Preteen Hunter SLAMMED For Posting Selfies With Dead Animals
Aug. 23 2016, Published 10:07 a.m. ET
At just 12-years-old, trophy hunter Aryanna Gourdin sparked outrage after she posted a graphic photo of herself smiling next to a dead giraffe. Click through for the disturbing photos that are sparking controversy.
This post, which went viral not long after it went up on Aug. 8, shows the young hunter posing next to a dead animal during a recent trip to South Africa with her father, Eli Gourdin.
Aryanna is from Cove, Utah, and has maintained a Facebook page, "Braids and Bows" to share news and photos of her kills.
The giraffe photo has garnered nearly 100,000 comments, and Aryanna called it one of her "dream hunts.
Not long after the violent backlash, Aryanna took to Facebook once more to defend her hobby.
"Trophy Hunting Is Good for Endangered Species," she wrote. "Although people may find it hard to believe, especially due to recent events, the hunting of endangered species is actually one of the only things helping them today."
Further defending the kill, she also claimed that hunting permit costs go to wildlife conservation efforts.
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Despite the controversy that followed her latest hunt, she said she does not intend to give up the sport.
"We're proud to be hunters, and we'll never apologize for being a hunter," she proclaimed on Good Morning America. "I would never back down from hunting," she continued. "I am a hunter, and no matter what people say to me, I'm never going to stop."
