This young woman from South Africa tried to justify her action: killing a giraffe during a "box hunt". The 30 Million d'Amis Foundation is outraged at a practice it has denounced since 2014.
The practice of hunting is criticized by animal rights associations, many of which want it banned. Among the different types of hunting, some associations focus on rare animals, sometimes even endangered. This is the case with "safari" or trophy-style hunts, which take place in sub-Saharan African countries. People who practice it enjoy posing with their takes, which greatly shocks most people, especially since today, they are going viral on the networks.
Merelize van der Merwe, a young South African woman, posted hers online on February 13, 2021. The one who describes herself as a trophy hunter tells on Facebook her quest for the ideal animal to slaughter and the adrenaline that it brings. procures. She also proudly recounts how she slaughtered a giraffe during a Valentine's Day hunt, which is currently sparking outrage from animal friends.
Box hunting, a practice that leaves no chance
Merelize said on her Facebook page that she wanted to make a rug out of the skin, and she couldn't care less about the advice of animal rights activists. Posing next to the corpse of the giraffe, an old male, she sparked anger in the comments. Indeed, far from a real quest or a hunt where the animal could have escaped, the young woman took part in a so-called "box" hunt, that is to say in a park. closed. A cruel practice denounced by the association 30 Million d'Amis for years.
Merelize maintains that this practice generates income for local communities, supports park funding to preserve hunted species. But according to the 30 Million d'Amis association, these claims are misleading. The income generated by the trophy hunting of these large animals does not benefit the local populations. As for the animals, they are raised in sometimes deplorable conditions. The game reserves in which they are then released give them no chance to escape during the hunting party. Far from the adventure described, the animals are sometimes hunted down with the help of professional hunters as backup, in order to be sure of killing them. This hobby only benefits a small, wealthy minority who, far from contributing to the local ecosystem, destroy it for their own good.