Former NFL Professional Wrongly Accused of Searching 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 thought he was a menace.”

“Fairly unhappy that you’re proud to have taken down this lovely animal. Paying large bucks to have somebody discover you a big, lovely animal which you could shoot at shut vary will not be looking,” wrote one commenter. 

Sadly, numerous the hate has been fueled by inaccurate data circulating on-line and in some mainstream media retailers 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 frequent sable, which isn’t endangered and is listed as a species of Least Concern by the Worldwide Union for the Conservation of Nature. It was not, as some have claimed, an enormous sable. This uncommon subspecies is critically endangered, however it will probably 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 looking trade there generates thousands and thousands of {dollars} annually, with massive parts of that cash going towards habitat preservation and anti-poaching efforts. Cutler’s hunt, regardless of how controversial, helped fund the very system that helps the species he hunted. 

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

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.