Wild animals are beautiful creatures who should be protected at all costs. Though many are vulnerable or endangered, some sick people still find pleasure in shooting and killing them, even if they're bred for trophy hunting.
Canadian student Sydney Carter recently posted a response to the viral photos of her father with two lions he killed. The emotional YouTube video comes after her father Darren Carter was seen on a trophy hunting trip in South Africa. The trip, which was organized through Legelela Safaris and his wife Carolyn, cost around $15,000, the Mirror reports.
When 19-year-old Sydney saw the viral photos the safari posted on their Facebook page, she uploaded a video calling her dad not to reach out to her and her family again. The caption of her YouTube video reads: "Imagine having $50,000 and spending it to trophy hunt a beautiful animal in Africa rather then give some of it to your kids for Post Secondary school ... that’s the guy i once called dad for u. [sic]"
In an emotional 10-minute post, Sydney talks to the camera while sitting on her bathroom floor. She begins by saying she's uncomfortable before sharing how her dad didn't care about her, her brother or her mother. Darren left Sydney's family for the woman Carolyn in the lion photos, and Sydney hasn't seen him in 10 years.
When Darren and Sydney's mother divorced, Darren paid minimum child support. That is, until Sydney went to college in Canada. Because Sydney wasn't attending full-time classes, her dad wasn't required to pay child support anymore. So he didn't. She says in the YouTube video:
"After knowing that he trophy hunts and thinks it's okay, I am disgusted to call him my dad. After everything he's done: he didn't pay child support, he didn't even give my mom a little bit of money, but he has enough to pay for a $15,000 trip to Africa with his wife that he cheated on my mom with."
"To go to Africa and trophy hunt, that just makes me sick. I refuse to call him my dad anymore. Who does that? I will never understand people like that - that take pride in shooting a beautiful animal like a lion. I'll never understand it. So, Darren, if you're ever watching this, just know that I don't consider you my dad anymore. You're a horrible person."
Several people watching Sydney's YouTube video supported her with comments like: "I’m so sorry, this is so sad, you deserve better" and "Thank you. Thank you for taking a stand. I will never understand how someone can do this to an animal."
This viral video of men shoving a cake in a lion's face shows another act of cruelty:Darren and Carolyn went on their African safari trip at a canned hunting location, where confined animals on reserves are bred just to be shot and killed. As a result of this trophy hunting, majestic animals like giraffes and lions have drastically decreased in number and are now vulnerable species.
