Melissa Bachman, the celebrity hunter who sparked outrage over the weekend after she tweeted a photo of herself posing with a lion she had killed, is continuing to catch heat.
Bachman is the target of a new petition that asks the Pursuit Channel, Dish Network and DirecTV to cancel Bachman’s hunting show, “Winchester Deadly Passion.”
Also read: Lion Huntress Melissa Bachman Under Fire Over Gruesome Photo
So far the petition, launched by a South African named Thor, has attracted nearly 70,000 signatures.
“‘Hardcore’ hunter Melissa Bachman recently posted a photo to her social media profiles of herself in front of a mature lion that she shot in South Africa. This is just the most recent of her public photos of cruel and unnecessary trophy hunting of defenseless animals. It’s repulsive and we must stop it!” the petition reads.
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“Trophy hunting is despicable and counters any efforts of conservation. These photos represent Bachman’s complete disrespect for nature and we do NOT want her influencing our children and being promoted by TV networks,” the petition continues.
Bachman killled the lion during a guided hunt that was facilitated by South Africa’s Maroi conservancy. According to the conservancy, Bachman had a lion on her “wish list” for the hunt and, since lions don’t naturally reside on Maroi, the organization contacted an outfitter elsewhere and facilitated the hunt.
The conservancy defended its part in the hunt in a post on its Facebook page.
“We are not apologizing for facilitating the hunt. As for all the negative commentary towards us, please consider how much you have contributed to conservation in the past 5 years,” the post reads. “If you are not a game farmer and struggling with dying starving animals, poaching and no fences in place to protect your animals and crop, please refrain from making negative, derogatory comments.”
Nonetheless, the public outcry against Bachman has been vocal. An online petition slamming Bachman and asking that she be banned from South Africa has so far collected nearly half a million signatures, and the Facebook group “Stop Melissa Bachman” has drawn more than 269,000 “likes.”
Last year, the National Geographic Channel dropped Bachman from the series “Ultimate Survival Alaska” after an online petition was filed.