Whether or not you’re a vegetarian, chances are you consider yourself to be an animal lover, and as such there are some issues that give you pause. One of the chief issues among animal lovers is the hunting of wild, rare animals for sport, also known as trophy hunting. One woman found herself in a firestorm of controversy for her own passion for the sport, and the way she responded only made things worse.
American trophy hunter Tess Thompson Talley went viral in 2018 for posting a photo of a dead rare black giraffe that she killed on a hunting trip in South Africa in 2017. Talley said the rare black giraffe was more than 18 years old and weighed over 4,000 pounds when she shot and killed the animal.
Instead of being sorry for her action, her response made it even worst. She has not only defended her actions but doubled down on killing the animal by saying that the animal was “delicious.”
Talley, who is from Kentucky, defended her actions by calling the trip a “conservation hunt” that was designed to manage area wildlife. Most of the reactions to the controversial photo were negative as people were outraged that she would murder such a majestic and rare creature. The since-deleted Facebook post was captioned: “Prayers for my once in a lifetime dream hunt came true today! Spotted this rare black giraffe bull and stalked him for quite a while. I knew it was the one.”
While time has passed, the outrage has barely dimmed but that’s not bothering Tess who said in an interview with CBS that “They [animals] are put there for us, we harvest them, we eat them!”. It seems she’s standing by her original stance.
Gayle King questioned Talley about how the photos seemed to go beyond hunting. She wanted to know if she took pleasure out of the death. Tess brushed this off saying: “The pictures are a tradition that hunters have done long before social media. When social media came around, that’s when there was an issue, that’s when people started backlash.”
Civilians like you and I aren’t the only ones who were outraged by Tess’ actions. Celebrities spoke out against her, too.
Debra Messing said:
“With joy in her black heart and a beaming smile she lies next to the dead carcass of a *rare* black giraffe in South Africa. Giraffes are the epitome of gentle giants. They glide across the plains, like liquid; awe inspiring creatures who spend their days eating leaves and caring for their young. How DARE she.”
Comedian Ricky Gervais’ post wasn’t quite as long but it was equally daming:
“What’s 16 feet tall and has a c*** on the back of its neck?” But Tess refuses to stop hunting and says that the people, including the celebs, who spoke out condeming her actions, are the ones who need to rethink their own motives.
Watch the video report here: CBS News/Youtube
