A wildlife TV presenter has caused outrage after posing next to a lion she supposedly hunted and killed in South Africa.
Melissa Bachman hosts American TV hunting show Winchester Deadly Passion and posted a picture of herself on Facebook, smiling, holding a gun while leaning on the corpse of a large male lion.
The caption reads; "An incredible day hunting in South Africa! Stalked inside 60-yards on this beautiful male lion... What a hunt!"
The photo of the majestic creature caused outpourings of criticism, with users calling her "heartless", "shameful" and saying "I've absolutely no words for this Melissa Bachman character.
"If she gets enjoyment from this then there is something seriously wrong."
Celebs have joined in the condemnation of her actions with comedian Ricky Gervais taking to Twitter to say;
The presenters personal Twitter account seems to have been shut down in order to avoid the public backlash.
A petition has begun to prevent Bachman from returning to South Africa before she can do any further damage to the endangered species there. Already it has gathered over 7,000 signatures and is expected to gain more as the story of her terrible action travels.
Her Facebook is a grisly album of a hunter, with dozens of pictures of her murderous exploits, filled with images of her posing proudly with creatures she has killed.
Words by Gemma Clark
