she had just shot.
We have taken the decision not to republish the image here.
According to the Mirror UK, Van der Merwe’s husband spent more than R31,000 on the hunt over the Valentine’s Day weekend.
She said that it had always been her dream to hunt the animal.
“I’d waited years for my own perfect bull — the older a bull gets, the darker he gets. I love the skin and the fact it’s such an iconic animal for Africa,” she told the publication.
She showed off the kill, posting a picture of her holding the animal’s heart, on Facebook.
The post drew massive backlash, including from animal rights activists.
Director of the UK branch of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta), Elisa Allen, described Van der Merwe’s actions to the Independent UK as “bloodlust paired with a burning desire to show off”.
Taking on Facebook on Thursday, Van der Merwe defended trophy hunting, claiming it was conservation and “mafia” animal rights activists could moan all they wanted.
“When a hunter can look at millions of hectares of land that was once cattle farms turned back into game farms, we can be proud because if not for hunting, we wouldn’t be home to 24-million head of game that roam on more than 20-million hectares of agricultural land.
“In a country with 56,717,156 people, we as hunters achieved this, not animal rights activists, or the mafia, as I call them.
“You can p**s and moan all you want, use as much vulgar language, threaten me as much as you want, but you can’t say hunting isn’t conservation!”
— TimesLIVE
Merelize has come in for some harsh criticism, especially from PETA over hunting the giraffe. PETA are hypocritical. Here’s why.
Why PETA Kills
Why does PETA kill cats and dogs by the thousands instead of finding them homes? Simply, PETA does not believe in pet ownership. Ingrid Newkirk has called pet ownership “an abysmal situation.” She further elaborated on her goal for destroying the human-pet bond: “If people want toys, they should buy inanimate objects. If they want companionship, they should seek it with their own kind.”
“In the end, I think it would be lovely if we stopped this whole notion of pets altogether,” she has said.
Ridiculously, PETA has argued that outdoor cats should be summarily killed instead of allowed to live. In a 2014 interview with the Washington Post, Newkirk argued that outdoor cats would be better off dead because they might contract a future illness or be hit by a car in the future. In PETA’s twisted mind, it’s more humane to just euthanize the animals than for a hypothetical harm to befall them in the future. Similarly, PETA has also argued in court that elephants are better off being killed than living in American zoos where they are well cared for.
PETA’s pro-killing attitude is part of its core—and it should shock any animal lover.
PETA kills more animals in a year then Merelize ever could yet PETA praised for being ethical. Go figure.