TV presenter causes outrage after posing with lion she killed
An American television presenter has prompted outrage by boasting online that she had killed a lion in South Africa
Melissa Bachman after her “Incredible day in South Africa” Photo: TWITTER
5:51PM GMT 15 Nov 2013
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Melissa Bachman, a keen hunter who makes programmes on the American
outdoors, posted a photograph on Facebook and Twitter of her holding a rifle
and smiling beside the corpse of a male lion.
“Incredible day in South Africa,” the self-styled “hardcore huntress” said of
her pursuits at the Maroi Conservancy, adding: “Stalked inside 60-yards on
this beautiful male lion … what a hunt!”
A furious online reaction led Bachman to deactivate her Facebook and Twitter
pages within hours. It also prompted an online petition asking the South
African government to bar her from returning.
Bachman has posted many pictures on her Twitter feed of animals she has
killed (TWITTER)
“She is an absolute contradiction to the culture of conservation this country prides itself on,” said Elan Burman of Cape Town, the author of the petition, which quickly gathered 3,000 signatures.
“You, lady, are what is wrong with the world,” said Richard Robinson of
Maryland, who was among the signatories. “Take with no consequences. Shoot,
kill, consume, destroy.
“You didn't kill a lion, you stood behind a machine and pulled a little trigger, you pathetic, sad excuse of a human.”
While the African lion is rated “vulnerable” on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List, it is not officially an endangered species. “The main threats to lions are indiscriminate killing,” said the organisation.
The photograph was in keeping with Ms Bachman's past activities. Her official website displays pictures of her posing beside dead alligators, turkeys and bears among other quarry.
She was axed as a contestant on the National Geographic programme Ultimate Survival Alaska last year after 13,000 people signed a petition protesting against the inclusion of a “heartless trophy hunter”. Ms Bachman could not be contacted for comment on Friday.
Ricky Gervais, the British comedian, shared Ms Bachman's comment “what a hunt!” on his own Twitter feed, adding: “Spot the typo”.
“You didn't kill a lion, you stood behind a machine and pulled a little trigger, you pathetic, sad excuse of a human.”
While the African lion is rated “vulnerable” on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List, it is not officially an endangered species. “The main threats to lions are indiscriminate killing,” said the organisation.
The photograph was in keeping with Ms Bachman's past activities. Her official website displays pictures of her posing beside dead alligators, turkeys and bears among other quarry.
She was axed as a contestant on the National Geographic programme Ultimate Survival Alaska last year after 13,000 people signed a petition protesting against the inclusion of a “heartless trophy hunter”. Ms Bachman could not be contacted for comment on Friday.
Ricky Gervais, the British comedian, shared Ms Bachman's comment “what a hunt!” on his own Twitter feed, adding: “Spot the typo”.
