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Sabrina Corgatelli: US hunting tourist posts picture of herself with dead giraffe after Cecil the lion outrage

Following public outcry after Zimbabwe's Cecil the lion was killed, trophy hunters posting pictures online have received increased criticism

Monday 03 August 2015 15:37 BST

Sabrina Corgatelli poses with the body of the giraffe she killed on safari in South Africa (Facebook/Sabrina Corgatelli)

A US hunting tourist has provoked an online backlash after posting photos of herself with several dead animals in South Africa.

Sabrina Corgatelli, a senior accountant and hunting enthusiast from Idaho, posted pictures on her Facebook page of herself with animals including a giraffe that she shot dead.

Ms Corgatelli has been posting hunting pictures from Old Days Safari park in South Africa on social media since July and has told her "haters" that there is more to come.

The caption underneath the picture of Ms Corgatelli with the giraffe read: "Day #2 I got a amazing old Giraffe. Such a amazing animal!! I couldn't be any happier!! My emotion after getting him was a feeling I will never forget!!!"

Ms Corgatelli, an accountant for Idaho State University, commented under the picture, saying: "I have so much respect and love for this animal. It was the most ethical shot I have ever made!!! I have such a disbelief that I got a giraffe!!!"

Animal rights advocates online have fiercely criticised trophy hunters after Cecil the lion was shot and killed by a US dentist during an allegedly illegal hunt in Zimbabwe last month.

The most controversial animal killings

Show all 6

1/6The most controversial animal killings

The most controversial animal killings

Cincinnati Zoo worker shots and kills Harambe, the 17-year-old gorilla

Harambe, a 17-year-old gorilla was shot and killed by a Cincinnati Zoo worker after a three-year-old boy climbed into a gorilla enclosure and was grabbed and dragged by Harambe. The incident was recorded on video and received broad international coverage and commentary, including controversy over the choice to kill Harambe. A number of primatologists and conservationists wrote later that the zoo had no other choice under the circumstances, and that it highlighted the danger of zoo animals in close proximity to humans and the need for better standards of care

Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden

The most controversial animal killings

Walt Palmer (left), from Minnesota, who killed Cecil, the Zimbabwean lion (pictured here with another lion shot in Africa)

Walter James Palmer has been named by Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force as the shooter of Cecil, a 13-year-old prized lion. He is now wanted by Zimbabwe officials on poaching charges. The lion was protected and the subject of a decade long study by the Wildlife Unit of Oxford University in the UK. He was outfitted with a GPS collar and was killed in Hwange National Park. The Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Authority and the Safari Operators Association said that two men were charged with poaching in connection to Mr Palmer

The most controversial animal killings

Kendall Jones hunting images

Kendall Jones, a 19-year-old Texas Tech university student, has provoked worldwide fury after posting pictures of herself smiling next to animals she hunted, including a lion, rhinoceros, antelope, leopard, elephant, zebra and hippopotamus

The most controversial animal killings

Rebecca Francis hunting images

Rebecca Francis, a huntress who has killed dozens of wild animals has been sent death wishes by furious social media users after a picture showing her lying down next to a dead giraffe was circulated. Rebecca Francis has a website and Facebook page dedicated to the animals she has killed in hunts across Africa and America. Francis, a prolific hunter who has also co-hosted the television show Eye of the Hunter, regularly posts pictures of herself posing next to dead bears, giraffes, buffaloes and zebras, among other animals. She uses a bow and arrow to kill her prey

The most controversial animal killings

The slaughter of Marius, an 18-month-old healthy giraffe in Copenhagen Zoo

Copenhagen Zoo made the controversial decision to euthanise a healthy giraffe named Marius, which was later dissected and fed to lions as visitors watched. The slaughter sparked a furious backlash from social media users and zoo staff have received death threats by phone and email. Soon after the incident, Copenhagen Zoo faced an international outcry once again after four healthy lions were put down

The most controversial animal killings

Swiss Dählhölzli zoo kills healthy brown bear cub

A Switzerland zoo faced heavy criticism from animal rights groups, after keepers put down a healthy brown bear cub to spare it from being bullied by its dominant male father. The 360 kg male bear Misha had already killed one of his 11-week old cubs in public and was bullying the second, staff at the zoo said, because he was jealous of the attention the cubs were receiving from their mother, Masha. Both adult brown bears had been donated to Bern’s Dählhölzli zoo in 2009. Campaigners condemned staff there for not separating the cubs, who are being referred to as Baby Bear Two and Baby Bear Three, and their mother from Misha after their birth in January

Facebook

In response to critics Ms Corgatelli quoted the Bible on hunting: "Genesis 9:3 says, 'Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything.'

Genesis 27:3 says, 'Now then, take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me,'" she wrote.

Tourists pay thousands of pounds to hunt animals in South African safaris including the Big Five – elephant, buffalo, lion, leopard and rhino (Facebook/Aaron Neilson)

Ms Corgatelli's trophy kills during her South African trip with her partner Aaron Neilson include giraffe, kudu, impala, wildebeest and warthog.

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