American huntress who posed with dead goat faces possible gun charges in Scotland
The American huntress who incited fury by posting a photo of her smiling proudly over a wild goat she shot and killed in Scotland faces possible gun charges stemming from that hunting trip.
Larysa Switlyk and an unidentified 41-year-old man have been “reported for alleged firearms offenses” involving “lending and possession of firearms for hunting,” the BBC reports.
This is the photo that infuriated thousands of people in October.
“Beautiful wild goat here on the Island of Islay in Scotland. Such a fun hunt!! They live on the edge of the cliffs of the island and know how to hide well. We hunted hard for a big one for 2 days and finally got on this group. Made a perfect 200 yard (shot),” she tweeted.
Switlyk, 33, also shared the photo on Instagram.
Thousands of people commented on her social media posts — some supportive, but many more not.
“If culling is the only way to control overpopulation, and if shooting these beautiful animals is the only way to cull, let’s respect them by never celebrating their death. Do it with somber quiet selective killing by professionals. No amateur trophy hunters looking for selfies,” tweeted one man.
“Scottish people don’t support you coming to our country and murdering our animals, simple as that,” one person wrote on Instagram, the Evening Standard reported.
Scottish minister Mike Russell “called the pictures ‘horrific’ and told Scottish radio that goat hunting was worse than hunting red deer, which is ‘very firmly regulated’ as goats have no natural predators,” according to the Evening Standard.
On her Twitter bio, Switlyk describes herself as “not your typical CPA, Professional Huntress and Angler, Host of Larysa Unleashed,” and lists Florida as her location.
“Larysa Switlyk grew up with three older brothers and a fear of guns,” says a longer bio on her website. “Yet, her upbringing taught her to be strong, courageous and not afraid to try anything. A mixture of a tomboy and model, Larysa is competitive, engaging and adventurous.
“She earned her bacherlor’s and master’s degrees in accounting in just four years, and promptly landed a CPA job in New York City. However, she quickly realized she wasn’t a city girl. A gut feeling told her something was missing in her life.”
The BBC reported that several tourism companies lead trips to “stalk and shoot wild goats” in Islay, where Switlyk hunted, and other regions of the United Kingdom.
“Islay is such a beautiful part of Scotland and the wildlife are a huge part of this beauty, so for visitors to come to Scotland and glorify the hunting and killing of wild goats is abhorrent,” Robbie Marsland, director of the League Against Cruel Sports, Scotland, said in a statement to ABC News.
“It is sad that tourism companies are encouraging visitors to Scotland to stalk and hunt wildlife when we should instead be encouraging people to enjoy our wildlife without the need to kill it.”
After the backlash to the American woman’s photos, the Scottish government pledged to review its laws regulating the practice of culling.
“We fully understand why so many people find these images of hunted animals being held up as trophies so upsetting,” a government spokesperson told The Independent, a British online publication.
“Responsible and appropriate culling of animals is a necessary part of sustainable land management and the culling of some wild animals, including deer and goats, is not illegal.
“However, we understand the concerns caused by these images and, in light of them, the environment secretary will review the situation and consider whether any clarification of or changes to the law might be required.”
But pro-hunting advocate James Barrington accused government officials of leaving Switlyk “out on a limb.”
“If you don’t do these things you will see diseased populations, overpopulations, habitats being lost, vulnerable animals overrun by successful breeding animals,” he told ABC News in October.
Someone reported Switlyk to Scottish authorities, citing a section in the country’s 1968 Firearms Act that requires anyone borrowing a gun must, among other things, “be accompanied by the lender or someone who holds the relevant certificate,” the BBC reported.
Media outlets reported that the huntress took a two-week break after the backlash and is now back selling T-shirts on her website that jab her critics.
“Due to the recent outrage over my hunting adventures, I’ve decided to launch T-Shirts to take a stance for what I believe in! 100 percent of the proceeds from t-shirt sales goes to conservation,” she writes on the website.
One of the T-shirts says “Barbaric” Hunter. “What non-hunters call my hunting style. So who wants to be a ‘barbaric’ hunter with me?” she wrote.
Another slogan — “just a fun play on words,” she writes — is this: “Don’t Let Me Get Your Goat.”
This story was originally published December 26, 2018 at 10:31 AM with the headline "American huntress who posed with dead goat faces possible gun charges in Scotland."