A woman has been condemned for a ‘sadistic’ hunt after she posed smiling with blood-stained hands after killing a mountain lion.

Haunting images show mother and taxidermist Franchesca Esplin, 28, after she shot the animal for sport in Colorado, US.

The hunter said it was ‘top of my bucket list’ and was pictured holding the dead animal, which fell from a tree after being shot at multiple times.

“Thank you to all those that helped out, you guys have NO idea how happy I am,” she said.

“I can see why this hunt is addicting.”

A video posted on the Facebook page of animal rights group Prairie Protection Colorado (PPC) showed Esplin take aim from distance at the lion, which is hiding at the top of a snowy tree.

She fires twice at the animal, which can be seen clambering around in the tree before fellow hunters say ‘that’s a hit’ as it falls, leading to celebrations from the team.

PPC condemned the hunt in a Facebook post and called for changes to wildlife protection laws.

Sport and fun’

The group said in a statement: “This is the mentality of people who kill predator species for sport and fun.

“Make no mistake that Colorado’s wildlife policies and officials support this insane looting of Colorado’s wildlife.

“It is OUR RESPONSIBILITY as people who care about wildlife to END the insanity of killing for pleasure.”

Campaign

PPC called on animal lovers to actively campaign against hunting.

“We have to do more than get angry and type about it on Facebook. We need to all come together to start the process of changing laws,” the statement added.

PPC called for Colorado to adopt similar laws to California, where bobcat trapping was outlawed in 2013.

The group urged animal lovers to urge authorities in Colorado to introduce similar laws on  [email protected] or follow their advice listed here. 

• Read: US hunter who paid $400,000 to kill rare black rhino to import its skull, skin and horns

What do you think of this hunt? Tell us in the comments section below!

Oli Gross

Oli’s career and personal ethical values both help shape his reporting of the diverse world of veganism. His background is in local newspaper and magazine journalism, and his work has included reporting court cases, celebrity interviews, business analysis, food and drink features and government legislation.

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