Valentines Day gone wrong: Meet the trophy hunter torn apart by Twitter
Valentine’s Day was not a great day for all South Africans, but especially not for a giraffe. In fact, with millions of animals getting endangered every year, a trophy hunter is facing extreme backlash for posting & parading her latest gift – the heart of a giraffe!
It wasn’t until Merelize Van Der Merwe posted how “wonderful” her husband was after he spent approximately $2,000 for her Valentine’s Day present, when people around the world gave the hunter some extreme online hate.
Trophy hunter
The Trophy hunter, Merelize Van Der Merwe, thirty-two, recently praised her husband for giving her the best gift she’s ever received. Van Der Merwe posted on Facebook: “Ever wondered how big a giraffe’s heart is? I’m absolutely over the moon with my BIG valentine’s present.”
According to The New York Post, Merelize Van Der Merwe has actually been a hunter against all animal rights activists. In fact, she is constantly ignoring complaints by activists for her actions and stated that “killing the seventeen-year-old” animal has helped the species and posting on social media actually promotes tourism in the country.
One of many
However, Merelize Van Der Merwe has killed approximately 500 animals since a young age, including Africa’s finest beasts like lions & elephants. The New York Post noted that Van Der Merwe definitely posted the pictures to mock the animal rights lobby as she doesn’t have any respect for them or their rules.
Van Der Merwe expressed to The Mirror: “I’d waited for my own perfect bull – the older a bull gets the darker he gets. . . I love the skin and the fact it’s such an iconic animal for Africa.”
The trophy hunter further explained: “Or plans changed quickly. My wonderful husband Gerhardt knew this was my dream. I was like a child for two weeks, counting the days. Afterwards I was flooded with emotions.”
Dream come true
This wasn’t the first time Merelize Van Der Merwe was looking for her friendly giant. As The Daily Mail reported, in 2016 she was searching for the giraffe (bull) everywhere. She confessed: “I contacted almost everyone I knew who had black bulls old enough to fit the bill.”
Van Der Merwe continued: “Two weeks ago a dear friend Chrisjan Bakker contacted me regarding my request for a big old bull and I couldn’t believe my eyes.” She claimed that the animal was extremely old and that the owner wasn’t sure if the bull would last another a couple months.
Luckily for Merelize Van Der Merwe, her husband Gerhardt Nell planned to take her to a hotel in Sun City for Valentine’s Day, but used the money instead to pay for her trophy hunt and told The Mirror: “I’ve been waiting years to have this opportunity.”
Hunting debate
It seems like Merelize Van Der Merwe isn’t worried about the attention she’s getting as she stated: “I ain’t scared of s*** especially from activists who still lives with mommy because they get triggered by everything.”
Merelize Van Der Merve told The Mirror that she doesn’t think she’s done anything wrong, as the “eleven people” who were at the range were only happy to see her. She claimed that it brought “a lot of meat for the locals” and that a new bull could finally take over from the deceased.
Despite the trophy hunter’s excitement, Mark Jones of the Born Free Foundation added: “trophy hunting is not a conservation tool, nor does it contribute significant funds to local communities.”
As The New York Post noted, an insider from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals claimed: “Someone who kills another sentient being, cuts out their heart, and boasts about it fits the definition of a sociopath.”
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Do you think trophy hunters should be allowed to kill as they please? And do you think a giraffe was the best Valentine’s Day gift? Let us know in the comments below.
