Trophy hunting is one of the least divisive issues of our time. It's only a small minority of people who would argue that it's acceptable behaviour. Sure, I can see the attraction. There's adrenaline, ego, ownership and even family traditions and cultural identity. However, for most people, none of these would outweigh the shame of knowing you have taken the life of an animal purely for the purpose of turning a creature into a carcass. But television presenter Steve Ecklund feels no such shame, new pictures suggest. Ecklund, who hails from Alberta, Canada, recently killed a mountain lion in his home province. He decided to mark the occasion with a couple of snaps - one in which he hugs his dead best friend and another with his morally questionable peers. Ecklund is the co-host of Canadian hunting show The Edge. He is known for hunting rams, black bears and lions in Canada and the US. He routinely publicises images of he and his wife, Alison Ecklund, out hunting. However, this recent hunt has got campaigners' attention. Some of the images have now been removed from Ecklund's Facebook page. However, in a further post, which Facebook deemed as depicting "graphic violence or gore", an animal's heart is shown with a bleeding wound - leaving many to ponder the carcass' fate. Lee Moon, a spokesperson from British-based campaign group Hunt Saboteurs, stated: "Whether legal or illegal, and whatever country it occurs in, hunting for sport is morally reprehensible and has no place in a so-called civilised society." "Links between animal and human abuse are well documented and it's beyond our comprehension what makes people think this kind of barbaric act is deemed acceptable." Moon adds: "When the authorities don't act it's no wonder that people take matters into their own hands and protect hunted animals themselves." Meanwhile, a spokesperson for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) stated: "Only someone dead in heart and head could fail to see that mountain lions, wild boars, deer, and other animals are thinking, feeling individuals - not 'things' to blow away for amusement." "Those animals whose lives aren't taken outright by hunters often endure slow, agonising deaths, leaving their offspring to starve, as they're unable to fend for themselves after their mothers have been killed by some human trying to compensate for feelings of inadequacy." PETA added: "All most of us see when we look at a photograph of a hunter who gunned down an animal for 'pleasure' is photographic evidence of a small person with deep-seated insecurities." Interestingly, on the website for the programme which Ecklund is known for, he is described as a "fair chase hunter". This supposedly ethical form of hunting targets wild animals, as opposed to those in any form of enclosure. However, it seems that the actions of Ecklund are simply indefensible. Luckily, the issue of trophy hunting has gained a lot of exposure recently thanks to cases like that of Cecil the lion. Cecil was the victim of a legal trophy killing in Zimbabwe by American dentist Walter Palmer - who was subsequently the subject of a media storm. That said, President Trump has undone Obama's ban on bringing elephant and lion hunting trophies carcasses into the United States - so it's more important than ever that we have our voices heard. You can sign the petition here to prevent Trump from letting this happen and make the practice illegal again.

In the USA, about six per cent of the population (just over one in 20 people) goes hunting every year. Most of these people kill domestic wild game such as boar or deer, but others will venture further afield in order to satisfy their apparent need to take a life. In fact, some will pay tens of thousands of dollars in order to take down something particularly rare or dangerous.

But, while most people are happy to eat meat or see animals kept in captivity, hunting is an activity that many find repugnant, and those who partake in the so-called "sport" are often called out on social media.

Most recently, a woman named Tess Thompson Talley was named by the Twitter account AfricaDigest for killing an incredibly rare black giraffe.

"White American savage who is partly a neanderthal comes to Africa and shoot down a very rare black giraffe courtesy of South Africa stupidity. Her name is Tess Thompson Talley. Please share," Africa Digest tweeted.

They added:

"If our so called governments can’t care for our wildlife then its time we stand up and responsibility of our continent, lands, resources and wildlife….share share share! and lets have a united voice against pillage of Africa, it’s the only home we have."

Other social media users soon flocked to call Talley out for her heartless actions.

"Their brutality knows no boundaries," wrote one commenter.

"This is horrific," said another. "1st. Why and how are we (#africans) allowing this? 2nd. If you pride yourself at killing animals.... how about a really fast and powerful one. A girafe ? That’s so cruel. So so cruel. [sic]"

Others, however, were defending the hunter, saying that it is the fault of African governments for creating an economy in which hunters' bloodlust is valued more than an animal's life.

"What rubbish," said one person. "She is a hunter. We allow and indeed encourage hunting as an important tourist activity. And on top of which you play the race card. This is virtue signalling, not social commentary."

It is true that "Trophy Hunters" (people such as Talley, who kill for sport rather than necessity) contribute a significant amount to the economies of African governments, and some reports put the income of the business as a whole at around $200 million annually.

What's more, it's also correct that a hunt is often strategically set up so that the target is very weak/old, and was a detriment to its group anyway - therefore making the slaughter somewhat beneficial, in a way.

While many people may argue that there are benefits to trophy hunting, however, the whole business has been proven time and time again to be corrupt.

A recent report from the Democratic staff of the House Committee on Natural Resources found that trophy hunting poses a significant threat to the populations of endangered animals, and that - quite frequently - any money that changes hands during the transaction does not often end up going towards conservation efforts, as is often claimed it does.

"Trophy hunters do not always play by the rules, and the trophy hunting industry needs to be regulated and held accountable for there to be any hope of a consistent conservation benefit," they said.

As these pictures of Tess Thompson Talley show, however, the industry still needs a great deal of regulation if we are to have any hope of conserving the planet's most endangered species of animals.

 

An incredibly rare video of a moose shedding both of its antlers has left social media users absolutely stunned.

A family in Alaska caught the stunning moment on their Ring doorbell camera, which recorded the moment a moose walking outside their front door shook its head, causing its antlers to fall off into the snow with a thud. Tyra Bogert and her husband Chance, the pair who captured the clip, have since spoken about witnessing the insane event.

Chance told Newsweek about the occurrence: "I knew it was rare because all my hunting friends said they've never seen it in real life, let alone being caught on video."

The short clip has since been uploaded to TikTok, where it has already received close to three million views!

Check out the incredible moment below:

In the caption, the pair wrote: "Moose shedding BOTH antlers caught on doorbell camera."

Many viewers took to the comments section to comment their surprise, with one person writing: "why did I always think they had to rub on something to make them come off?"

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"That was fascinating. How would I have ever seen anything like that if not for your camera. Thank you. Incredible," someone else added.

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Another user chimed in: "Am I the only person who didn’t know this was a thing?"

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"I never knew this happened. So they grow back bigger and stronger or what?" a further comment read.

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Tyra told TODAY that they were surprised that so many people have been left shocked at the clip, telling the outlet: "They're like, 'Oh my gosh, I didn't even know moose did this in the first place and what do you mean?

"They can just shake their head and the antlers fall off? They don't have to be like fighting or scratching a tree?' It's pretty crazy how many people are just uneducated on moose. They're so underrated ...but they're really cool animals."

Newsweek detailed that male moose are the only ones to have antlers and that their growth is regulated by testosterone levels. During winter they shed their antlers and up to 60 pounds of weight to conserve more energy for the season.

As for the Alaskan family who captured the video, they plan on mounting the antlers and keeping them for years to come.

Featured image credit: Design Pics Inc / Alamy

A teenage hunter has been hit with $20,000 in fines for illegally killing a moose and leaving its carcass to rot.

The incident took place in November of last year, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW). The CPW discovered the dead animal after they received a tip-off from another hunter who had discovered its carcass.

This is how events unfolded: 

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Officials were sent to the scene where they discovered a dead moose that had been shot by a .270 caliber bullet. There were also bootprint tracks in the snow which, alongside the bullet, led to the identification of 19-year-old Callan Hyatt.

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Hyatt said that he shot the animal, which he did not have permission to hunt, while hunting elk. The 19-year-old explained that he made the mistake because the moose was too far away for its species to be correctly identified.

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CPW reported that Hyatt pleaded guilty to five misdemeanor violations: hunting in a careless manner, failing to locate wounded game, failing to dress wildlife, illegal possession of wildlife, and hunting without a license.

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The 19-year-old was handed $10,000 in fines plus an additional $10,000 for killing the moose, which qualified as trophy game, Fox News reports. Hyatt also faces the possibility of being banned from hunting for up to five years in 47 states.

This is what happened when vandals killed half a million bees: 

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In a news release, CPW District Wildlife Officer Jeff Behncke said: "We understand hunting mistakes and accidents will happen, but we expect sportsmen and women to take immediate responsibility for their actions."

"Thankfully the vast majority of hunters are ethical and do the right thing in cases like this; unfortunately, there are a few that may prefer to try and evade authorities. We offer everyone this advice; if you accidentally kill the wrong species, you should call us right away and field dress the animal immediately so that it does not spoil."

Rather than pay fines of up to $20,000, Behncke said hunters who make the same mistake and own up to it only have to pay $70.50.

People have been left furious after finding out that a hunter who killed a husky and posed with its bloody body was recently given a light sentence.

Amber Rose Barnes from Martin City in Montana pleaded no contest after she was charged with animal cruelty back in October last year, per the Daily Mail.

Just a month prior, the female hunter had taken to Facebook to boast about the killing, even posting photos of the Siberian husky pup's body while she smiled up at the camera.

Alongside a few more graphic snapshots, she wrote: "So this morning I set out for a solo predator hunt for a fall black bear however I got the opportunity to take another predator wolf pup 2022 was a great feeling to text my man and say I just smoked a wolf pup #firstworld #onelesspredatorMT."

After being attacked online, she defended her actions via a Facebook post, stating that she would make the same kill twice to defend herself against an animal that she allegedly described as "aggressive."

"During this time, safety was my top priority this animal was growling howling and coming at me like it was going to eat me," she wrote before adding: "Yes I made a mistake...either way yes I would still have shot it because it was aggressive and coming directly for me!"

The Daily Mail reported that at the time, her husband Frank Tallent, also came to her defense, posting a more explicit message to aid his wife against the backlash.

"It was a deer chasing [feral] a** dog [in] the wrong place at the wrong time," he said. "So if you wanna be a bunch of cry baby a** f****** sheep keep going cause we really don't give two f**** about what's going on or what's being said.

"You cry baby motherf****** and for any other hunters who wanna talk s*** saying it looks bad, he said, 'we'll [sic] f****** s*** it does you stupid mother f****** but mistakes happen."

He then doubled down on it, writing: "Mistakes happen, big f****** deal. Ya my girl friend was out hunting and shot a f****** dog that was dumped out in the woods."

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According to a statement released by authorities, the abandoned wolf pup turned out to be one of 11 that were later taken to an animal shelter to be checked over.

Speaking of the incident, Leslie Williams, co-founder of the #RelistWolves Campaign and RelistWolves.org told World Animal News the following: "What is shocking about this story isn’t just that she killed and skinned a dog, it’s that she posted the story expecting this to be celebrated. There is an entire sub-culture of radical wolf haters in the Northern Rockies, and sadly, those states’ laws allow them to hunt without any regard for ethical norms."

In the end, the 36-year-old pleaded no-contest to the charges and received a deferred sentence.

After further investigation, it was confirmed that she did in fact have a hunting license that made the kill legal - in the state of Montana, an individual is allowed to legally kill or trap 20 wolves a season.

However, Barnes was forced to submit to a punishment that requires her to attend a "hunting safety class" and during that six-month period, she will also not be allowed to use her rifle.

The news of the punishment did not sit well with social media users who believed that justice was not served in this case.

"I would disown any one who could do this..." wrote one user while another urged that "her hunting rights should be revoked... PERIOD."

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And this user stated that hunters tend to hold back from taking a shot when they're unsure of what the target is.

"I’ll be honest, I’ve almost shot a dog when I was out coyote hunting," the user recalled. "I was looking through the scope and it sure as heck looked like a yote but something was telling me to wait and I’m glad I did, it turned its head and I saw the bright color of the collar under the fur. Turns out it was a mutt from a farm a few miles down the road that had wondered off.

"She knew what she was doing. You ask any real hunter and they will tell you that if they are not 100% sure they won’t take the shot," they added.

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"Thats ridiculous! Animal abuse is a felony in all 50 states! Why aren't the laws being inforced, [sic]" said another concerned Facebook user.

"If she can’t tell the difference between a domestic dog and a wolf she should never hunt again. She should also be charged," slammed another.

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The Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks confirmed to Fox News that Barnes had purchased the appropriate license and currently there will be no further charges will be held against her.

Featured Image Credit: Tierfotoagentur / Alamy