Canadian TV Host Faces Backlash After Killing Mountain Lion
A Canadian television host has come under fire after sharing multiple photos to Facebook on Dec. 3 of a mountain lion he killed during a hunting trip in northern Alberta, Canada. The picture has reeled in more than 2,100 likes, 940 comments and 2,200 shares since its arrival online.
Steve Ecklund, mostly known for co-hosting "The Edge Abroad," took a hunting trip with friends in northern Alberta where they hunted a mountain lion. Ecklund shared a series of pictures from his trip, with one showing him grinning as he's holding up the animal's carcass. He also posed for pictures with friends kneeling behind the dead animal as they held up two beagles.
"What an unreal ending to a fun-filled season. Northern Alberta lion with BIG CAT ADVENTURES," Eklund wrote Dec. 3 on Facebook. "Brian and Claudette Chorney...can't thank you guys enough for the eye opener into your world of houndsmen."
Ecklund regularly shares photos of himself and his wife, Alison Ecklund, pictured in hunting gear or with hunted animals. This seemingly graphic picture managed to cause a stir among social media users, however.
The feedback over Ecklund's four photos appeared to be predominantly harsh, despite the fair amount of individuals that came to his defense. Several opposers referred to Ecklund's behavior as "sick" and "disgusting."
"You [are a] horrible person to glorify the killing of this magnificent animal, you are disgusting," one commenter wrote on Facebook.
"How would you feel if someone came into your home & hunted you to kill for fun and a photo," another Facebook user wrote. "This is not necessary and makes everyone sad! I hope you feel [bad] and can take on what some of these people are commenting."
"This makes me sick to my core. This is a shameful and disgusting act of violence by a blatantly deranged human," a third commenter wrote on Facebook.
The backlash even migrated over to Twitter, where users deemed Ecklund as "selfish" and "horrible."
Ecklund took to Facebook to defend himself. The television presenter found humor in the continuous criticism he had received over the seemingly controversial picture.
"If you can guess what post has 900 likes, 450 comments, 13 confirmed death threats, 754 swear words and one very happy hunter in it...I will enter your name into the draw for the new cougar cook book, filled with mouth water recipes for your next mountain lion hunt," Ecklund wrote Dec. 4 on Facebook.
Born to a hunting family, Ecklund decided to turn his hunting abilities into a career. Ecklund considers himself to be a fair chase hunter, meaning he ethically purses the animals he kills and they're all free-range. As a cancer survivor, he also sees hunting as a "motivational lifesaver."
Canada law allows hunters to have a recreational hunting license in Alberta, but there are limitations to what the license holder can and can't do while engaging in such activity. Limitations, however, tend to differ by region.
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