Sabrina Corgatelli: Hunter defends 'kill' picture of giraffe and brands animal 'dangerous'

Sabrina Corgatelli told NBC's Today programme that she respected animals

Sabrina Corgatelli poses with the body of the giraffe she killed on safari in South Africa (Facebook/Sabrina Corgatelli)

The woman who posted images of herself with a giraffe she killed has defended her actions – and called the animals “dangerous”.

Sabrina Corgatelli first came under fire from animal rights activists after she posted images of herself online posed with giraffe carcasses and other dead animals during a guided hunt in South Africa.

But now Corgatelli, an accountant at Idaho State University, has defended her actions, telling NBC’s Today show that she respected the animals despite hunting them.

“Everybody thinks we’re cold-hearted killers and it’s not that. There is a connection to the animal, and just because we hunt them doesn’t mean we don’t have a respect for them,” she told the programme on Monday.

She added: "Giraffes are very dangerous animals. They could hurt you seriously, very quickly.”

Many have expressed their outraged at her comments.

Corgatelli proudly published the photos of her and the animal carcasses on Facebook.

The photo with the giraffe had a caption reading: “Day #2 I got an amazing old giraffe. Such an amazing animal!!! I couldn’t be happier.”

Animal rights activists around the world have condemned trophy hunting following the killing of Zimbabwe’s most famous lion, Cecil, by American dentist Walter Palmer.

Ashley Byrne, of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, told Reuters that Corgatelli and Palmer were “self-promoting nobodies” who travelled the world to kill animals “just for thrills and to hang animal parts on their walls”.