Images of an American trophy hunter posing for a photo next to a black giraffe that she had shot and killed in South Africa have caused outrage online. It has sparked a heated debate on whether or not trophy hunting should be banned. Wikipedia says: "Trophy hunting is the hunting of wild game for human recreation. The trophy is the animal or part of the animal kept, and usually displayed, to represent the success of the hunt." A fee is usually paid to the government to help wildlife conservation. Critics of this say countries earn far more from wildlife tourism than from big game hunting. The giraffe's killing is being compared to Cecil the lion, the iconic big cat hunted and killed by an American dentist in 2015.
The latest killing caused an account on Twitter called Africa Digest to write: "White American savage, who is partly a Neanderthal, comes to Africa and shoot down a very rare black giraffe, courtesy of South African stupidity." The American hunter defended her actions. She told CBS News that the giraffe was an old male that was attacking and killing younger giraffes. She said: "This is called conservation through game management. Now that the giraffe is gone, the younger bulls are able to breed." Paul Babaz, president of the hunting group Safari Club International defended the woman. He said: "She was hunting in South Africa and giraffes are legal to hunt in South Africa."
