A trophy hunter from Idaho has come under criticism after posting numerous photos of herself with the bodies of dead animals she's killed.
Idaho State University accountant Sabrina Corgatelli's Facebook page features a number of pictures of exotic animals she has hunted, including one in which a dead giraffe is wrapped around her legs.
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The post, and others like it, have garnered plenty of angry comments following American dentist Walter Palmer's killing of Cecil the lion, which brought widespread condemnation and shined a spotlight on big game hunting. But Corgatelli defended her actions Monday in a remote interview from South Africa on the "Today" show.
"Everybody just thinks we're cold-hearted killers, and it's not that," Corgatelli said. She gave the interview along with fellow hunter Aaron Nielson.
Corgatelli specifically addressed the giraffe picture, saying that "giraffes are very dangerous animals. They could hurt you seriously very quickly."
She also noted that, as the "Today" host pointed out, the hunting she does isn't against the law.
"Everything I've done here is legally, so how can you fault somebody because of their hobbies?" Corgatelli said.
She also defended herself in a Facebook post on Saturday.
Corgatelli did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Huffington Post.
Ashley Byrne, a spokeswoman for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, said Palmer and Corgatelli have put the spotlight on expensive, guided overseas tours in which foreign clients are guaranteed a kill by local outfitters.
"These are self-promoting nobodies who pay a lot of money to travel the world to kill animals, just for thrills and to hang animal parts on their walls," she said.
Authorities in Zimbabwe have demanded that Palmer be extradited to face charges over the killing of Cecil, who was allegedly lured out of a protected game preserve to be shot.
See more of Corgatelli's Facebook photos, below.
Reuters contributed to this report.
