‘I don’t regret it’ Huntress who posed with dead giraffe DEFENDS act despite death threats
A FEMALE hunter sent death threats for shooting a giraffe said she “does not regret it for one second” as it emerged she made the kill for FOOD.
Rebecca Francis said she made the kill to feed an African community
Bow and arrow hunter Rebecca Francis was hounded by animal rights activists across the globe after a photograph of her lying next to the wild kill was posted on Twitter by comedian Ricky Gervais.
He wrote: “What must've happened to you in your life to make you want to kill a beautiful animal & then lie next to it smiling?”
Ms Francis, who won American reality television show Extreme Huntress, was then blasted by abusive social media users and threatened with violence.
But the shooter has now defended her decision to kill the giraffe - claiming it was killed so a community could feast on it.
She wrote on Facebook: "When I was in Africa five years ago I was of the mindset that I would never shoot a giraffe. I was approached toward the end of my hunt with a unique circumstance.
**CLICK HERE FOR MORE PICTURES OF EXTREME HUNTRESS REBECCA FRANCIS**
What must've happened to you in your life to make you want to kill a beautiful animal & then lie next to it smiling? pic.twitter.com/DyYw1T5ck2
— Ricky Gervais (@rickygervais) April 13, 2015
Rebecca Francis was trolled on social media after the post
Once he was down there were people waiting to take his meat
“They showed me this beautiful old bull giraffe that was wandering all alone. He had been kicked out of the herd by a younger and stronger bull.
“He was past his breeding years and very close to death. They asked me if I would preserve this giraffe by providing all the locals with food and other means of survival.
“He was inevitably going to die soon and he could either be wasted or utilised (sic) by the local people. I chose to honour (sic) his life by providing others with his uses and I do not regret it for one second.
“Once he was down there were people waiting to take his meat.
“They also took his tail to make jewellery, his bones to make other things, and did not waste a single part of him. I am grateful to be a part of something so good."
Rebecca Francis has numerous photographs of her kill on Facebook
Ms Francis grew up in Utah, US, where she began hunting from an early age.
She claims to have completed the ‘Grand Slam of North America’ with her bow and arrow, meaning she has killed wild animals including bears, bison, moose and antelope.
She shoots her prey with the age-old weapon, or sometimes a rifle, and has posted numerous snaps of her kill on her Facebook with a beaming smile.
The post of Ms Francis’ Facebook statement has so far attracted more than 7,300 likes and has been shared more than 1,600 times. But critics are still on her tail.
Craig Oliver wrote: “Personally I don’t see how she could stand at the side of the animal with a big smile on her face even if she did do it a favour, she's posing like she has a trophy!”
**CLICK HERE FOR MORE PICTURES OF EXTREME HUNTRESS REBECCA FRANCIS**