US huntress Sabrina Corgatelli coming to NZ

An American female huntress, who has spoken out in defence of big game hunting, plans to come Downunder.

The death of Cecil the lion at the hands of an American dentist led to a backlash against such hunters.

However this has done little to deter Idaho accountant Sabrina Corgatelli who has been posting pictures online of her hunting trip to the Kruger National Park in South Africa.

And in an earlier post on her Facebook page she also posted her intent to come to New Zealand and get herself a stag.

The trip is planned for the roar in April next year.

The roar is the time of year when male deer become preoccupied with finding a mate and are therefore less cautious and easier to hunt.

New Zealand hunters have expressed their hopes the American huntress will stay true to the spirit of a fair chase.

New Zealand Deerstalkers' Association president Bill O'Leary says the huntress is obviously engaged in trophy hunting.

He says there were two ways overseas hunters could engage in hunting here, either on their own or through a guided tour.

Mr O'Leary hoped if trophy hunters, like Ms Corgatelli, chose to go it on their own to hunt that they would do the hard yards and pursue the prey in a "fair chase".

He adds the situation with Cecil, the lion, was distressing and not reflective of the hunting industry.

"Emphatically...no," he replied.

Sabrina Corgatelli has been gleefully posting pictures online of her hunting trip.

In one image she poses over a dead giraffe, with the caption: 'I got an old giraffe. Such an amazing animal! I couldn't be any happier! My emotion after getting him was a feeling I will never forget!' Her prey has also included a kudu, an impala, a wildebeest and a warthog - and Corgatelli, a senior accountant for Idaho State University, has vowed to continue sharing the images regardless of what her 'haters' think.

In the updates, posted on her Facebook page, she name-checks a firm called Old Days Safari, a local hunting company. Their package for most of the animals she is shown hunting costs $5,400 (NZ$8189), while the giraffe carries a 'trophy fee' of $2,600 (NZ$3943).

Hunting giraffes is legal in South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe, where fees of thousands of dollars per kill have been recorded. In Zimbabwe, where Cecil was killed by Dr Walter Palmer, hunting lions, leopards and elephants has been suspended in the wake of the famous lion's death. But giraffes are still considered fair game.

And now another American medic has been accused of illegally hunting a lion in Zimbabwe. Dr Jan Seski stands accused of carrying out an illegal crossbow hunt in April.

Dr Seski, from Pennsylvania, is director of gynaecologic oncology at Allegheny Hospital in Pittsburgh. He has been pictured with dead animals including elephants, hippos, zebras, ostriches, and water buffalo.

A caption under a photograph on the Alaska Bowhunting Supply website reads: 'Look at the penetration Dr Seski got even after going through the elephant's rib! Congratulations!'
The website also claims Dr Seski has now killed a total of six elephants. Although elephant hunting has been legal in Africa, the international trade in ivory from tusks was banned in 1989.

Zimbabwe is seeking the extradition of dentist Dr Palmer to face charges of illegally killing a lion. Authorities are likely to pursue the same course with Dr Seski, who was unavailable for comment when contacted by dailymail.com last night.

Airline bans hunting trophies

Delta Air Lines is having a major change of heart about shipping hunting trophies.

The carrier announced Monday afternoon that it would no longer accept lion, leopard, elephant, rhinoceros and buffalo trophies.

As recently as May, the Atlanta-based airline had said that it would continue to allow such shipments - as long as they were legal.

At the time, some international carriers prohibited such cargo.

The move comes after an American dentist killed a well-known lion named Cecil in Zimbabwe last month in an allegedly illegal hunt.

The dentist, Walter James Palmer, lives in Minnesota, which is a major hub for Delta.

Delta is the only U.S. airline to fly to Africa. Several foreign airlines announced similar bans last week.

- Daily Mail with additional reporting from AP and NZME