Scotland is facing calls to change its hunting laws after American huntress and TV show host Larysa Switlyk posted photos to social media of goats she and her team killed during a recent trip to the country’s Highlands.
Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said Wednesday that the government would review its laws to see whether amendments are needed, acknowledging how “upsetting” and “offensive” the images were to many people. The culling of goats and deer, a process some countries undertake for certain breeds of animals as a population control measure, is not illegal in Scotland.
Switlyk posted a series of photos on Instagram and Twitter this week from the Scottish island of Islay, where she and her team were photographed with goats they had killed. Photos from earlier in the month show photos of dead deer.
“We hunted hard for a big one for 2 days and finally got on this group,” she wrote on Tuesday. “Made a perfect 200 yard shot and dropped him.”
Thousands of comments on social media called on Switlyk to leave the country and its wildlife alone. She responded by imploring people to educate themselves while she unplugs from social media for the next two weeks during another hunting trip.
“Hopefully that will give enough time for all the ignorant people out there sending me death threats to get educated on hunting and conservation,” she wrote on Instagram Wednesday. “FYI, I was in Scotland over a month ago ...”
Big game hunting, while allowed in certain parts of the world, often draws condemnation due to concerns about wildlife conservation.
Donald Trump Jr. and his brother Eric were under fire after controversial photos surfaced of them showing off an elephant, crocodile, leopard and other animals they killed in Africa in 2012.
President Donald Trump earlier this year allowed American hunters to again import trophy tusks and other elephant body parts into the U.S. after the Obama administration had imposed a ban. His position on trophy hunting wavered several times; he placed the repeal of the Obama-era ban on hold after public backlash, calling the activity a “horror show,” only to ultimately move forward with it.