Kendall Jones is passionate about her big game hunts and makes no apologies for who she is.
A Texas cheerleader has incited a public outcry after posting photos of her posing with the animals she’s hunted.
Texas Tech University cheerleader Kendall Jones, 19, loves hunting big game in Africa, and makes no apologies for it. But many animal rights activists find her hunting and trophy photos appalling, The Blaze reports.
“How could anyone take the life of such a beautiful animal and SMILE??? I just don’t get it, it’s sick!” one commenter wrote on Jones’ Facebook page.
“I’d love to drop kick you into a lions’ den, see how you do without your gun,” another wrote.
But for all the criticism she’s received, Jones has been quick to call people out and explain that hunting not only helps conserve the animal population, but also helps feed the local villages.
“Lions that have come in and taken over a pride, not only kick the older lion out, but will also kill all of his cubs so that the lioness will come into heat again,” Jones explained. “Controlling the male lion population is important within large fenced areas like these in order to make sure the cubs have a high survival rate.”
“Most people say ‘hunting is fine for food’ well, look here are all the people that benefit from this animal!” Jones continued. “And for all that want to say stuff about hunting is for food all the other animals go to the local villagers that are just trying to get meat! These people only get meat when an animal is shot, they aren’t privileged enough to go to the local grocery store and pay $20 for some steaks!”
Jones has been hunting since she was a child and often accompanied her father on his expeditions to Africa.
“I grew up in the small town of Cleburne, Texas, where my hunting career started,” Jones wrote on her Facebook page. “As a child I would go with my dad on all of his hunting adventures watching him on our ranch, as well as, traveling to Africa to see him take his Big 5. I took my first trip to Zimbabwe in Africa with my family in 2004 (age 9) and watched my dad bring many animals home. As badly as I wanted to shoot something I was just too small to hold the guns my dad had brought. I became fascinated with the culture over there and visited one of the elementary schools to deliver candy, coloring books, and soccer balls to the under privileged children. This was an eye opening experience for me to see how other children my age lived in a third world country.”
Jones has been uploading her hunting photos to her Facebook page with the hopes of one day hosting her own hunting show.
Jones’ first kill was a rare African white rhino.
Jones said the meat from this elephant went to local villagers.
“White springbok,” Jones wrote about the photo, “it’s 1 of the 4 color shades of this animal! And let me tell you it’s one of my favorite kinds of meat so far!”
“This time I got my leopard,” writes Jones of a third safari she took at age 14. “And also took down a hippo to get 6 of the Dangerous 7.”
[ The Blaze ]
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