Scotland has pledged to review its hunting laws amid massive public outcry after an American hunter slaughtered some of the nation’s iconic wildlife and posted trophy photos on social media.
Hunter Larysa Switlyk hosts a hunting show called ‘Larysa Unleashed’ on Canadian television and has more than 79,000 followers on Instagram. The trophy hunter visited Scotland over a month ago, following up her trip by posting a handful of photos where she poses with the animals she has murdered with high-powered firearms.
One of the photos shows the woman smiling beside a dead Royal Scottish stag, with the caption “can’t wait to bring it back to the castle for the chefs to cook it up!”
She also posed with the corpses of a wild goat and ram, describing the experience as a “fun hunt.”
Although hunting these animals is legal in the UK, the ensuing public backlash has reached as far as the Scottish government, with many politicians vowing to reconsider the hunting laws.
“We fully understand why so many people find these images of hunted animals being held up as trophies so upsetting,” said Roseanna Cunningham, cabinet secretary for environment, climate change, and land reform in Scotland. “…we understand the concerns raised by these images and, in light of them, the Environment Secretary will review the situation and consider whether any clarification of or changes to the law might be required.”
Switlyk’s social media accounts have blown up, with thousands of users now attacking the self-proclaimed huntress, who says she is even receiving death threats.
If there is one good thing to come from the murder of these innocent animals, it’s that the issue of trophy hunting is now at the forefront of media and political agendas in Scotland. Here’s hoping this cold-hearted killer has triggered a change that will eventually see trophy hunting banned in the nation.
“Yet again, instead of celebrating Scotland’s magnificent wildlife, we are seeing these beautiful animals exploited in the name of sport,” said Moyes. “This is not the kind of tourism we should be encouraging in Scotland, let alone allowing to happen in the 21st century.”
