Like many young girls Aryanna Gourdin is keen to show off her hobbies but, unlike most her age, she is sparking outrage because her favourite pastime is killing animals in Africa.
Smiling while standing over the dead carcasses of fallen giraffe, zebra and impala which she hunted while on a recent trip of South Africa the schoolgirl from Utah, in the US, has drawn the wrath of the internet’s animal lovers.
After Aryanna posted some pictures of her “trophies” to her Facebook page, Braids and Bows, she has been labelled an “animal hater” and “a murderer”.
But Aryanna isn’t backing down.
In a recent interview she has told ABC News’ Good Morning America that she is proud of her animal kills with her trusty bow with pink arrows.
“It’s something that I cherish and I enjoy and I want other people to see what I’ve been able to experience,” Aryanna said.
But her critics are also steadfast in their condemnation, even critising her father, Eli Gourdin, for introducing his daughter to the controversial practice.
“A normal dad would take his daughter to africa for a safari and not for hunting animal, for fun!!!!!!” one commenter wrote.
“Thats (sic) so poor. i hope that one day while she is hunting animals, just for fun, she will be killed by one of them!!!!” wrote another.
In the midst of the controversy last week Aryanna posted an apology to Facebook saying: “My last profile picture was very offensive to others and I have learned my lesson.”
But the online scolding isn’t enough to turn Aryanna away from the “sport”.
“I want other women and youth to get into the hunting experiences,” she told GMA. “It’s just awesome.”
“We [hunters] love animals too. It’s just, we also love hunting.”
And not everyone has been critical. Some in the hunting community have come out to back the youngster.
She also said nothing would ever make her stop.
“I would never back down from hunting because I’m a hunter and no matter the people say to me I’m never going to stop,” she said.
The young girl said that her hunts were legal and all the money her family paid to hunt went toward animal conservation.
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