A Canadian couple is facing fierce backlash online after posing for a kiss behind a lion they had just killed on a hunting trip, the Daily Mail has reported.
Darren and Carolyn Carter of Edmonton, Alberta, took part in a tour that was organized through a company called Legelela Safaris, and which offers its guests the opportunity to hunt lions, rhinos, giraffes, zebras, and elephants. Guests pay thousands of dollars for the opportunity to hunt and kill these creatures.
After shooting the magnificent beast, the couple posed behind the lion, happily kissing for the camera in celebration of their kill. The images have since been shared across social media with many news outlets and individuals branding the couple as "sick":
The tour operators often will share pictures of the hunters and their kills on their Facebook page - with many of the hunters smiling and posing with their guns. They captioned this particular photo:
"Hard work in the hot Kalahari sun...well done. A monster lion. Well done to the happy huntress and the team..."
And this wasn't the only lion the couple killed. Other photos shared to Facebook show the same couple in front of another dead lion, captioned: "There is nothing like hunting the king of the jungle in the sands of the Kalahari."
According to the Mirror, the Carters run a taxidermy business called Solitude Taxidermy and have described themselves as "passionate conservationists".
After the Mirror reached out for questioning, Mr Carter said: "We aren’t interested in commenting on that at all. It’s too political."
Many people who support trophy hunting will argue that they love the creatures and that the money spent hunting the animals helps fund conservation and continuation of the species. But if you really loved the animals, wouldn't you just donate the money and take a trip to see the creatures? Or is it all about the killing?
In another act of cruelty that disgusted social media users, a group of men recorded themselves smashing a cake into a lion's face:Speaking to the Daily Mail, Eduardo Goncalves, the founder of the Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting, believes the lions were captive and bred for the sole purpose of being killed by hunters:
"It looks as though this lion was a tame animal killed in an enclosure, bred for the sole purpose of being the subject of a smug selfie.
"This couple should be utterly ashamed of themselves, not showing off and snogging for the cameras."
Legelela Safaris charges £2,400 ($3000) for giraffe hunts and £2,000 ($2,500) for zebra.