No matter how many appalling cases seem to make the headlines, there appears no end in sight to the number of people willing to shoot – and then pose with – dead animals.
This time, an American hunter has reportedly paid $110,000 for a permit to kill a rare mountain goat in Pakistan, before squatting over the creature for pictures.
Video footage of the event – uploaded to social media – shows Bryan Kinsel Harlan climbing through rough terrain in Pakistan’s Gilgit region, before shooting at the goat, high-fiving the guides and then pulling the animal up by its horns …
https://www.facebook.com/abdullah.khalid.35977897/videos/10156929995078232/
Known as a markhor, the large species of goat can be found throughout southern Asia, though their population has been diminishing of late due to deforestation, military activity, and unregulated trophy hunting.
According to reports in Pakistani newspaper Dawn, Harlan said: “It was an easy and close shot and I am pleased to take this trophy.”
The paper also claims that the fee was the highest ever paid for a hunt in the country.
BREAKING: A man paid $110K so he could kill a rare mountain goat, just for the hell of it 😡
Goats are gentle individuals, NOT TROPHIES. RETWEET if you know hunting is for monsters.https://t.co/Y7LNOVW8CB
— PETA (@peta) February 12, 2019
The $110,000 fee Harlan parted with makes him the third American hunter in recent weeks to stump up more than $100,000 in permit fees.
Naturally, feedback on social media has been divided. Though there exist those who have defended Harlan’s right to hunt the animal – hunting markhors is permitted by Pakistani law – there are others who have reacted angrily to the surfacing of a video and photos.
What do you think? Should hunters such as Harlan face criticism for shooting innocent animals?
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