Former NFL Pro Wrongly Accused of Hunting Endangered Antelope

The backlash got here quick. Armchair critics lit up Cutler’s feed with the standard anti-hunting outrage, calling the hunt “cruelty dressed up as sport” and accusing him of capturing a defenseless animal that “had zero concept he was a risk.”

“Fairly unhappy that you’re proud to have taken down this lovely animal. Paying massive bucks to have somebody discover you a big, lovely animal you could shoot at shut vary just isn’t searching,” wrote one commenter. 

Sadly, a whole lot of the hate has been fueled by inaccurate data circulating on-line and in some mainstream media shops which have accused Cutler of killing an endangered species. PennLive went as far as to name the animal “critically endangered.” However the antelope he shot in South Africa is definitely a common sable, which isn’t endangered and is listed as a species of Least Concern by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. It was not, as some have claimed, a giant sable. This uncommon subspecies is critically endangered, however it may possibly solely be present in a small part of central Angola, which doesn’t even border South Africa.

Hunts like Cutler’s are a key a part of conservation funding in lots of African nations. The searching trade there generates millions of dollars every year, with giant parts of that cash going towards habitat preservation and anti-poaching efforts. Cutler’s hunt, irrespective of how controversial, helped fund the very system that helps the species he hunted. 

Learn Subsequent: Why Hunting Africa Has Nothing To Do With Trophy Hunting

However none of that issues within the courtroom of social media, the place intelligent digs and humorous quips have a tendency to hold extra weight than info. Cutler hasn’t apologized or backed down. If something, he doubled down — posting extra images and a video from the hunt.

“One other nice day,” Cutler wrote within the caption.